Small Breed Rescue of East Tennessee

11/27/11 update: Dan's adoption is final, and that leaves Tidbit as the last of the 10 dogs rescued on April 7, 2011 still available for adoption. Tidbit is around 6 years old and weighs 4 lbs. Watch his video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xd7XSt-CSE and be sure to check out his rescue page for more info and pictures.

This may seem like a long time to be in foster care, but sometimes it takes a while to get puppy mill dogs ready for adoption and find their forever homes. Tidbit has been ready for his forever home since May and is now just waiting for the right person/family to see him and fall in love with him. Seven months in foster care is really not a long time when you consider it took from 11/5/09 to 9/11/10 to find a home for Maura (1 of 26 dogs we rescued in the Roane County Puppy Mill Bust).

It is only with your continued support that we are able to place these precious puppy mill dogs in wonderful homes and give them a second chance in life to be loved and appreciated.

11/26/11 update: Theo's adoption is final! Be sure to check out his success page.

7/29/11 update: Celie is available again. Her Maltese brother in her new home did not like sharing his home. Since Celie a passive little girl and would not defend herself when he got upset with her, she is now back in foster care looking for a new home.

5/21/11 update: Hawkeye is now available for adoption. Please visit his rescue page. Adoptions for Celie and Ivey are final.

5/14/11 update: Celie and Ivey have pending adoptions, and be sure to check out the new videos on YouTube of Piddy Pat and Tidbit.

5/11/11 update: Tidbit and Piddy Pat are now available for adoption. Please visit their rescue pages (Tidbit's page, Piddy Pat's page) today.

5/9/11 update: Celie is now available for adoption. Please visit her rescue page.

5/7/11 update: Ivey is now available for adoption. Please visit her rescue page.

5/2/11 update: Dash and Frisco are now available for adoption. Please visit the rescue pages for Frisco and Dash.

4/30/11 update: Ridley is now available for adoption. Please visit her rescue page.

On April 5, Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) was awarded legal custody of 117 of the 121 dogs seized from a Warren Co. puppy mill on March 29, 2011. Four dogs and five birds remain in state’s custody until a second hearing that is scheduled for April 15. In total, 121 dogs and five exotic birds were seized from the home of a McMinnville resident and have been under the medical and daily care of ARC for the past week. 7 dogs were found dead, with three of them left to decompose among others who were living. An emergency shelter housed on the TN State Fairgrounds has been the central location for ARC's activities. The relinquished animals have been placed with local rescue partners and others.

SBRET volunteers traveled to Nashville on April 7 to pick up the last 10 dogs. They will remain at the vet's office until early next when they are scheduled for further medical evaluation, spay/neuter and dentals in some cases. Then they will go to their foster homes to start work on socializing and housetraining. If you are willing to foster one of these dogs please contact us. Check out their pictures below along with some basic information. More information will be posted as they are ready to be adopted.

Thanks to Anthony Welsch and WBIR for their coverage of the puppy mill bust and for going with us to Nashville when ARC released the dogs to us. Thanks also to WATE for visiting the dogs at Anderson County Animal Hospital on April 8. We'd also like to thank (again) all those who donated items for, setup, worked, and attended our recent garage sale fundraiser. Without successful fundraising events like that, we would not be able to help dogs in need like these 10 precious angels.

4/11/11 update: We have lots of new pictures of the dogs. While only the small version is available on this page, you can see the large version of the pictures on facebook in the Warren County Puppy Mill Dogs photo album. The first 2 pictures below show the outdoor cage (the red door) where Celie lived and show her being taken out of the cage. As you can see from the remaining pictures, Celie's life has drastically improved as well as the lives of the other 9 dogs.

Outdoor cage where Celie lived in Warren County

Celie was a matted pathetic mess when she was removed from
her cage during the raid. Her hair had to be cut loose from
the cage. More info about Celie's rescue is available on the
ARC website.

