This dog is one of dozens dropped off Monday at Plain & Fancy Animal Rescue by breeders who are downsizing their operations. The Denver shelter will hold an emergency adopt-a-thon Saturday.
A major overhaul to state dog laws is changing the way commercial breeders do business in Pennsylvania.
For some breeders, that means significantly reducing the number of dogs in their kennels. And, for those who want to get rid of dogs quickly — no questions asked — Linda Harrower is there.
"We're just heading out the door to pick up another 60," Harrower said cheerfully Monday evening.
Her operation, Plain & Fancy Animal Rescue of Denver, was working Monday out of The Total Dog & a Little Cat, an Adamstown grooming salon where several breeders had dropped off dozens of unwanted dogs.
Harrower estimated she would have about 150 dogs in her care by the weekend. And because Plain & Fancy is licensed as a no-kill shelter, Harrower is eager to place these new dogs in homes.
"We're having an emergency adopt-a-thon this Saturday," she said.
From noon to 2 p.m., 60 to 75 dogs will be available for adoption at the salon at 30 Willow St., Adamstown.
In the meantime, the dogs will be examined by a veterinarian, and each will be vaccinated, wormed, microchipped, groomed and spayed or neutered, she said.
The dogs, Harrower said, are coming from commercial kennels "that are either downsizing or closing down entirely because they cannot comply with the new regulations."
Some of the dogs will be in poor shape, Harrower noted.
"We're just here to help the dogs," she said. "We have a good relationship with the breeders. We don't report them; we don't ask questions. And we never use the term 'puppy mills.' We just want to get the dogs adopted and into new homes."
It's an especially poignant effort, given that "these are dogs that otherwise would have been destroyed," Harrower said. "But they make the best pets."
Pennsylvania recently passed new laws cracking down on dog breeders, and, to date, more than 50 kennels in Lancaster County have announced they are closing because of the tighter restrictions.
"I think the next few months will be really busy," Harrower said.
The new dog laws require breeders to increase cage sizes, provide an attached run for exercise, supply water at all times and give dogs regular veterinary care. The laws prohibit stacking cages or keeping dogs on wire flooring.
Harrower said 2009 has been by far the busiest year for Plain & Fancy, a family effort that started informal operations in 1999 and gained nonprofit standing in 2007. She said the organization has handled between 1,500 and 2,000 dogs this year.
"It's actually pretty easy to find owners," Harrower said. "A lot of people will only buy rescued dogs."
But Harrower warned that adoption requirements are stringent.
"People have to be approved before they can adopt," she said.
Plain & Fancy provides an adoption application online at pfrescue.petfinder.com, she said. Only preapproved applicants will be able to take a dog home on Saturday.
Adoptions on Saturday will cost $200 per dog, she said.
Plain & Fancy deals mostly in small breeds, Harrower noted, including pugs, poodles, shih tzus, boxers, cairn terriers, Chihuahuas and Pomeranians.