87 dogs rescued from Tallinn puppy mill at shelter pending court ruling
In mid-September, a puppy mill with 87 dogs was discovered operating in Tallinn. While the dogs are currently under the care of the nonprofit Varjupaikade MTÜ, the dogs' owner has taken the matter to court, blocking them from being rehomed.
"The house was in a densely populated area, and from the outside, nothing looked amiss," recalled Agriculture and Food Board (PTA) chief animal health specialist Carol Laurimaa.
But the doors opened to reveal a terrible sight. "In our initial assessment, it was impossible to understand how many dogs there were," she said.
The owner didn't see the problem, and claimed they had 40 dogs. As the dogs were rounded up, however, those 40 dogs soon turned into 87, all the same breed.
According to the PTA official, removing animals from a home is an extreme measure.
"That means the animals are really bad off already," she explained. "You never know how bad things are at the scene, and if we get there and see that the situation looks bad and we have no choice but to remove the animals, then we contact our partner organization, which handles the transport and capture of the animals."
It wasn't a pretty sight. As more detailed veterinary exams were conducted, it became clear that this may be the worst puppy mill case they've yet encountered.
"We've handled similar cases before, and they've involved typical puppy mill concerns – teeth in really bad shape, dirty ears, various infections, overgrown nails," explained Anni Anete Mõisamaa, head of donations at Varjupaikade MTÜ. "But in this case, the situation was especially bad. It was clear they'd gone a very long time without any treatment or necessary care; they had literally been suffering."
She added that the dogs were also discovered to have genetic issues that could lead to conditions including paralysis.
Currently, the nearly 90 dogs in question are being housed at the nonprofit's Tartu shelter. Since the dogs were seized under a state supervisory action, the owner has the right to seek legal redress, i.e. take the matter to court – which they have since done.
"The dogs are under temporary legal protection at the moment, meaning that they cannot be neutered or transferred, meaning rehomed," Laurimaa explained. Despite this, she added, the dogs are currently owned by Varjupaikade MTÜ.
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Editor: Neit-Eerik Nestor, Aili Vahtla