JAKE WAS ADOPTED JANUARY 26, 2007!
JAKE'S STORY:
These are picture of how the dogs and cats have been living where Jake came from:
Most of the dogs were living in crates crammed into this trailer in a junk yard - this is the trailer Jake lived in:
There was also a shed were dog crates were stacked on top of each other, the dogs in the top crates urinating on the dogs in the bottom crates:
The cats fared no better - 90 cats with multiple cats per crate and no litter boxes. There were originally 5-6 cats per crate. They were moved around as crates freed up:
The last we heard on Monday, January 15 is that all of the friendly dogs got into rescue. The only ones left were aggressive and would most likely be euthanized. The deadline to get the animals out is Tuesday, January 16 and as of now, there are about 40 very friendly cats remaining. Rescuers are going in to see if any more can be saved but lack of space with rescues and shelters is what is preventing the cats from getting out.
Update Tuesday, January 16 - all of the cats have been taken in by rescue groups!
This is how Jake lives now in his foster home. We wish this for all of the animals.
Jake and King's descriptions will be starting with the same information since they both came from the same place and we'd like to give you some insight into their situations. Individualized descriptions will follow for each.
Jake and King were "rescued" separately at about 1 year of age by a couple with a kennel. They lived in the kennels for four years. When the couple lost their kennel and needed to move, they did not know where to go with 40 dogs and 80 cats. They were offered lodging for the animals in trailers in a junk yard. Feeling they had no choice, they set the animals up in crates in the semi truck trailers where there was no light, no ventilation, no water, no heat. The animals were confined to their crates 24/7. This is how these animals have lived for two months until the SPCA was alerted and a cruelty investigation began. The SPCA agreed to let the couple release what animals they could to rescue groups. At the request of the SPCA, we went to visit the animals in hopes that we could at least take one or two of them. We were quite appalled when the back door to the trailer was opened and saw nothing but crates with dogs in the black darkness. The man had to climb up a ladder and walk over the tops of the crates to get the dogs, then carry the dogs back over the crates and down the ladder. Once a dog was out and we visited with him, there was no letting that dog go back into that trailer. So after two dogs were brought out, we stopped them from bringing out more. We did not have room for any more.
Jake weighs 38 pounds and is about 5 years old. In spite of his ordeal, he is a very sweet and loving dog. He will wag his tail simply when eye contact is made. He walks nicely on a leash. Although he has not lived in a house for a very long time, he didn't act like he was overwhelmed. He seems to remember being inside a house. He sniffed everything like any dog would, investigated the toy box where, lo and behold, he discovered a TENNIS BALL! He remembered how to catch the ball and give it up nicely to be thrown again. He also tested out the dog beds and went right to sleep in one of them. During his bath, Jake was very well behaved and let us do anything to him. He got a very good scrubbing which he desperately needed. Filth foamed right off of him. He seems to have a horrible ear infection which we will get him right to the vet for, but he let us put some soothing medication in both ears without complaint. They must hurt badly but he didn't mind us messing with them.
Jake as been to the veterinarian and was very well behaved regardless of what was being done to him. He got his shots, was microchipped and tested heartworm negative. His bloodwork showed he has an elevated white count which is most likely due to his ear infection. The skin in his ears has thickened because the infection was left untreated for so long. Jake will be seeing a dermatologist on Monday, January 15 to better assess his ears and to develop a treatment plan.
Amazingly, and much to our delight, Jake is housetrained! We don't understand how it is possible but he must have such a strong sense of not soiling his space that even though he had no choice previously, he now has a choice and he opts to go outside. Always.
Even though Jake was abusively crated previously, he can still be crated for appropriate periods of time. He understands now that when he goes in the crate, it is only temporary and he walks in on command. In his foster home he is crated at night and when his foster mom is not home and he handles that very well. He probably does not even require crating but it is always a good idea to start out that way while acclimating to a new home.
We were told that Jake lived with a cat when he was young. He tested well around our cats and has been accompanying his foster mom into the cat area frequently. He has been a complete gentleman around the kitties and the cats like him! He gets along well with other dogs and actually roomed with King while living in the kennel.
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