Lebanon TN – Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) volunteers from all over the United States and Canada have traveled to Tenn., to help care for 93 of the 500+ dogs and puppies surrendered on Nov. 1, 2021 by a USDA certified commercial breeder in Seymour, Iowa, who had racked up over 190 code violations of the Animal Welfare Act over the past year. All the animals were safely rescued, with 93 dogs and puppies now in the care of ARC at their Rescue Operations Center, located in Lebanon, Tenn., where the animals will be rehabilitated and eventually placed with ARC’s placement partners around the country to find loving homes.
ARC volunteers Cathy Stearns from N.H., and her daughter, Jessica Guerette of Maine, celebrated Cathy’s 60th birthday by flying to Tenn. to help care for the dogs
“We’re so glad we got the opportunity to come down and help. We met a lot of great people, it’s a wonderful organization and we are leaving here feeling like we made a difference, thank you,” said Stearns.
LOOKING BACK: See photos from a rescue that took place earlier this year (June 2021) at a home in Jackson, Tennessee HERE.
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This huge collaborative effort, including Animal Rescue Corps, Animal Rescue League of Iowa, and ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), began when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requested assistance with the removal, transport, and sheltering of more than 500 dogs and puppies belonging to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licensed breeder, Daniel Gingerich. The complaint against Gingerich, filed by the DOJ, detailed horrific conditions at multiple locations in Iowa where Gingerich kept dogs, including dead dogs, dogs with untreated injuries and illnesses, like parvo and distemper, dogs with painful fur matting, dogs in cages that were too small, and moldy food. ARC’s assistance for the planning and the rescue was requested. Animal Rescue Corps Field and Transport Teams deployed to Iowa and assisted with the removal of animals from the scene, managed the animal inventory and tracking process, and supported transport efforts for this multi-day and multi-agency rescue.
Below Photo: Cathy Stearns below left
ARC’s network of more than 6,000 volunteers spans across North America and includes over 3,000 registered volunteers in Tenn. In the past two weeks, volunteers have come from Illinois, Texas, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, California, and even as far away as Ontario, Canada. Brenda Bunn, an ARC volunteer for the past eight years who came from Ontario, Canada to help, reunited with Patty Shenker from Calif., at the ARC facility this week. The two had volunteered on other ARC rescues in Canada years ago and have been friends ever since.
“Animals don’t come with passports. If I hear of any animals in need and I have the capabilities of helping, I will regardless of where they are. If it’s down the street, another city or another country, I’ll always try to help,” said Brenda Bunn.
ARC transported over seven dozen animals from the Iowa puppy mill, dubbed Operation Revocation, to ARC’s Rescue Operation Center in Lebanon, Tenn., about 40 minutes east of Nashville. Each animal is receiving a thorough veterinary exam, appropriate vaccinations, and any necessary medical treatments until they are matched and transported to trusted shelter and rescue partner organizations that will ultimately adopt them into loving homes. For people wishing to foster or adopt, ARC will publish its list of shelter and rescue placement partners on its Facebook page once the animals are transferred to these groups.
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To learn more or to volunteer to help these dogs and puppies and other animals in need, visit animalrescuecorps.org.
Photo Below: Brenda Bunn
ABOUT: Since 2010, Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), a national animal protection nonprofit, has provided large-scale animal rescue for communities that lack resources to address abuse and disaster themselves. In addition to emergency rescue, ARC offers education and shelter relief. ARC’s mission is to end animal suffering through direct and compassionate action and to inspire the highest ethical standards of humanity towards animals. To learn more about Animal Rescue Corps, visit: animalrescuecorps.org.
