Perkins puppy mill exposed

Payne county sheriffs arrived to find two dead dogs in the yard and cages of dogs stacked in a house reeking of urine and feces.

A Perkins home was the scene of a puppy mill; the home had more than 80 dogs on the property, according to KOCO.com.

Many of the dogs were too sick to save and a couple were already dead and their bodies left in the yard.

OSU veterinary students, faculty and technicians helped to clean the surviving dogs so they could be taken to the Perkins Animal Shelter.

Payne County police were called to report a woman in Vinco, a small town near Perkins, who was keeping multiple animals on her property.

It was not until the sheriff’s department went through the house that they realized how bad the conditions for these animals, said Mark Sheer, director and professor of the OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

The animals were overflowing from the house and yard, Sheer said

“They had multiples in one cage, dehydrated, undernourished, mange and they had mats,” he said.

Their ears were so matted they were touching the ground and were filled with feces, urine and roaches, Sheer said.

A group of students and faculty rushed the animals into the clinic. The dogs were kept in a large holding room where they could see all the animals at once.

“We mobilized a large group of doctors, students and technicians,” he said. “They did physical exams on all the animals.”

The students stayed until the early morning trying to clean the animals and came back the next morning to keep grooming the animals.

The animals had good dispositions; they were just in poor health, Sheer said.

“They were just living in filth,” he said.

Many OSU veterinary students and staff fostered the animals.

“Probably, 90 percent of the people who fostered the dogs ended up keeping them as pets,” Sheer said.

Only six to nine dogs were put to sleep because it was inhumane to let them live.
The students learned a lot about what the conditions of a puppy mill can do to an animal, Sheer said.

“I think it was an eye opener for the students of what puppy mill situations can be for a dog or cat,” he said.

Kristen Bruder, a political science junior, said she went with her mom’s friend to pick out a puppy from a puppy mill. They had multiple breeds, but when she asked questions, the owners were shady about their business practices, she said.

Puppy mill owners are disgusting, selfish people who are only in the business to make money and are not worried about the welfare of the dogs, Bruder said.

“They kept the dogs in a storage shed,” Bruder said. “They had crates piled up to the ceiling with a mother and at least five puppies in each crate.”

Responsibility is the most important aspect in adopting a pet, and students should consider whether they have time and finances to care for a pet, Sheer said.

“It’s worse to have a pet you can’t care for,” he said.
Anyone interested in adopting a pet has to pay a $40 adoption fee for dogs and cats. It is a non-profit, no-kill shelter, according to the Stillwater Humane Society Web site.

The main purpose of Schedulizer is to make the schedule process a little easier and less tedious.

“The overwhelming benefit is time,” Searson said. “The average time spent on Schedulizer is actually a little over six minutes.”

The program on Schedulizer.com is free to use and it can help students when going to visit their advisers to enroll.

Anthony Valentine, academic counselor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said it helps for students to have thought about their classes before their adviser appointment.

“Planning out an informal schedule of classes to take and bringing that to meet with their adviser is always good,” Valentine said. “We always are glad to see students who are taking the initiative and understanding their goals and taking the steps to achieve them.”

“We mobilized a large group of doctors, students and technicians,” he said. “They did physical exams on all the animals.”

The students stayed until the early morning trying to clean the animals and came back the next morning to keep grooming the animals.

The animals had good dispositions; they were just in poor health, Sheer said.
“They were just living in filth,” he said.

Many OSU veterinary students and staff fostered the animals.
“Probably, 90 percent of the people who fostered the dogs ended up keeping them as pets,” Sheer said.

Only six to nine dogs were put to sleep because it was inhumane to let them live.
The students learned a lot about how the conditions of a puppy mill affect animals, Sheer said.

“I think it was an eye opener for the students of what puppy mill situations can be for a dog or cat,” he said.

Kristen Bruder, a political science junior, said she went with her mom’s friend to pick out a puppy from a puppy mill. They had multiple breeds, but when she asked questions, the owners were shady about their business practices, she said.

Bruder said puppy mill owners are selfish people who are only in the business to make money and are not worried about the welfare of the dogs.

“They kept the dogs in a storage shed,” Bruder said. “They had crates piled up to the ceiling with a mother and at least five puppies in each crate.”

Sheer also said responsibility is the most important aspect of adopting a pet and students should consider whether they have time and finances to care for one, Sheer said.

“It’s worse to have a pet you can’t care for,” he said.

Anyone interested in adopting a pet has to pay a $40 adoption fee for dogs and cats at the Stillwater Humane Society, 1710 S. Main St. It is a non-profit, no-kill shelter, according to its Web site.