Change is never easy, but in this case, it's more than worth it. For the first time, these pets are experiencing the same freedom we're celebrating.
Shelters have been working around the clock over the past few days, providing treatment, washing and grooming, and ensuring that all 240 dogs and 16 cats are cared for. It's the start of a new life for these animals, but, like all change, it takes time.
“Some of them aren't really understanding how to eat food out of a bowl,” says Emily Richards, Director of Trenton Dade Animal Center. “We're experimenting with diet. We're experimenting with space. Some of them are touching grass for the first time.”
Day by day, things are starting to look up for these fur-babies.
“Some of them are responding really well. Some of them are a little bit confused, and some of them are hesitant, but they are in the adjustment period, and they're doing better now than they ever have,” Richards says.
Despite the improvements, getting the resources to care for the sudden intake can be challenging and costly, especially given the severity of the situation. From the outside, Richards says you wouldn’t have suspected a thing.
“If I hadn’t pulled up into that driveway for any other reason, I would have never expected what we found inside,” she says. “This house was in a normal neighborhood. All these dogs were kept behind closed doors.”
“To go in, it was like a horror movie,” says Monda Wooten, Vice Mayor of Trenton and Founder of Dade County Pet Project.
Wooten says the house emitted a foul odor, and those who went inside had to put on a Hazmat suit.
“This house was in a normal neighborhood. All these dogs were kept behind closed doors,” Richards says.
Wooten says this isn’t a typical hoarding case where an owner was unable to care for the animals, and the problem got out of hand.
“This was a full-fledged active running puppy mill,” Wooten says. “They have websites. They sold the puppies.”
Wooten says most of the puppies recovered from the hope were in good condition, but their parents showed signs of extreme neglect.
“The mommas and the daddies look just like they do in those commercials you see on TV, where they show the puppy mills where the mom’s in a cage, and she’s all matted up.”
Every animal needs a full evaluation, many of them needing medical treatment, like preventative care, treatment for injury or illness, and have to undergo psychological rehabilitation. That's why they're asking for your help.
“Something as simple as a playpen for all the dogs to be able to have a little bit of space to move around in–that's more space than they've ever had, and something as simple as that, we're needing help with,” Richards says.
After all, it's their first chance at freedom.
“Not only are we celebrating our independence, but all of these animals are celebrating theirs as well,” Wooten says.
