On the Inside of the Recent Nebraska Mill Rescue

On July 31st, 106 dogs were rescued from mills in Nebraska by Hearts United for Animals. Take a look at the rescue from a rescuers point of view . . . .

* * * * * * * * * *

10:30 a.m.: Arrive at meeting place - an undisclosed location in Nebraska. Need to put crates together to hold the dogs. Had to bring up crates for two vehicles in just the HUA van, so nested them to make sure all would fit.10:50 a.m.: Crates ready and waiting . . . .

11:05 a.m.: First breeder arrives - opens the door to her van and all the little faces peer out. They are 2-3-4 to a crate. This smaller van has 80+ dogs in it. The smell nearly rocks us back, as we crowd around to get these dogs out as quickly as we can. For a solid hour, the volunteers take the dogs and give them the first kind touches they have known, while putting them into separate crates so they don't have to be cramped any longer. They are given kind words, words of endearment and touches - as much as the dogs will allow. Understandably, the dogs all do not want to be touched and aren't sure what the touches mean. A 3 month old puppy, who is sick, is looked at and it is determined that going to an Omaha vet immediately would be best. A husband is called. He comes to the meeting place and collects the puppy to rush to the vet for emergency medical treatment.

12:00 p.m.: First breeder leaves

12:05 p.m.: Second breeder arrives with a much smaller load. These dogs are off-loaded far more quickly and placed into air-conditioned vehicles for the ride to HUA.

The ride to the shelter is punctuated with smells and sounds. There is no smell like mill dogs in a confined vehicle. We travel with it for just over an hour. These dogs, with their heightened sense of smell, live with these smells 24/7. It is enough to turn your stomach, and in fact, meals from drive-thru's are left half-finished.

1:30 p.m.: The caravan arrives at the HUA shelter to an awaiting crew of volunteers and caretakers, along with media. They had a view of us driving in and the view we had of them brought tears to our eyes. There was literally an army of people standing ready to help these precious mill dogs. Dogs who had never known human kindness had so much love being extended to them upon arrival. The vans were off-loaded into the shade where the dogs were taken out, one by one, and given a quick overview. Hugs, gentle touches, and kind words murmured to each dog as they were settled into their air-conditioned spaces where food, water, and soft blankets were awaiting tired and hungry new residents.

Media press:
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/52231017.html
http://www.kmtv.com/global/story.asp?s=10829509
http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/article_66bf8dac-7e37-11de-88b1-001cc4c002e0.html

3:00 p.m.: All residents settled in. Many observed sleeping with now-full tummies. It has been a good day for these dogs. Their new life has begun. For 106 dogs, they are now free.