Shelter Rescues Over 60 Dogs From ‘Hoarder Situation’

The National Mill Dog Rescue teamed up with law enforcement to rescue 63 dogs from a brutal situation in Kansas this past week.

51 adult dogs, including several pregnant females, and 13 puppies were rescued from a home in Norton, Kansas. Authorities have yet to release specifics of who owned the home where the dogs — mostly dachshunds and chihuahuas — were found. However, details of how they survived have come out.

“Yesterday these dogs were in utter darkness. Many of them in the basement. We found some of them in cupboards; they were trying to hide them,” Theresa Strader, the founder and executive director of the National Mill Dog Rescue, told Colorado television station KKTV.

Strader expanded on the squalid conditions exclusively to Your Daily Dish.

“It’s probably the worst I’ve seen. It was filthy, filthy dirty,” he told Your Daily Dish. “When you see the animals in that situation, it changes everything. You can imagine how you’re going to feel, but when you see them there, it’s a knock. We were just devastated.”

Once the rescue was complete, many of the dogs were sent off to various care facilities. 20 of the dogs were sent to the Dumb Friends League in Denver, and another 30 will head to Phoenix and San Diego. The 12 young puppies are staying put for now, as they’re too young to travel.

“I look at these dogs and I think, ‘Yesterday and every day prior to that you lived in a virtual hell.’ Today, you see the forgiving and resilient spirit of dogs,” Strader said of the dogs.

Anyone interested in adopting a dog from the National Mill Dog Rescue can find the necessary information on the organization’s website.