RedRover provides critical sheltering support for rescue mission
June 11, 2012 – RedRover, a California-based nonprofit organization, has deployed volunteers from 6 states to operate a temporary shelter in Brown County, Ohio, for approximately 50 dogs and 15 puppies found living in unsanitary and dangerous conditions on private property in Georgetown.
  Approximately 50 dogs and 15 puppies were found living in unsanitary and dangerous conditions on private property in Georgetown, Ohio. |
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 manpower, free of charge, 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.”
Seven RedRover Responders volunteers have already traveled from Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia to care for the rescued animals at the temporary shelter. Four more volunteers will arrive later this week. RedRover has nearly 3,000 active volunteers in the United States and Canada, including 50 in Ohio, and provides its services free of charge to the community.
RedRover was invited to assist the Brown County Humane Society in their efforts to remove and safely shelter approximately 50 dogs, including some pregnant dogs, and 15 puppies from a chronic hoarder in the county. PetSmart Charities® donated food and other much-needed supplies to the rescue efforts, as well as provided a grant for veterinary care and supplies. Rumpke, a waste and recycling firm, has provided the temporary shelter location.
When volunteers arrived on the property they found various breeds of dogs ranging from fox terriers to hounds. A veterinarian on the scene determined that many of the dogs suffered from mange, parvovirus and medical ailments such as skin infections and untreated wounds. The dogs were being housed in outdoor pens with little or no protection from the elements; multiple litters of puppies were also found inside the home. One litter of puppies has passed away.
The Brown County Humane Society and local officials have been aware of this hoarder for many years, and her animals have been seized by county officials twice before. The woman’s daughter contacted Brown County Humane Society President Leslie Zureick about the deteriorating conditions her mother was living in and that she was financially unable to provide even the substandard care she had been giving them.
All of the animals were safely removed and transported to an emergency shelter, where they will be examined by a team of veterinarians and receive any necessary immediate medical care. The Brown County Animal Shelter and RedRover will care for the animals until they are placed with rescue groups for adoption.
- To support RedRover’s work to provide temporary sheltering for animals rescued from large-scale cruelty situations or displaced by natural disasters, donate to our Emergency Relief Fund.
- Learn more about animal hoarding, a psychological condition in which people collect more animals than they can provide proper food, shelter, sanitation and veterinary care for.
- Read the latest updates on this deployment on RedRover’s Emergency Response Journal.
If you represent an established rescue group or animal shelter willing to take in two or more rescued dogs for rehabilitation and adoption placement, download our animal transfer form (PDF) for further instructions. View some dogs on the BCHS Special Projects Facebook Page.
MEDIA CONTACT: LEILI KHALESSI, 916.429.2457 or lkhalessi@redrover.org
Founded in 1987, RedRover focuses on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the bond between people and animals through a variety of programs, including emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. Learn more at www.redrover.org.
Media coverage:
- WCPO Cincinnati – Brown County animal control officers remove 65 dogs from hoarder
- The Ledger Independent – Different approach may ease transfer of hoarded dogs
- NewsDemocrat.com – Rumpke helps shelter
- WKRC Cincinnati – Dog rescue mission in Brown County (video)
- WKRC Cincinnati – Dozens of dogs removed from home of Ripley woman (video)
- WCPO Cincinnati – Brown County animal control officers remove 65 dogs from hoarder (video)
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