Humane Society of Broward County Heading to Tennessee to Remove Animals from Puppy Mill

Fort Lauderdale, FL  – A team of four Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC) staff left today, Friday, June 27 for a 935 mile, fourteen and a half hour drive to Lyles, Tennessee.  The HSBC was asked to assist in removing dogs from the deplorable conditions at Pine Bluff Kennels, a puppy mill that has been under investigation by local authorities.  The rescue was set into motion by The HSUS' Tennessee state director, who received undercover tips and worked with investigators with the District Attorney's office for the 21st Judicial District to build a case against the puppy mill operator.

Law enforcement personnel from the Hickman County Sheriff's Department, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Highway Patrol assisted in executing the search warrant.

Nearly 700 dogs, 25 horses and donkeys, 20 cats, 4 parrots and some chickens are being removed from the facility, which is known as Pine Bluff Kennels.  The dogs will be assessed by a medical team in Tennessee and then sent to various shelters around the country.  According to HSUS all of the animals were housed in various buildings throughout the 92-acre property. Many of them were without water and living in cages covered in feces.

Puppy mills are breeders who house large numbers of animals, in unsanitary, horrendous conditions, to produce massive amounts of puppies that are then sold to stock pet stores and now are being sold over the internet. 

According to Cherie Wachter, Marketing Director at the HSBC, “Once our staff arrives at the site, we will know more about the number of animals we will be bringing back and when they will be returning home.  Sadly adult dogs that come from situations like this often have not been socialized and will need understanding owners who can provide lots of TLC.” 

In order to help these animals we are looking for donations of toys, towels and monetary donations to help with the trip expenses and the expenses we will incur once the animals arrive here.  Of course we will need people to come and adopt these dogs once the animals are checked and made available for adoption.  If your family is considering getting a pet, remember, there are wonderful pets waiting for homes in shelters all over South Florida.

The Humane Society of Broward County is a private, non-profit organization that is supported 100% by donations from people and companies that want to help us help the homeless animals. 

Speaking of Independence Day......here's an update on the largest puppy mill raid ~

http://www.aspca.org/site/R?i=XeeOed31e4OPmU2ovV_SYg..