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IronHorse
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Ironhorse,

 

I am not familiar with the Animal Cruelty laws in Missouri, however, from what you have indicated, I suspect that the conditions those dogs have been living in would be sufficient to warrant such a charge had this occurred here. I know your first objective is to help the dogs, but I would encourage you to contact the appropriate law enforcement authorities in the area and report the situation. In many instances law enforcement is able to pick up the dogs and shelter them (or have them sheltered). I don't know if, being where you are in MO, you heard about the "Beagle Bust" in Centerton, AR, but ALL of those dogs -- 60+ of them -- were seized by the police and are being housed in shelters and foster homes pending the outcome of that case. It might be, as someone else suggested, that law enforcement might be able to act faster than the local humane society. I don't know what circumstances caused the death of the dog you saw today, but if conditions are that bad, I'd be hesitant to leave the rest of them there another day if it can be prevented. Additionally, given your description of the breeder/collecter's condition and demeanor today, it might be a good idea to contact law enforcement to see if they could do a "welfare check" on her. I'd hate for her "deterioration" to result in harm to other dogs while awaiting action from the Humane Society -- this is not a slam on the Humane Society, I'm just trying to think of other alternatives that might result in faster assistance for these dogs -- and it sounds as though her thoughts aren't quite rational, so I'd also be somewhat concerned about her possibly harming herself.

 

Here is the link for Border Collie Rescue of the Ozarks. I'm not sure when it was last updated, but according to the website, their foster homes are currently full. They may know of other contacts in the MO area that might be able to help, though. http://www.ozarkrescue.homestead.com/newhome.html

 

I currently have a foster puppy through BCRO, but am not sure how long he'll be with me since he's a total cutie and is drawing lots of interest. Since he might adopt pretty quickly, I might be in a position to either foster (or adopt) another BC fairly shortly, and I'd be happy to help.

 

Like many others here, I'm so sorry you and your wife had to witness what you witnessed, but I applaud you for doing the "right thing" in response.

 

Jenni

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ironhorse,

i have only just this moment read you're post and am truly sorry that i havent been able to send my thoughts to you and your family sooner.

i cant begin to imagine what you must be going through just now. you deserve a pair of wings as you must surely be these dogs guardian angel.

i cannot offer you any help as i am in the uk, but if you need an ear to bash or a shoulder to cry on, feel free to email me at any time.

love and hugs sent your way.

love

donna

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Here is another site that may be useful,

http://www.puppymillrescue.com/

This seems to be an active group that is huge here in the ( as much as I hate to admit this :mad: ) Puppy mill capital of the country. It has links to animal rights laws and other useful informaiton. Again if I can help PM me and I'll see what I can do.

Andrea D.

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Hi all,

 

I was just alerted to this thread today by an aquaintance. I thought I'd share what I know about Shere and Awesome.

 

I was contacted about a month ago by a man in St. Louis that was looking for a puppy and asked me to check out the Awesome website and give my opinion. He had spoken to the breeder and thought there were some red flags.

 

I had never heard of this person or kennel, but I read the entire site and was appalled. Shere Thomas was obviously a puppy miller, as evidenced by having approximately a litter every two weeks, taking Visa/Mastercard and shipping to people site unseen, charging for puppies according to their color, referring to her supposed pets as "Sires" and "Dams," claiming to do OFA/CERF but without providing any actual certificates, etc. I also cross referenced her phone number with an ad that appears in every issue of a local classified ad publication.

 

The site was also riddled with made up "facts," many of which have been reiterated here--such as the 7 million dollar "winnings" alleged for one dog's ancestor. She was obviously unfamiliar with competitive dog sports, saying that many of her dogs were "frisbee champions" or had titles in BOTH "agility" and "obstacles."

 

Anyway, since she was referring to ABCA on every page and also inventing trials that her dogs had supposedly won, I contacted both USBCHA and ABCA to see if they wanted to take any action. Within the week, most of the made-up information vanished from the website.

 

And now I've been alerted to this thread, which apparently vindicates my conviction that this is a puppy mill.

 

Anyway, I already wrote to Iron Horse, but want to reiterate to the group that I'm willing to foster at least one dog, and hope that a bunch of us will come forward to prevent the regional rescues from becoming overwhelmed. I hope that Iron Horses' absence on this list is because he is right now calling up every rescue and Humane Society in the area where this woman lives. I live 3 hours north of Springfield, but would be happy to spend this weekend down there cleaning up and transporting dogs, etc., if she will volunteer to relinquish them to rescue groups.

 

Shere, if you're reading this, please let those dogs go so we can all pitch in to find them a situation where they will get the care and individual attention they need.

 

Columbia, MO

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God bless you for having the courage to step in and do what has to be done. In my heart I know this will not turn out wrong, this person is in need of intervention, and you will be instrumental in seeing that she gets it. The dogs will all be taken care of, there are enough kind people just here to see that it happens. If I can do anything, call on me privately or otherwise. We will all be waiting to hear more.

