Sweet little Emily arrived from a puppy mill with her jaw broken and dangling.  She was starving, having only been given hard kibble that she could not eat.  At the age of 4 she weighed only 2.5 pounds and lost most of her teeth at her first vet visit.  Her teeth were completely rotten from decay and all of her ribs were showing.  It was determined that the injury to her jaw could not be repaired.  The operation would be too painful and for all that pain the injury was too old for the operation to be successful anyway.  The doctors assured us that Emily is in no pain and will be able to live a normal life with the jaw as it is.  Emily is at a foster home now where she is eating well and up to nearly 4 pounds.  She is a bright, happy, beautiful little girl who is adored by all.  She feels so much better, has come to love people and holds no grudges for all of the horrible things that have happened to her.  One of our volunteers who wants Emily to have every opportunity to shine and find a wonderful home sent her to a professional photographer in Omaha so that she could show her smiling face and bright eyes to the world in style.  Please check out Emily’s web page here: ADOPT ME – EMILY! to see her photos and read the full story of how well she is doing in her foster home.  Emily also asks her friends in Nebraska to sign up for updates on the Nebraska Voter’s for Companion Animals website so that they can personally help fight puppy mills in Nebraska.

Ingrid and the Sanctuary Sweethearts at HUA would like to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.  Hearts United for Animals is dedicated to the philosophy that all dogs deserve happy healthy lives with people who love them. Some dogs find that home with us as Sanctuary Sweethearts. They are animals who are not up for adoption for various reasons including health, age and personality issues.  Ingrid is one of the senior Sanctuary Sweethearts.  She has been with us for 10 years.  She was rescued from a puppy mill in the year 2000 when she was only 2 years old.  We do not know what happened to Ingrid to make her so fearful.  She trusts no human.  She is completely petrified.  She is happy at the sanctuary because she knows that she can live life on her own terms.  We give Ingrid the space she needs to be happy.  She is free to play with her dog friends and takes much comfort in their presence.  They know how fragile she is and take pride in protecting her and comforting her.  Without your generous support our Sanctuary Sweethearts would not have the option of this happy place to call home, a place where they can live their lives knowing peace, joy and love.  Please visit Ingrid and all of the Sanctuary Sweethearts of HUA on their own special page of our website and join us in wishing the these sweeties a very Happy Valentine’s Day, and every day.

On January 17th, 2010, 99 Nebraska puppy mill dogs made their way to safety as rescue groups from Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota came together to provide them comfort and care they have never known before.  The rescue efforts, coordinated by Julie Lavin, HUA director and founder of Almost Home Canine Rescue, were a massive undertaking.  Once other groups participating in the rescue spoke for all the dogs they could accommodate Hearts United for Animals agreed to take the rest so that no dog would be left behind.  40 of the 99 dogs are now happily residing at HUA.  The first HUA arrival was Frankie, a little 1 pound Maltese who is almost 5 months old.  He was rushed to Omaha for emergency care.  He is at the vet where it will be determined why he is failing to thrive and if he has a chance for survival.  A little Yorkie girl is also at the vet in Omaha, having arrived with her jaw broken and dangling.  She is undergoing tests to determine if she is strong enough for surgery and if surgery is an option, or if the breaks are too old and too severe.  The other dogs will soon go to the vet for their spay/neuters, dentals and other medical needs.  Many had raw, bleeding mouths from years of neglect.  Others have hernias, tumors and bellies swollen with infection from being bred over and over.  We pray that all will survive their much needed medical procedures so that they can go on to live the lives of love and comfort that they always should have known.  Please watch our YouTube video to see the arrival of all of the dogs including the little Maltese, the Yorkie with the broken jaw, a 5 month old blind Maltese, and many, many other sweet, smiling faces who are so happy to be free.  Donations for the care of these dogs are desperately needed.  In addition to the routine care they will need many will have extended hospital stays and need to see specialists.  Click to donate now.

Please watch our video and consider a donation to help these dear dogs:

Late in the afternoon a call came in that a small, very pregnant Miniature Pinscher mix was abandoned in a town near the shelter.  The caller said she was living under a vacant trailer home and looked like a pot bellied pig.  She was frightened, starving, freezing cold,  and was begging and scavenging for food.  The caller thought she had been bred by two Labrador Retrievers.  Neighbors tried to rescue her but could not get her out from under the trailer.  HUA employees John and Shaun took off immediately to go to her rescue.  When they arrived they had to tear off part of the skirting to the home and crawl around on the wet ground dodging electrical cords.  Once under the trailer they  heard rustling but couldn’t see her.  John looked up to find that she crawled into the insulation and was giving birth.  She had one dead and one live puppy.  John carefully handed the live puppy to Shaun while he worked on getting the mother dog out.  Once the boys were in the van with mom and pups they called the HUA vet to be on stand-by for their arrival at the shelter.  The boys arrived covered in mud from head to to, holding the surviving puppy like a live grenade.  Over the next few hours 2 more live puppies were born.  All are doing well.  Esme is so happy to be rescued!  She is very grateful for the help given to her and her puppies.  She is so content and relaxed at the shelter, enjoying being able to take care of her puppies in a warm environment where all her needs are provided for, where she has warm bedding, good food and people who adore her.  Please join us in wishing Esme and her puppies – Jello, Sprinkles and Cupcake – a very Happy New Year!

