Last Thursday, July 14, rescuer Karen Topping alerted us to a hoarding situation: 30 Pomchis living in a two-room apartment in Newman, CA. They had to be out by Sunday. Initially, 10 to 12 of the small dogs were going to be coming north. Central Valley Rescue took in the moms with puppies.
Most of the dogs were destined for other rescues, but Rescue Ranch agreed to keep four or five when they came through.
As they continued searching the property, rescuers kept finding more dogs. Flipping over a mattress here, looking behind furniture there, they found dogs everywhere. The original estimate of 30 individuals jumped to 40, then to 57! The number of transport dogs went up commensurably, first to 19, then 27.
After the first increase, we were asked to provide rescue boarding while the extra dogs found placements. Rescue boarding is when we hold dogs because transportation to their final destination is delayed for some reason. Usually it’s only for a few days, sometimes it’s longer.
Rescuers spent four hours corralling the remaining 27 Pomchis and loading them for transport with PAWS Transport Network, headed by Rebecca Mortello. They arrived safely at Rescue Ranch, on Sunday afternoon around 3pm. Since then, they’ve all been vaccinated for parvo/distemper and Bordetella.
At least one of the females is pregnant. Since none of the dogs are spay/neutered, keeping the males and females separate is critical. As a result, all 15 females were moved to Rescue Ranch Sanctuary in Big Springs, while the 12 males remained at the adoption center in Yreka.
Females at Sanctuary
Males at Adoption Center
One eight-month old female is blind. She’s otherwise healthy. She does fine as long as she’s with her companion, Mom. We’re hoping they’ll stay together.
Two ways you can help make a difference
Several Pomchis will be staying behind with us. When they’re ready, they’ll join the Rescue Ranch kennel residents at the adoption center!
Rescue Ranch is fronting much of the cost for transportation, vaccinations, care etc. for all 27 dogs. As you know, it’s been a tough year already. Rescue Ranch and other shelters in the region are overflowing with record in-takes. But space is only one issue. At Rescue Ranch, resources, not space, are the most critical need. Sudden influxes of animals, as in this hoarding situation, are inherent in rescue. They’re also resource-intensive. Support from our extended community of dog lovers is much appreciated.
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One-time donation:
You can support Operation Pomchi by making a one-time donation to our General Fund and select Rescue Transport under “Please Apply My Donation To.”
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Join the Kennel Squad Monthly Donation Program:
When you join a Kennel Squad and symbolically sponsor a kennel group, you help dogs every day, all year round. Your monthly gift supports our ongoing mission to save lives: greatest need, rescue-boarding, transport, housing, food, care, critical medical, fire emergencies, community programs and more.
Monthly donation levels start as low as $10/month. Learn more about the Kennel Squad Program.
Please consider donating, your one-time gift or Kennel Squad membership will literally save lives.
