70 Dogs Rescued by ANNA Shelter in Three Separate Incidents

Photo: ANNA Shelter

A total of 70 dogs are now in the care of the ANNA Shelter, following three separate rescues over the past 10 days.

On Friday morning, the shelter was called to assist with a rescue, in which 21 Chihuahuas were recovered from a home in Crawford County.

"This was a group of, not a horrible situation, just people that started off with two and ended up with too many," said ANNA Shelter Executive Director Ruth Thompson. "We assisted getting them out of there and we are going to work on getting them re-homed."

It comes several days after the shelter brought in 18 Doberman Pinschers from a breeding operation near the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"It's really sad," said Thompson. "These dogs have never been on grass. They've never been introduced to normal things. If you know the breed, Doberman are a velcro dog. They can't get close enough to their people. Very loyal."

According to Thompson, six of the Dobermans are puppies, while the remaining 12 are adult females used for breeding.

"What's really hard is when an animal becomes a commodity," said Thompson. "Most of us, our pets are our everything, so when an animal has dollar signs attached and that's their only attachment to that animal, that's when we see these situations."

On October 29, the shelter helped remove 31 miniature poodles from a home where they were not being properly cared for.

The additional dogs are now putting a major strain on the shelter's resources.

"It's just resource draining in every single dimension," said Thompson. "Physically, mentally, emotionally, financially. All of the resources get depleted and I'm tired."

Thompson says the shelter is in the process of spaying and neutering all of the dogs and they will be available for adoption in the coming days.