Charles County’s Animal Response Team recently traveled to Upper Pittsgrove, New Jersey as part of the Humane Society of the United States’ team to assist the NJSPCA, HSUS, Cumberland County SPCA and Gloucester County Animal Control/Shelter to rescue 90 dogs from a New Jersey Puppy Mill.
The removal of the dogs followed several inspections by local authorities, who had attempted to persuade the commercial breeder to improve the facility’s standards of animal care to no avail. Many of the dogs were suffering from skin conditions and severe cases of dental disease and infections. Dogs that were in need of immediate veterinary attention were transported to an emergency veterinary clinic for care overnight. The operator of the facility surrendered the animals to the NJSPCA. The HSUS team assisted in caring for the dogs and placing them with several shelter and rescue groups to find new homes.
Justin Scally, the Manager of the Wilde Puppy Mill Task Force for the Humane Society of the United States and the HSUS Incident Commander for the New Jersey initiative had this to say about the team from Charles County, “The Humane Society of the United States is grateful for the assistance provided by the Charles County Animal Response Team (CART) in New Jersey. The Charles County team was knowledgeable, brought equipment that was essential for the operation and man?power to assist in the rescue of animals that were suffering from neglect at the hands of their abusers. We thank Charles County for their assistance and we believe that the responders from the CART should be commended for their actions.”
C. Edward Tucker, Chief of Charles County Animal Control stated that, “ It is of note that of all the agencies and members of the National Disaster Animal Response Team at the disposal of the Humane Society of the United States, our agency was one of those tapped to assist. Our volunteers and staff members spend numerous hours training and preparing for this sort of opportunity.”
Charles County began forming its animal response team in the fall of 2008. Since then it has grown to include 35 active volunteers and a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Humane Society of Charles County that links the two agencies and their combined resources when needed during times of disaster. The mission statement of Charles County’s CART reads: “The Charles County C.A.R.T. (County Animal Response Team) is operated under the direction and control of Charles County Department of Emergency Services Animal Control Division. We are part of a coordinated effort between government, corporate and private entities dedicated to the preparedness, planning, response, and recovery for animal emergencies in Charles County, Maryland.” The organization relies on contributions and fundraising to fund the majority of the training and equipment it utilizes. For more information on volunteering please go to http://www.charlescounty.org/es/animalcontrol/index.jsp and follow the CART link.