100+ puppies and dogs rescued from breeders arrive in Twin Cities
More than a hundred dogs and puppies rescued from commercial breeders touched down at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, on a special flight arranged by the Bissell Pet Foundation.
About 60 of them went to the Animal Humane Society. And on that flight was Helen Paolo.
"We're used to bringing 20 or 30 at a time, so 60 was a big jump," said Paolo, workflow planning coordinator for Animal Humane Society.
The dogs were surrendered by commercial breeding operations in Missouri.
"Purebred dogs, lots of small dogs, and lots of different breeds represented ... and lots of different ages represented," Paolo said.
Animal Humane Society is now beginning to evaluate them.
"Our vetting team, our vet techs and our veterinarians and our behavior specialists are going to do evaluations and make sure we know as many of their medical and behavioral needs before we send them out to adopters," she said.
Pups like Kelly will get some overdue grooming.
"I think she's going to be on the adoption floor for 30 seconds," she said.
We also met two little squirmers, Apple Pie and McFlurry.
"This is part of a litter of 3-month-old Australian Shepherd mixes and they are exceptionally sweet," she said.
A crew that would love playing in the snow right now.
"We were like, 'I think these dogs are Minnesota dogs,'" she said.
Not every dog arrives so confidently. Some of the adults have lived in close quarters and had very little interaction, like Java.
"She's nervous. She's unsure, but she knows some people can be kind, and she'll really, really bond with that person who gives her a chance," she said.
For the team at Animal Humane Society, rescue missions are one of the most effective ways to help.
"This is how we save the most lives," she said.
And for Paolo, moments like these are deeply personal.
"I always think about when I was a little girl and I'd go to animal shelter and see these animals and the joy that it brought me and it feels very full circle," she said.
The dogs should be ready to adopt in less than a week at the Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, and Woodbury locations of Animal Humane Society.
