Please review/forward, ALDF needs help for 300 dogs rescued from puppy mills

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ALDF AppealPlease forward this message to any interested/relevant groups or

parties. (ALDF is a national group located in the Bay area).

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Dear Friend,

Try to imagine for a moment 300 dogs. They are mostly a motley

assortment of smaller breeds – Pugs, Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels, Yorkshire

Terriers, Boston Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, Jack Russell Terriers and many

more.

 

The vision is so adorable that it would melt even the coldest heart.

Yet these are no ordinary dogs…they are survivors of a horror house puppy mill.

Many are partially or totally blind. Many are also missing teeth and have severe

gum disease. Some have bones that had broken and were left untreated …or they

have painful skin sores and their fur has come out in patches.

 

They initially flinch with fright from your touch because they have

had little or no physical contact with humans. When you give them a dog toy,

they are at first uninterested and you realize it’s the first toy they’ve ever

seen. When you hold them or play with them, they don’t quite know what to do

because they’ve spent virtually their entire lives in tiny, cramped boxes or

kennels – many with no access to the outside, or to light, or clean air.

 

The lawsuit we won on March 31 literally forced open the Woodleys’

doors and, as a result, local authorities saw firsthand the horrific conditions

under which these dogs were forced to exist. So, on April 13, we went to the

Woodleys’ farm and rescued the final 196 dogs who had remained in the Woodleys’

possession throughout the trials. We brought them to our emergency shelter set

up in a warehouse that had been donated by two local businessmen. The cavernous

building, now echoing with a symphony of barks and yelps, was quickly dubbed the

“Halls of Hope” in honor of its new, precious guests.

 

Yet these little survivors’ journey to freedom is not over. Despite

the overwhelming evidence of cruelty against them, the Woodleys refuse to give

up. They have appealed the verdicts of both their criminal and civil cases – and

we now expect this case could drag on for more than a year. This means these

poor rescued dogs are in a state of legal limbo. We cannot place them in

permanent, loving homes until the Woodleys’ appeals are resolved.

 

That is why ALDF needs your immediate support on two critical

fronts:

 

We need you to help us care for these dogs. ALDF now finds itself

running a shelter for these abused and neglected animals. Not only do we have

ongoing (and mounting) veterinarian bills, but we have also hired a full-time

Shelter Director and an assistant to facilitate foster home placement and to

coordinate the volunteers.

 

We need you to help ensure that the Woodleys’ convictions are not

overturned on appeal. In the criminal animal cruelty case, the Woodleys are now

entitled to have their case heard by a jury. ALDF will need to once again assist

the local authorities in mounting a full-blown prosecution, including presenting

the evidence and calling our witnesses. ALDF has fully committed its legal

resources to guaranteeing that not one of the rescued dogs is ever returned to

the Woodleys and that they aren’t allowed to obtain any other dogs as well.

 

I cannot begin to explain how important this case is for all of us

at ALDF. As a member of ALDF, you have stood with us as we’ve labored to make

the legal system work for neglected, exploited and abused animals. This time, we

are so close to making a life-saving difference for 300 dogs that failure is not

an option. I hope you will give generously to this incredible effort – we can’t

do it without you. Our shelter in Sanford is, hopefully, just a temporary stop

for these 300 innocent dogs on their way to a happy, healthy, loving life. But

until that day arrives, we need your SPECIAL DONATION to be the best guardians –

and the best lawyers – we can be for them because their lives depend upon it!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve Ann Chambers

President

Animal Legal Defense Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Animal Legal Defense Fund

National Headquarters

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Petaluma, CA 94952-3005

Phone: (707) 769-7771

Fax: (707) 769-0785

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