61 rescued dogs set for a new life on LI

Sixty-one newcomers from Oklahoma making a three-day journey across the country arrived in Port Washington Monday for a new start.

The four-legged travelers are small dogs rescued from breeding facilities or so-called puppy mills in Antlers, Okla.

Some of the canines are crossed between two purebreds as breeders attempt to find the next "designer dog," said Darrell Rhodes, of North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington, who drove the animals from Oklahoma to New York. Many, however, are purebreds.

"These are the moms and dads of the $1,200 to $1,500 puppies you see in the pet stores," Rhodes said.

While League representatives could not visit the breeders on-site, concerns about such puppy mills include overbreeding and crowding.

Among the newcomers are three purebred French bulldogs, ages from 3 to 5 years; several 6-month-old German poodles; a purebred cocker spaniel; papillons; shih tzus; Maltese terriers; Yorkshire terriers; beagles; chihuahuas; and three corgis, which Rhodes said are rarely released for rescue.

"Lots of the times, they [puppy mill dogs] are just petrified to human touch," Rhodes said. "This group seems to be very sociable."

The 61 newcomers will be evaluated medically and behaviorally to determine if they are fit to be put up for adoption, starting Thanksgiving Day, said league spokeswoman Devera Lynn.

In June, the league formed a partnership with National Mill Dog Rescue, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., to help rescue and resettle dogs from puppy mills. Rhodes, who works for the league and lives in Colorado, said at least once a month he drives a new group of dogs to the Port Washington shelter.

The dogs came from three breeding facilities, he said. The breeders drove the dogs to a parking lot of a Walmart shopping center in Tulsa, Okla., where Rhodes and three volunteers from National Mill Dog Rescue met them. The dogs were transferred to a mobile unit, which has its own heat and air. Rhodes and his team stayed at pet-friendly motels with electricity hookups.

"If we have the means to place them, we could bring 500 a month," Rhodes said.

The league will open its shelter, at 25 Davis Ave., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.