November 21, 2008
- Yakima, Washington 29
Puppy Mill Dogs Recover at Pet Rescue
By Rudabeh Shahbazi
OTHELLO-- Dozens of dogs rescued from an alleged Adams County puppy mill earlier this month are finally back on their feet, and 400 families have lined up to adopt the animals.
"I can't think of anything that I've ever done more rewarding," said Donna Yarchak, who lives at the Othello Pet Rescue shelter and takes care of the dogs 24/7. "When you get to see them come back from the way they were, it just does your heart good." Some of the dogs were found dead, some were put to sleep and many were dying when they were taken off Sharon Provost's property in Lind. "We knew these dogs were in bad condition," said Pet Rescue President Jessica Fuhrman. "When you picked them up, you could just tell that they were starving. You could feel their backbones and all their ribs, so when they're in that condition, you don't know what they've been eating to try to stay alive." Since coming to Othello, the dogs have been eating rice to flush out their systems and nourish them. Volunteers have even been feeding them Pedialyte through an eyedropper to replenish and hydrate them. "The worst thing is, a lot of the young dogs actually look older than they are," said Fuhrman. "From living such a hard life and eating rocks and breaking their teeth." A couple weeks ago, the dogs could barely move, and many could not eat. Rescuers said they had not been touched by humans before. Now they are up and running around with new vigor and energy, and they've made friends with the volunteers. "When we put him outside in the run for the first time, and I saw him bark and jump, I was like my God, he's a dog again!" said Yarchak. "A lot of them are letting you come up to them now," said Fuhrman. "They're not snapping at you. It's wonderful. The kids are packing the puppies around." Still, the 25 dogs that remain in the shelter, are sick. A few didn't make it. "It was just dead in its pen, we have no idea what happened to it," said Fuhrman, about a dog that they couldn't save. "Unfortunately, my little girl was the one who found the dog, and she even named it afterward. She named it 'Hardy' because it had a hard life." |
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