News
River Valley Rescued Dogs Go to Breed Rescue
March 03, 2009, 6:36PM MT
By Denise A LeBeau
Midwest P.A.W.S. accepts dozens of dogs from MO commercial kennel
Midwest P.A.W.S. accepts dozens of dogs from MO commercial kennel
by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staff
Midwest P.A.W.S. is a Pointer and Weimaraner rescue located in the suburbs of Kansas City. They specialize in the popular sporting breeds of the area and their foster homes are usually filled to the gills, with dogs waiting to get in. But when Brianna May, the founder, got word that there were German Shorthaired Pointers in need of salvation from a commercial kennel gone awry, she said “how soon can they get here?”
Waiting and wondering
When the owner of River Valley Puppies Kennel set fire to the structures on his property, the authorities quickly moved in to secure the area and make arrangements to get the dogs out.
(click here for background story)
Elizabeth Wainwright of the Department of Agriculture contacted Best Friends Animal Society and Noah’s Wish for assistance in a rapid response capacity and started contacting rescues in the surrounding area. Wainwright connected with Midwest P.A.W.S. and it was quickly determined that the GSPs would go to them.
The Pointers are ready to go!
As Richard Crook, head of rapid response for Best Friends put it, “most importantly we’re all very happy to be able to get these puppies and moms out of this condition, out of the snow, and out of the nasty weather and into breed specific rescues in Kansas City.”
Fortunately, this substandard kennel was located near one of the most compassionate breed specific rescues around!
“When I saw Bones I was so overcome with emotion. He was emaciated, he has an abscess, and like many of the dogs rescued from this kennel, his whiskers are burned off. He was the first dog off of the trailer and out of the crate. His eyes broke my heart and he is a favorite among our group. He is now comfortably snuggling in extra fluffy blankets and being doted on. I’m just glad we have the resources to help Bones and all these dogs that were suffering,” May said.
Bones looks like he was saved in the nick of time
Midwest P.A.W.S. is a fledgling breed rescue in existence for seven months and they’re an all-volunteer, foster-home based operation. They have about 45 dogs in foster care at any given time, so adding 70 dogs at once is a new challenge. Bones’ next guardian angels came in the form of May’s friend and colleague, veterinarian Dr. Heath Rose, and his wife Nicole. They own the Raytown Animal Hospital which is also an adoption center. The medical facility is complete with a surgery suite, dog park, boarding area and grooming stations. Dr. Rose immediately started performing spay/neuter surgeries as soon as the dogs arrived, while Mrs. Rose helped clean kennels, and walk dogs; they also shared their supplies and staff with this emergency rescue endeavor. The dogs will be boarded at the facility and released to foster homes as they become available.
“This is the first time we’ve taken dogs from a puppy mill. When I heard where they came from, I couldn’t watch the videos before getting the dogs. I felt sadness, anger, and disappointment…to know they had to fight for food, it’s all so disturbing,” shared May.
Click on the image to the right to watch the video
“These types of dogs (German Shorthaired Pointers) are definitely human oriented, they need to watch what you’re doing and be with their people, so to think that they were living on their own, eking out survival and not getting the attention they need and love, further breaks my heart.”
The need for this type of rescue is achingly apparent in Missouri – the area is full of outdoorsy and active families. The breed is so common there, that everyone knows someone that has a Pointer. So they are bred to meet the demand for the breed. They have received dogs from all types of backgrounds but there is a common thread within the breed: the need for human companionship and exercise!
“We have gotten some hard-luck cases where we had to rehabilitate the dogs, and the one thing the dogs are always looking for is love and affection. These are great dogs with kids, other dogs and cats! But they do have a lot of energy and a prey drive – so we’re looking for the right families to place the dogs with. They have to have the active and athletic lifestyle to accommodate what these dogs need. If they have cats, they’ll have to monitor the dog with them for a while. I never just leave a new dog alone with my cats, they are leashed to me in the beginning and they are slowly introduced to the kitties. It takes time to teach the dog what is and what is not accepted.”
Dogs playing in exercise yard
Seventy new dogs is a lot of work for any rescue and Midwest P.A.W.S. can use all the help they can get. However, their members have been very supportive, after sending out an email alert to them with the subject ‘Incoming’ - their response has been overwhelmingly generous. One dedicated volunteer arrived in preparation for the dogs with a car full of in-kind donations that she had collected from her colleagues at work. On Friday 40 people showed up and stayed to help until well past midnight; the rest of the weekend followed suit with volunteers coming in droves.
“Our members have been phenomenal – everyone is jumping in to help out. They’re assisting in every area: cleaning, exercising, networking, and even washing the dogs. We’re so fortunate to have use of this facility, it is one-stop-shopping for everything these dogs need to get ready to be placed. But without our members we would not be able to do it alone. We’ve also had an outpouring of support from individuals in the community that have given us donations to support this rescue.”
Everyone is settled in
May said that in the evenings after the dogs have been fed, exercised and bathed everyone is quiet, especially Bones. They seem to be adjusting to their new lives – a place free from want, free from suffering and full of warm meals and plenty of belly rubs. Just where they want to be!
It’s a long road ahead for these 70 dogs and the rescue that took them in. In order to continue to do the work at hand, Midwest P.A.W.S. needs support from people like you!
How You Can Help
To Donate to Midwest P.A.W.S. – click here (scroll down for PayPal link)
*the estimate cost of this rescue is in the tens of thousands of dollars, anything that you can send is more than appreciated
You can mail donations to:
Midwest P.A.W.S.
c/o: Gayle Russell
1109 Blue Branch Dr
Grain Valley, MO 64029
In-Kind Donations
This is a partial list of items they need, click here for the full list.
• Large Dog Crates
• Dog food (please note these dogs have extra nutritional needs: Nutro, Pedigree, etc)
• Leashes
• Bowls
• Collars
• Gift Cards to: WalMart, PetCo, PetsMart
Foster/Volunteers!
Click here for the online applications to foster, volunteer and adopt!
For more information email Brianna at midwestpaws@ymail.com
images courtesy Best Friends Animal Society & Midwest P.A.W.S.