Puppies Among The 200 Rescued Animals Looking For A Home

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- About 200 animals that were rescued from a breeding facility in northern Minnesota will go up for adoption in the Twin Cities on Saturday.

"We're gonna have a mad rush at our shelters tomorrow," said Kathie Johnson with the Animal Humane Society.

Caretakers have spent the last three months getting the dogs healthy.

Johnson said they were living in deplorable conditions at a puppy mill near the town of Pine River.

She said the animals lived in filth, were given dirty water and dirty food, and were malnourished.

Some lived in tiny quarters, others outside with no shade.

"No dog should have to live like that," she said.

Many of the puppies were born at the shelter.

"When we got these dogs, many of them were pregnant and they started multiplying and we got up to the 200 mark," she said. "I don't believe we have ever had a case bigger than 200 dogs at once."

There are a lot of breeds to choose from, Labradors, golden retrievers, and springer spaniels to name a few.

She expects the puppies will go fast and hopes the older dogs will easily find loving homes too.

"The real travesty is the adult dogs, they never have a chance, an opportunity to have a normal life," she said.

Johnson said because these dogs have lived their life in a kennel, they need to be potty trained and acclimated to a new life.

If you are interested in adopting a puppy or a dog, they will be up for adoption at all five humane society locations in the Twin Cities -- Golden Valley, St. Paul, Woodbury, Coon Rapids and Buffalo.

All locations will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The operator of the breeding facility in Pine River, Deborah Rowell, is facing animal cruelty charges and is expected to be tried on those charges next week.