Word from the Trenches

One of the rescuers was able to get a rare Cane Corso out early and said she was in remarkably great shape. It's rumored that Mrs. Shindler is fond of this breed so she may have gotten a bit of extra attention...as opposed to NO attention, as in the case of the other dogs.

"Just got home with my cane corso. She's just gorgeous, and SOOOO sweet! She is a tad bit shy, but will climb onto my lap if I sit down with her...All the corsos (corsi?) are out now, and the three I saw seemed to be sweet and in decent shape. I think mine's a bit thin, but we'll remedy that!  She seems to be fairly well adjusted. If you approach her too quickly or walk by too fast, she hits the ground. I had to work her up the 3 steps into the house (front half, back half, front half, back half. lol!) No concept of the leash. She sticks pretty close to me in the house and yard. She did well in her crate in the car, and didn't seem at all afraid to explore the house. Her little stub wags a LOT. No problems with the other dogs or the cats yet, and she'll let me check her teeth, handle her feet, and roll her over. She's sprawled out on the floor next to me right now. All in all, I am quite pleased (and very pleasantly surprised!). Michelle said hers hid behind the couch when she got her inside."

We are also told the Westie's that came out early were clean and in reasonably good shape. Obviously the Shindlers are trying to make a good impression. It will be interesting to see how the remaining 700 dogs in the auction are presented.


Fox News Report - The worst of the worst
This is a news expose from earlier about the breeder supplying all these dogs to the auction. The other woman mentioned is the Shindler's daughter. This story and others were part of the pressure brought to bear on this breeder resulting in their decision to leave the "business" before Prop B.

The auction site contains this message from the breeder:

SELLER’S STATEMENT: Since most of you know that I’m into my second battle with cancer, I can no longer spend 12-16 hours a day with my dogs as I’ve done so for years. Herman’s heart problem does not allow him to do this either. The dogs have been so enjoyable to us, it hasn’t only been our work, but our hobby as well. The quality and personalities of our dogs speak for themselves. They are well socialized and loved, so please, treat them likewise. We’ve spent almost 50 yrs with the dogs and the industry trying to pass experience and professional knowledge on to help other breeders in pediatric care, and traveling to D.C & Jefferson City working legislatively for the industry. It’s time for everyone to step up to the batter’s box and carry on (thanks to those who are doing this). But we’ll certainly miss our fellow breeders, the industry network of people and our four legged friends. When my battle is over, perhaps I’ll be able to travel and teach seminars to help, if God is willing.  Thank You, Bonnie Schindler

Personal note...what a CROCK!  How can someone twist reality so much?  Normally I would have some sympathy for anyone with cancer, but my sympathy is all used up on these dogs.  God will be the judge of this situation and right now it seems like He's on the side of the rescuers and the dogs.

After the passage of Prop B, dogs will be dumped by the hundreds by existing breeders and they will be worth nothing at auction.  Wonder if the decision to get out early is more about the financial benefits...seems a little ironic.  The rescues will have to continue...this is only the beginning!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The GOOD...Kansas spent the first 2 1/2 years of her life in a puppy mill prior to being rescued by a wonderful group called the Bernese Auction Rescue Coalition (BARC). We adopted her three weeks after her rescue.



The BAD ...Our undercover video exposes dog auctions used by puppy mills. They dump dogs used for breeding they no longer want or to acquire new dogs to replenish their breeding "stock".



The UGLY...not for the faint of heart! Prisoners of Greed:


HUA - Prisoners of Greed from Rebel Interactive on Vimeo.

Why this Auction? Why Now?

Missouri is the "puppy mill" capital of America, home to more than 4,000 shoddy and inhumane dog-breeding businesses, by one estimate. Puppy mills flourish here for a number of reasons, among them: uneven enforcement of the rules, and remote, rural landscapes that allow poor or illegal practices to escape detection. The hills and hollows of the Ozarks have the state's highest concentration of puppy breeders.  

Missouri will vote on Prop B on November 2. I'll use another rescuer's post to explain the particulars of that proposition:

Prop B will be in addition to current law. Almost all MO commercial breeders are USDA licensed and under ACFA USDA regs apply to them. USDA does not require solid resting surfaces (ACFA does but again this applies to only about 2 % of breeders who will be affected by Prop per numbers given by MoDA). Otherwise, ACFA and USDA regs are pretty much the same and under them it is currently legal to keep dogs caged their entire lives--there is a provision for exercise but all that's required is the breeder have an excercise plan on file from their vet--there is no way for an inspector to know if the dogs are receiving such or not. Also, now "exercise" can be met by housing dogs together as long as each dog has the minimum space (6" taller, wider, longer than the dog) if housed separately. There is nothing in the current law that states the dogs ever have to be let out of their cage. As for dogs housed individually, they need only be given twice the minimum space to meet the exercise requirement and again never have to be let out of their cage. Thus, it is perfectly legal for breeders to keep dogs in wire cages stacked on top of one another their whole lives. Prop B would prohibit wire floors and the stacking of cages. As far as temps, current law states temps shouldn't be below 45 or above 85 during a 4 hour period--no inspector is going to stay 4 hours at a facility so that provision is totally unenforceable. Prop B sets temp max and min without the 4 hour provision. Current law allows dogs to be bred every heat cycle; Prop B would limit such to twice in an 18-month period. Current law states a vet must visit the facility annually; Prop B states the vet must hand check every dog and can't just to a walk-through. Prop B also calls for prompt vet treatment. Also, Prop B creates misdemeanor crimes for violations unlike current regs which have administrative penalties only. I have a letter from USDA stating such (and remember, 98% of these breeders are governed by USDA, not ACFA)---that their only recourse is to revoke a license which takes a minimum of 1 to 3 years. With Prop B people like the Schindlers would be held accountable for neglecting animals; now, nothing is happening to them and their violations have been noted in inspection reports for almost a year.

Prop B is expected to pass and will result in more breeders selling off or "voluntarily releasing" their dogs. This is the case with the Schindlers even before the passage of Prop B. An auction catalog of 800+ dogs with Prop B looming is not likely to be seen as favorable to breeders who will already have too many dogs, so these dogs are expected to be obtainable for rescue for a reasonable cost. We could sit by and wait for these dogs to be given away for free but we run the risk that they would instead be euthanized by such sophisticated methods as a brick to the head, starvation or carbon monoxide poisoning. No one wants to see that happen.
Some rescues, such as Best Friends, are opposed to pulling dogs from auction as they believe it encourages breeders to breed more dogs for auction profits. Under the current legislation (pre-Prop B) breeders use these auctions like people use trading card auctions. This is a special case...800+ dogs are just too many to ignore and we have the opportunity to free them now from a life of hardship, torture and worse.
Here's a true horror story to help you understand the "why now?" component: An Amish commercial kennel owner in New York rigged a hose up to a farm engine to euthanize 93 dogs that he had been ordered to have tested and treated for brucellosis. 93 dogs die in Amish breeder’s gas chamber ...
The yoder in this article recently had is day in court. He was ordered to pay $4.50 for each dog he slaughtered. That's a whopping fine of almost $420!