No Looking Back for 500 Puppy Mill Dogs

Last week I posted a video on a puppy mill raid in Texas where we rescued more than 500 dogs and about 15 cats in cooperation with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake, and other animal welfare organizations. Today I wanted to give you the latest on the case.

Earlier this week, after hearing testimony and seeing evidence presented by Scotlund Haisley, our senior director of Emergency Services, the judge granted custody of all of the animals to The HSUS (our video team documented the hearing and I encourage you to watch their behind-the-scenes report). The dogs and cats have now been placed with several humane societies and rescue groups, headed on their way to new, loving homes, and the work at our temporary shelter has wrapped up.

Operations like this often begin long before the actual rescue of the animals—involving investigations and the gathering and presenting of evidence—and continue after the last cage is emptied. While it's an extremely tedious task and the operations are costly, the end results are not only necessary but also immensely rewarding. In this case, the judge has indicated he plans to pursue a criminal case against the property owners and these once-neglected animals now face new beginnings. Here are some of the images from the safer environs of our emergency shelter:

Photos credit Kathy Milani/The HSUS