Noé Állatotthon Alapítvány - The dog breeder of the prairie is here again

The dog breeder of the prairie is here again – and yes, now we have 30 new ewoks
2010.09.16.

Those who have kept an eye on us in the previous years might remember the sweet little “ewoks”, the doggies we rescued in 2006 and 2008 from a plot we christened “the prairie”.
An old woman was living on the prairie with her dogs. The animals bred with each other without control and looked almost the same – and, unfortunately, behaved almost the same. They were all frightened, bit everyone, never had proper vaccinations and were full of parasites. Then we rescued ca. 30 dogs in two turns, and now they are happy, socialized pets who all enjoy a family life. But what about the others whom we had to leave behind? This sad story, or rather a Hungarian soap opera in 4 acts is based on true events, all persons are real, and those responsible will be prosecuted if possible...

Act 1

In November 2006 we learned that a huge horde of dogs was living in a plot in the 16th district. More than 50 dogs were kept there. The owner of the plot, an old lady, originally a lhasa-apso and shih-tzu breeder, lost control over them, and the animals started to breed with each other as mixed breeds and also as inbred individuals.
The little guys were kept under bad sanitary conditions, they didn't receive the mandatory vaccinations, they were full of fleas and had scabies, their fur was neglected, and they were terrified of human beings. As there was no proper fence, they often roamed on the highway in the vicinity, placing both themselves and the drivers in mortal danger. Many of them were hit by cars and died. At the end of 2006 the old lady, as a result of our persistent persuasion, agreed to give us almost 20 of the dogs, which we housed at the Mini Shelter and started their rehabilitation. Of course, we denounced her at the authorities, but so far nothing happened with the case.
But at least these 20 dogs were in good hands... Thanks to our volunteers and their stamina, the dogs were healed and learned that not all humans are bad. Luckily, they were all adopted by loving families.

Act 2

The horrible things, however, continued on the prairie. The dogs we had to leave there kept living under shocking circumstances, and kept breeding as before. They were still running up and down on the highway, being in danger themselves and causing danger for others. So in 2008 we reported again what we saw, and contacted the Environment Protection Office of the local government.

After a long series of negotiations, 9 other dogs were taken from the owner. These were even more fierce than those we rescued in the first turn; it was a serious challenge to catch them. And, it goes without saying, they were full of parasites, sick and had never been vaccinated. As the lady's only income came from the puppies she sold from paper boxes in the subway, she was not willing to give up the rest of the dogs.

After we reported the case, the local government sent their people to take a look at the plot and the animals, and then, 4 March 2009 they closed the case without any further provision. We still don't understand: how did this happen?

The 9 rescued dogs were taken in by the Mini Shelter, and our volunteers were busy again: the dogs had to be socialized, received veterinary treatment and their fur was trimmed. The most problematic ones were housed with temporary adopters who showed them what it's like to live with a human family, to sleep on the couch and to get attached to an owner. They were quite happy with that, and luckily, they were also adopted quite quickly, and now they all spend their days where they should: on the couch.

Act 3

As we knew that a lot of dogs were left behind, we regularly visited the prairie and tried to rescue some dogs from there, but without success. The authorities were not willing to help us, so we could only watch that everything went on in the same manner...
And then, from one day to the other, the old lady and her dogs disappeared. Nobody knew anything about her or where she moved. The prairie, as we called the place, was now empty, but it didn't wash away our fears for the dogs and their fate. In the spring this year, somebody reported to us that the carcass of a huge, mixed breed dog was lying unburied on a plot in the 10th district. When our volunteers arrived at the plot, they saw the well-known little white “ewoks” running around there...
Again, we reported the case to the authorities in March 2010. Now the local government conducted a survey together with our volunteers. The old lady said she had only 25 dogs but many more was living on the plot, many of them puppies and pregnant females. Unfortunately, we couldn't take away from her a single dog at that time, and the official case still hadn't been settled. The woman moved again to another place after the incident, and we lost track of the little ewoks for several months.

Act 4

12 September 2010 the volunteers of the Sad Heart Animal Rescue and the St Francis Animal Home found a plot where dogs were kept under miserable circumstances, breeding uncontrollably. These were our little ewoks... Their life didn't change a bit, they were still frightened of humans and didn't receive any veterinary treatment. As the fate of these dogs had been our concern for years, we didn't hesitate when we were asked to offer some help. And now, the Mini Shelter has 27 new ewoks, totally fierce and sick, they bite, they pee under themselves in fear when a human approaches, they have fleas and scabies.

Don't ask how we managed to put them in quarantine and house them – we don't know... Now they are over the first veterinary examination, the antiparasitic treatment, the mandatory vaccination, and they all have a chip. Their lives are now safe – but, of course, there are still some dogs out there on the prairie...

This absurd tragedy has been going on since 2006. The authorities refused to make any move, neither did they support financially the housing, the neutering and the veterinary treatment of the animals. Had they had acted properly when the first denouncement was made, they probably could have saved the lives of several hundred dogs. We don't give up, we will write a report and make a denouncement again, hoping that this 4-year-old nightmare will have a happy ending.

Even though there is no free room left in the shelter, we never reject animals that are in direct mortal peril or were abused. However, the housing and treatment of so many sick animals is a huge and challenging task. We hope that these little ewoks, just like the others, will heal physically as well as mentally, and after the neutering and resocialization they will find their loving homes for the rest of their lives.