(June 16, 2014) – RedRover, a California-based nonprofit organization, has deployed volunteers to provide emergency animal sheltering for more than 100 dogs rescued from poor and unsanitary conditions on a private property in Bradley County, Tennessee.
RedRover Responders volunteers have already traveled from cities in Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and parts of Tennessee to care for the rescued animals at the temporary shelter. RedRover has nearly 3,000 active volunteers in the United States and Canada and provides its services free of charge to the community.
RedRover was invited to assist the Humane Society of the United States and Bradley County SPCA under the authority of the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office in their efforts to remove and safely shelter the rescued dogs.
When law enforcement arrived on the property they found a variety of small breed dogs, including beagles and Chihuahuas. Dogs were found to be living on the farm in unsanitary conditions, with some suffering from skin and eye infections and dental disease.
Distinguished by their red shirts, RedRover Responders volunteers are specially trained to care for and shelter large numbers of animals after they have been rescued from cruelty and neglect. RedRover Responders volunteers provide the workforce which enables local animal control and law enforcement agencies to respond to large-scale animal cruelty cases.
“RedRover’s volunteer team is recognized nationally for its ability to give neglected and abused animals loving human contact, often for the first time in their lives,” said RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth. “RedRover’s free emergency sheltering services support local agencies that otherwise might not be able to respond to such large animal cruelty cases due to lack of resources and staff.”
According to WRCB news, a Chattanooga news agency, Bradley County SPCA is recognizing the operation as a puppy mill, rather than identifying it as a hoarding situation.
“A hoarding situation is a different situation altogether, this was a business enterprise,” concludes Bradley County’s SPCA Communications Director Beth Foster, who wants clarity amid the disgusting discovery of more than 200 dogs and puppies, held in squalid conditions at this suspected puppy mill near the Bradley and Hamilton County line Wednesday.
“This is a puppy mill, an enterprise set up for profit to breed dogs and sell them,” says Foster.
All of the animals are currently being housed at a temporary shelter location where they will be examined by veterinarians and receive any necessary immediate medical care. RedRover Responders volunteers were specifically requested to provide much-needed socialization and affection to the neglected dogs and puppies. The Humane Society of the United States and RedRover, along with other local volunteers, will care for the animals until they are placed with placement partners for adoption.
RedRover works to end puppy mills by educating the public about what life is like inside a puppy mill through their “Opt to Adopt” campaign. Learn more about RedRover’s work to care for dogs rescued from puppy mills and prevent future animal suffering at RedRover.org/puppymills.
About RedRover
Founded in 1987, the mission of RedRover is to bring animals out of crisis and strengthen the bond between people and animals through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. Learn more at RedRover.org.
Media contact
Danielle Gates
Communications Assistant
dgates@RedRover.org
916.429.2457 ext. 316
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