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Originally posted by Columbia MO:

The site was also riddled with made up "facts,"

Since IronHorse stated in an earlier post that he designed the website, may I just come to his defense, as another web designer, and say that we don't have time to verify all of the facts that our clients give us. Unfortunately. We simply take the facts they give us about their business, and create informative websites containing that information.

 

IronHorse went above and beyond normal web developer duty when he saw some red flags and made it a point to check things out further. I admire him for that. Especially in light of what he is going through right now.

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I applaud IronHouse for all that he has done. I only wish there was something that I could do to help. Being so far away I doubt that there is anything. If it is at all possible I am more then willing to take at least one dog. I would do damn near anything to help these dogs out of a horrible situation.

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If it is at all possible I am more then willing to take at least one dog. I would do damn near anything to help these dogs out of a horrible situation.
Same here. I wonder how much it costs to ship a dog to Ontario? :rolleyes:
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Thank you all for your prayers and offers of help and support in this matter.I know that many of you will be directly as well as indirectly involved in this Rescue during the next few weeks and months and years. The Wheels have been set into motion to accomlish what needs to be done and I can tell you with all my truth that my resolve to do the right thing is steadfast and shall remain so beyond this incident. I have not had direct contact back from the HS as of yet but I am aware that there are many people working on the logistics and I am certain that if it hasn't already happened then within the next 24 hours direct steps shall be taken to undertake this Rescue.

 

After a very long and tedious 24 hours I took my Wife and our Dogs to one of our favorite places to let the Dogs swim and play and to allow ourselfs a few hours to collect our thoughts and to regain our Centers of Balance.

 

While I sat watching our dogs play together I had time to reflect upon what these boards represent and how I feel about them.

As I attempted ( I am not a very good flute player) to play my eagle flute and formulate words that would express my feelings an old native american story that was told to me some years back by the traditional Story teller and Flute maker who had made and gifted me this Flute came to mind.

Although I could never convey the essense of the story in the fasion of a traditional story teller I think the message is clear and I being a humble two legged will share the words and hope my gratitude is expressed to you all.

 

~A Native American Legend~

 

Once upon a time, the colors of the

world started to quarrel: all claimed that

they were the best, the most important,

the most useful, the favorite.

~

GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most

important. I am the sign of life and of

hope. I was chosen for grass, trees,

leaves - without me, all animals would die.

Look over the countryside and you will see

that I am in the majority."

~

BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the

earth, but consider the sky and the sea.

It is the water that is the basis of life and

drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea.

The sky gives space and peace and serenity.

Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

~

YELLOW chuckled: "You are all so serious.

I bring laughter, gaiety and warmth into

the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is

yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time

you look at a sunflower, the whole world

starts to smile. Without me, there

would be no fun."

~

ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet:

"I am the color of health and strength.

I may be scarce, but I am precious for I

serve the needs of human life.

I carry the most vitamins. Think of

carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and

paw paws. I don't hang around all the

time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise

or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no

one gives another thought to any of you."

~

RED could stand it no longer. He

shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you.

I am blood - life's blood! I am the color

of danger and of bravery. I am willing to

fight for a cause. I bring fire into the

blood. Without me, the earth would be as

empty as the moon. I am the color of

passion and of love, the red rose, the

poinsettia and the poppy."

~

PURPLE rose up to his full height. He

was very tall and spoke with great pomp:

"I am the color of royalty and power.

Kings, chiefs and bishops have always

chosen me for I am the sign of authority

and wisdom. People do not question me -

they listen and obey."

~

Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly

than all the others, but with just as

much determination: "Think of me. I am

the color of silence. You hardly notice me,

but without me you all become superficial.

I represent thought and reflection,

twilight and deep water. You need me for

balance and contrast, for prayer

and inner peace."

~

And so the colors went on boasting, each

convinced of his or her own superiority.

Their quarreling became louder and louder.

Suddenly there was a startling flash of

bright lightening, thunder rolled and boomed.

Rain started to pour down relentlessly.

The colors crouched down in fear, drawing

close to one another for comfort.

~

In the midst of the clamor, Rain began

to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting

amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate

the rest. Don't you know that you were each

made for a special purpose, unique and

different? Join hands with one another

and come to me."

~

Doing as they were told, the colors united

and joined hands. The Rain continued:

"From now on, when it rains, each of you will

stretch across the sky in a great bow of color

as a reminder that you can all live in peace.

The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."

 

 

~

And so, whenever a good rain washes the

world, and a rainbow appears in the sky,

let us remember to...

appreciate one another.

AHO!

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I think it is wise at this point for me not to get specific over the internet. Just suffice it to say that we are not just standing around waiting, we are getting the proper authorities involved and things are moving as quickly as possible. I will give more details when it is appropriate.

 

Thank you all for your concern and offers of assistance. I'm sure if this goes as we expect, we will need all the help we can get.

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