Our Puppy Mill Auction Experience
Friends, my rescue mentor and dearest friend accompanied us on our trip to the puppy mill auction this past weekend, and she wrote a post that she asked me to share with all of you. I have to say that this auction was even more stressful than the previous one, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her, our wonderful friend, Shannon, and our friends from North Star Shih Tzu Rescue.
Gretchen writes –
I’d like everyone who contributed to the recent puppy mill auction rescue to know how CSTR volunteers did in coordinating and pulling off this amazing feat.
In an environment of sights, sounds, and SMELLS that would rock the timid-hearted, CSTR volunteers kept their cool and did an amazing job maximizing the positive results. Those auctions are NOT friendly places, and although they know Rescue folks are there, they stress (ad nauseum) how we’d better keep our mouths shut and be well-behaved during the spectacle of greed and distress. The auctioneer belabored his personal relationships with all local police, judges, and politicians and pretty much dared anyone to try to take pictures, video, or otherwise make trouble.
Still, keeping their eyes on the end goal of getting as many of those babies as they could out of that hellish lifestyle, the volunteers supported each other and kept on track. Whispers of outrage and encouragement were nearly constant, as the auctioneer kept up a pace so confusing that it was hard to tell what the winning bids were in some cases, and who had chosen which animals in most cases, The animals were terrified, smelly, and handled without dignity.
Fortunately, I was charged with acting as the banker, so most of my work was in counting, subtracting, and keeping track of how much of our rescue funds were left for each dog. Our well-rehearsed plans were shattered by the addition of new dogs and the rearranging of priorities as nearly every female was said to be “possibly bred”. Males and females were kept in cages together in the back room during the event, so mating continued, actually delaying one dog’s appearance on the auction block.
My hat goes off to the ladies who kept their stress under control and managed to maximize the impact of the donated funds in an environment designed to confuse and hamper the well-intended. It was an honor to have worked with all of you.