Dogs Rescued From South Jersey Puppy Mill Ready For Adoption
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VOORHEES, N.J. (CBS) -- It's a new beginning for Sean and his new family.
"The joy that Sean is going to bring my wife, my kids and myself," adopter Kevin Sauler said. "This is an incredibly sad beginning but it's going to be an awesome end. I applaud my wife for wanting to help."
Sean is one of several dogs that was up for adoption at local animal shelters including the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees Thursday.
Just last month, more than 100 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill in Burlington County. Now, some of them are ready for adoption and a second chance at life.
Authorities rescued 100 dogs from a Shamong Township home last month and now six of them were up for adoption at the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, just one dog remains without a new home.
Authorities found the dogs on 65-year-old Donna Roberts' Shamong property in November. They say the dogs were living in horrible conditions.
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Officers also found 44 dead dogs on the property -- allegedly packed in plastic bags and kept in the freezer. Four dogs were in critical condition.
"Filthy doesn't even begin to describe the conditions," said Nancy Urban, manager of shelter services at AWA.
Roberts was charged with animal cruelty.
The challenge with getting the dogs cleaned up was getting rid of the feces and fleas without stripping all their fur. Unlike some dogs that might have socialization issues after a traumatic event, all 30 dogs at AWA were friendly, says Urban. And they are ready for new homes.
Of the 29 up for adoption at AWA, just one dog -- Shayla -- remained without a home as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
"We had people tell us they camped out the night before because they knew which dogs they wanted from Facebook," said Urban.
St. Hubert's in Madison has a few dogs that will be available for adoption in the near future. The Monmouth County SPCA took 30 dogs but they have all been adopted.