John upon arrival with Esme:

New Year’s Eve was a very special day for 13 puppy mill dogs from Iowa.  HUA and Almost Home Canine Rescue volunteers drove a combined 500 miles round trip to rescue the dogs from a breeder in Iowa who is now out of business.  These were the last of her breeding stock.  Our adorable passengers made not a peep on the ride, with the exception of one spunky Pekingese fellow who expressed his desire to get to where we were going already!  Some of the dogs were shaved down by the breeder, but others were filthy, matted messes.  The smell in the car was overwhelming.  Upon arrival all of the dogs were very afraid of what would happen next and were reluctant to come out of their crates.  Curiosity got the best of some of them, who hopped out to check us out.  Others had to be gently removed while they fought to stay in their crates, safe from the human contact that they thought may cause them harm.  They were all stiff as a board with fright when they had their pictures taken and were soon taken to playpens with warm blankets and good tasting soft food.  By the time we left all were settled in with full tummies, looking comfortable and relaxed.  We are happy that one more breeder is out of business, never to cause emotional or physical harm to another dog.  We look forward to seeing what the new year brings for these 13 precious poodles, schnauzers, and papillons.  They are now safe and loved for the first time in their lives and will have the opportunity to know good health and be adopted to the happy homes that they always should have had.

Meet the new arrivals:

When Ruskin first arrived at HUA he had no coat at all.  He was riddled with mange and had only one little speck of fur by his tail.  His skin was burning hot to the touch because he was so full of infection.  Ruskin arrived at a city pound in Kansas in this condition and there was no way the pound could afford the time or money to try to heal him.  He was scheduled to die if a rescue group didn’t step forward.  No breed rescue would take him because in his condition there were no guesses as to what breed he might actually be.  With help from our friends in Kansas Ruskin was soon on his way to HUA.  Even though he was in pure misery he greeted us happily with his stubby little tail wagging 100 miles an hour.  Ruskin is a very smart boy.  He knew that he had been saved and had arrived at a safe place where the people would help him.  It took months of treatment but finally Ruskin grew a gorgeous brownish red coat. It has become clear that he is mostly Shar Pei.  He is so gorgeous and soft.  People who met him when he first arrived at HUA cannot believe he is the same dog.  Ruskin is now happier than ever.  He didn’t even know that he could feel this good, and he is elated.  He is learning to sit and stay.  He adores people so very much and will do anything to please them.  He wakes up with his tail wagging and even wags his tail as he drifts off to sleep, realizing that his new found health, happiness and second chance at life is not a dream.  We would like to send a big thank you to all of our supporters who help to make happy endings like Ruskin’s possible.

Click Here to Visit Ruskin’s Adopt Me Page!

While we loved the old website and hated to see it go away, it was time for a change. The dogs deserve the latest technology to tell their stories and help them find new homes. We hope you enjoy our new site. As we’ve added more buildings and therefore more animals for adoption over the past couple of years the old site has become burdensome and hard to keep up with. With our new streamlined abilities to post pets they won’t have to wait as long for their forever home. Also due to growth in the number of animals displayed on the site we have added search functions for you to help narrow your choices (although we suggest if you have time click the “view all” option since everyone of our sweet dogs and cats would love to steal a few seconds of your time and a piece of your heart). You can now check us out on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from the links at the bottom of the pages and of course right here on our new blog! We invite you to join in the fun. You can also help our new website in the rankings by visiting us every day, as higher traffic counts will help get us bumped up in the ranks. If you experience any issues with the website please e-mail lori@hua.org. Enjoy!

At HUA we see the suffering that puppy mills cause every single day. If we hope to end this horrible practice of holding dogs prisoner year after year with no love and companionship and little or no health care we need to spread the word. The only way to end the suffering is to inform the public that they are contributing to the misery of the parents of pet store and internet sale puppies every time they purchase a pup. The parents of those cute little pups breed litter after litter, stuck in wire cages for year after year without good food, fresh water or even a blanket or bed to call their own. They never touch grass. They are often riddled with infections and tumors. To spend money on the parents of the pups would cut into the profits of the puppy millers so the harsh reality is that they leave them to suffer until they are no longer profitable. The lucky ones make it to rescue after half or more of their lives have been taken from them. The others are not so lucky.

Recently a breeder arrived at HUA and pulled this Bichon from the trunk of her car, along with a Cocker Spaniel who was riddled with mammary tumors. She said she was going out of business because sales are down. While we were horrified at the condition of the dogs and their means of transportation it was certainly good news that she is going out of business. One retail outlet that she sold puppies to is very close to our billboard on Interstate 80 in Omaha. That retailer of puppies tells the public that they do not buy from puppy mills, however this clearly proves otherwise:

UPDATE: The billboard will be back in digital form the week of Christmas! Look for us on I-80 and 84th Street, and remember to tell your friends, “Don’t Shop. Adopt.”