Puppies rescued, looking for ‘fur-ever’ homes
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
While Pretzel showers Shannon Cagle, humane officer, with affection, his brother Pudge calmly waits for a pat. The two dogs and their brother Presley were rescued from a hoarding situation last week and are adoptable through the Humane Society of Greene County.
Humane Society of Greene County vans were dispatched to a Cumberland Township home last week, where 24 of 34 puppies living in a hoarding situation were rescued. The rescued puppies are available for adoption through HSGC.
Humane Society of Greene County employees rescue 24 dogs from a hoarding situation in Cumberland Township last week. The dogs are up-to-date on their shots and are now adoptable through the humane society.
Courtesy of Jane Gapen
Upon arrival to the Humane Society of Greene County, the nonprofit’s humane officer Shannon Cagle bonds with a rescued puppy. Twenty-four puppies were rescued from a hoarding situation last week.
The puppies rescued last week by the Humane Society of Greene County had to fight for food at their Cumberland County home, said Shannon Cagle, humane officer. Now, the dogs are learning to eat at a steady pace and trust that there will always be enough food.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Patrick and Priscilla were rescued from a hoarding situation last week. The 3- to- 4-week-old pups are still nursing from their mother, who was also rescued from unsanitary conditions.
Siblings Patrick and Priscilla are about 3 or 4 weeks old and just learning how to interact with one another. The pups were rescued last week from a hoarding situation in Greene County.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Pluto, about 7 weeks, is a mixed-breed whose little head shows signs of abuse from older dogs fighting for food. Pluto and 23 other dogs were rescued from a hoarding situation last week and are now in search of homes.
Pretzel is always ready for his close-up and some pats. The 4-year-old mixed breed and his siblings, Presley, left, and Pudge were brought to the Humane Society of Greene County last week.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Spunky Pippy strikes a pose before rushing to play with her seven-week-old siblings Piper, Petunia and Pluto. The four pups were rescued, along with 20 other dogs, from a hoarding situation last week and are seeking loving fur-ever homes.
A 7-week-old puppy says hello to her sibling at the Humane Society of Greene County, where 24 rescued puppies are awaiting adoption.
Twenty-four four-legged bundles of joy ranging in age from 4 years to three weeks were rescued from a hoarding situation in Greene County last week and are looking for “fur-ever” homes.
The dogs – believed to be mixes of Jack Russell terrier, pug, beagle or Chihuahua – were moved Wednesday from a residence in Cumberland Township to the Humane Society of Greene County after the humane society received a tip that the animals were in danger.
“I got a phone call from a gal who was a family member. She was concerned because somebody in their family was going to come and shoot them all. She was told that he was going to come out and put a bullet in each one of the dog’s heads,” said Shannon Cagle, humane officer for the Humane Society of Greene County. “I responded immediately.”
Cagle and a Cumberland County police officer arrived at the residence, which was unsanitary, Cagle said. The house was dirtied in urine and feces, and packs of dogs – none spayed or neutered, and all unlicensed – scattered upon the officers’ arrival.
“The owner was very cooperative with me,” Cagle said. “She got overwhelmed with the conditions. She was willing to surrender.”
Two humane society employees assisted Cagle in relocating the dogs to the humane society, where the animals were cleaned, tested for heart and Lyme disease, and brought up to date on their shots. Several of the puppies are being treated for Lyme disease.
Bite marks on some of the younger pups indicate older dogs fought puppies for food, Cagle said.
“I don’t want to say they weren’t in a loving environment. I think (the owners) just had too many to love on each one individually. The small (puppies) didn’t have attachment just yet,” she said.
Though underfed and under-loved, the puppies are lively and affectionate. Tiny Patrick and Priscilla, the youngest of the bunch, are still nursing from their mother.
A litter of 7-week-old puppies – brindled females named Petunia, Piper, Pippy and one boy, a black pup called Pluto – are rambunctious with one another and thirsty for the limelight. When Cagle lets them out of their crate, the siblings zip around the room, stopping at other kennels to greet their older sibs and engage with humane society employees.
“The puppies are play-fighting and just kind of learning how to interact,” Cagle said.
Humane society employees are working to socialize the older dogs, whose ages range from one-and-a-half to 4 years old.
“Our goal is always to find the most wonderful home in the world for every single puppy,” said Jane Gapen, director of the humane society.
She noted that 10 dogs remain in the home. Once those rescued have been adopted, the humane society can bring the rest of them to safety.
“It’s teamwork,” said Cagle. “We take pride in our work and the care of these animals. The goal is go get them healthy and get them adopted.”
Those interested in adopting one of the dogs are encouraged to complete an application online at https://greenepet.org/.
With the addition of 24 dogs and counting to its campus, the humane society is also in need of monetary donations. Donations of dog food – Pedigree or Purina dry, preferably – are also appreciated.
Monetary donations can be made on the humane society’s web site https://greenepet.org/donations/, and donations of dog food may be dropped off to the HGSC between noon and 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.