Rescued from Oklahoma puppy mill, dogs get medical attention, foster care in Chicago

CHICAGO — The journey to finding a loving and forever took a colossal step Monday for nine Chicago-area dogs rescued from Oklahoma.

Initially seized in March, the Humane Society of the United States partnered with agencies nationwide to save the dogs (and some cats) part of a more extensive puppy mill operation in Oklahoma.

“It was somewhat of a backyard breeding facility that got out of control,” said Darlene Duggan, interim president of the Anti-Cruelty Society .

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The animal shelter received the animals Monday after they arrived in Illinois by plane. Once here, vets gave each rescue medical exam.

“They’ll get all of their updated vaccines,” Duggan said. “Span neuter to ensure there isn’t something else that needs to be addressed. It will be a bit of a big behavior evaluation. They weren’t brought up in the best conditions, so some of them might need a little bit more time and attention from our behavior perspective and if that’s the case, we have experts on site who will work with them.”

Initially, 250 animals were recovered, but in the last few months, more puppies were born, bringing the total to 280.

“They look nervous, a little scared, but overall, they look pretty good,” Duggan said.

Before they can be permanently adopted, the nine dogs will go into foster care.

Anyone interested in adopting may go to anticruelty.org/adopt .

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