These babies are now in a clean safe environment getting medical treatment and much needed TLC. They will soon go to their foster homes for socializing, housetraining and preparing to go to their forever homes. They enjoy playing and are really responding to the attention and human contact they've never before received.

4/15/11 update: Hawkeye, Dash, Dan, Theo, Celie and Ivey have gone to their foster homes. Larger versions of the pictures below are available on Facebook. Hawkeye, Dash& Dan, Theo, Celie and Ivey have their own Facebook photo albums.

Dash & Dan are doing great in their foster home. Although skittish at first, they quickly warmed up to everyone, with Dan even falling asleep in someone's lap.

Celie is doing well in her foster home. Check out her video on YouTube. And now a message from Celie:

Hi everyone- today my foster mom came to pick me up and I was really nervous, but when I got to my foster home there were five other small dogs like me and six things they call cats greeting me. I have taken a liking to one of those cats. I keep following him wondering what he will do. So far we just do a lot of what I think is walking. Then we all went outside and walked on grass- I love it. The outside is so amazing. I went potty outside and my foster mom got really excited and said I was a good girl. I guess I am suppose to go out there - if pottying outside lets me play in the green stuff I am all for it. Finally, we went back inside for some treats, and boy they were good. I can't wait to see what is next. Thanks for checking on me.

Hawkeye went to his foster home. Check out Hawkeye's video on YouTube - he's not quite sure of leaving the safety of his crate.

Ivey went to her new foster home. We don't have great pictures of her homecoming, but Miss Ivey is safe in her foster home. The vets, techs and groomer did a great job getting her ready for today. While her life has been turned right-side up, Ivey has a lot of things to get use to - like clean teeth and no more wobbly teeth; walking on feet with trimmed toenails; fresh water and soft food; and NO MORE BABIES! We all agree that puppies are wonderful, but Ivey has given more than her fair share...

Today after coming home, Ivey sniffed around the house, peed in the back hallway and curled up on a pair of sweat pants left laying in the floor. She reluctantly swapped the sweat pants for a new blanket. She's explored the backyard, ate a good meal and is in her crate for bedtime. We are using crates to help with house training and to give her a sense of security. She'll be her foster mom's bed so if she has need of anything, she won't have to wait.

We'll update with more pictures after the weekend. Thanks for all the support!

4/16/11 update: Frisco visited people at Wild Birds Unlimited today and Ridley took a nap with her foster mom.

4/21/11 update: We are still learning about living in a home but boy are we enjoying our cushy beds and good food. One of us (not mentioning any names but he is tiny and white with big ears) can have a bit of an attitude. Piddy Pat says she is sweet as sugar though! Check back for updates.

4/21/11 update for Celie: Hi everyone it's me Celie. I thought you might want to know what is going on with me in my foster home since a few days have passed. I still love going outside and roaming the great outdoors. I don't even mind that thing called a leash, except sometimes it doesn't let me go as far as I want. I have started a thing my foster mom calls running, and it is the greatest. I could never run in that small wire crate I used to live in. I am so glad SBRET and ARC came to my rescue. Inside, I am now not afraid of that hardwood floor. I have my balance and can explore the entire house - there is so much to see. The big box called a TV is quite strange and makes all kinds of funny noises. I am trying to play with the other dogs in the house, but I am not quite sure about the rules of the game. I love all the blankets and beds around the house. The best part is there is an endless supply of clean water and I am never hungry. There is always food to eat and of course TREATS! Thanks for checking on me, and maybe your home could be my forever home when I am ready for adoption!

4/23/11 update: Theo checking in here. I am doing so well in my foster home--learned how to use the doggie door, loving my little cushy bed, taking treats from my foster mom, and even settling in for some lap time. I am still a bit nervous but am making improvements every day!

Please follow this page as we keep you updated, and go to the available rescue page as the dogs become ready for their forever homes.

Small Breed Rescue of East Tennessee

Warren County Puppy Mill Bust