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13 dogs rescued from property in Exira, Tuesday

News

June 25th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines reports the ARL Mobile Response Team deployed today (Tuesday) to Audubon County, to help remove 13 dogs from a residential property in Exira. When the ARL team arrived, they found the dogs outside in a muddy, chain-link dog run, covered in a tarp that was sagging with water collected from the overnight rain.

Animal Rescue League newsletter photos

The ARL said in a social media post, “We could tell instantly that many of these dogs had not been well-socialized, but what we heard next broke our hearts: some of these dogs, all adults, had never even had names. They were extremely shy and many appeared to have never walked on a leash before, so we worked slowly and carefully with each one to load them into the ARL Rescue Van for their drive back to a fresh start.”

When the dogs arrived at the ARL, a team was waiting to begin assessing the dogs’ individual medical and behavioral needs and get them settled into their new, clean living space. Their kennels were filled with blankets, food, and water, and smeared peanut butter on the walls to provide enrichment to help them relax after the long drive.

In addition to needing spay/neuter surgeries, most of the dogs have fleas, skin and ear infections, parasites, and toenails that have grown so long it is painful to walk. The dog in the worst shape — one named “Violet” — had nearly half of her body covered with horrific cracked, painful skin from an untreated infection.

The ARL says “these 13 dogs are finally safe, they will finally have names of their own, and with your help, they will finally get the life they’ve always deserved with families who will love and cherish them.”

Anyone able to help, is asked to donate to the ARL’s Miracle Medical Fund, for care of the dogs now and in the weeks to come, and the organization can continue to answer the call for help when animals have nowhere else to turn.

Just click on the donate button with this post or go to https://bit.ly/2IZTq96.