Over the weekend LBWF received a very distressed call from our local veterinarian office. A man had come into their clinic and explained that he was the owner of a recently abandoned property and had gone to the home to begin clean up. Upon his arrival at the property, he was greeted by two dogs at the door. As if this weren't enough, he proceeded to walk through the house only to find that there were several more dogs inside and outside the house. He wasn't sure how many there were and wasn't sure how long the dogs had been left inside the house but knew enough to find help and fast!

As soon as we got the call we jumped into action and sent a team of volunteers, along with a vet tech from the hospital, to help assess the situation. We had no idea what we'd find when we got to the house. It was getting dark and it was not the best neighborhood.

Armed with food, water, treats, fluids, flashlights and crates our team went into the home and couldn't believe what they found! There weren't just a few dogs... There were 22 dogs!

Upon entering the house we found an adult female, a 6 month old pup and eight 2 month old pups in one room, a Momma dog with 9 newborns in another room, and two adult dogs chained in the back. The conditions were brutal. It was hot, dirty, and there was little to no food or water left for the dogs. We quickly got water down for all the dogs and the continued to assess the situation.

We knew our first priority was to get the Mom and newborns out. It was hot and dark and we needed to make sure her and her pups would be okay. Our amazing team put together a large crate with blankets and coaxed the sweet Momma dog in. With gloves on, they carefully moved each of the pups in with their Mom.

We then proceeded to secure the property and feed the remaining dogs. We knew we wouldn't be able to take them all that night as we'd need to arrange for help and space. The landlord agreed to give us some time to help the remaining dogs.

The Momma dog and newborns were transported back to LBWF and she received much needed nutritional supplements and fluids for dehydration. Thankfully her pups were in good shape but they needed their Momma dog to be in good shape too!

We sent out a plea and rallied a bigger team together to return to the property the next day. The seen was more horrific in daylight. The two dogs out back were kept in squalor and were incredibly protective of their property making it very difficult to get near them. Also in the backyard, to our horrific surprise, was one of the 2 month old puppies, dead in a hole in the backyard with a tight rope around it's neck. We just couldn't believe the scene. Absolutely horrified, we pressed for information but there is no clear story yet. We, of course, are going to continue to push for information so justice can be served for the condition these dogs were kept in and the lost life of an innocent pup. The appropriate authorities have already been contacted and will be investigating.

We moved quickly to take possession of the remaining dogs and thankfully secured fosters for several of the puppies. We are grateful to everyone who stepped up and helped out to make this rescue a success however the story is far from over...

As we are writing this update, some of the 2- month old puppies have fallen very ill. We have lost 3 already and 2 are at the vet right now - fighting for their lives. We simply can't believe how sad this case continues to be. We are absolutely heartbroken.


Several of the other dogs are also sick, full of worms, and will require extra care. All the dogs will need to be treated for worms, given shots, and will be in need of spaying, neutering, and micro-chipping. The costs are mounting and LBWF will need HELP in a major way to care for all these dogs.

Please consider making a much needed donation to help these pups in need. We can not do this alone.


Sincerely,
Linda and Your LBWF Team

Unfortunately the events outlined above happen all too often. Some case are worse than others but they all end the same - an innocent life needs saving or it's death needing justice served.

We've said it before and we'll say it again - we are in a crisis right here in our own country. Families continue to lose their jobs, their homes, and are forced to give up their four legged loved ones as they turn to desperate measures to find shelter for themselves. LBWF needs the support of our community to continue doing the work we do. We need help to find ways to keep families together, keep food on their table, and allow them to keep their beloved pets. We need pet food companies to step up to the plate and donate. We need landlords to go easy on the "no pet rule". We need outreach programs to educate people on the importance of spay/neuter and cities to make vouchers easier to obtain and use.

Even if you aren't enough to help LBWF directly there are rescues right in your own communities! Reach out to them. Help them. They will be there for you.