NEWAYGO, Mich. — More than 20 puppies ARE a step closer to finding their forever homes after being rescued from Alabama.
That's the same place where 33 other puppies were brought from just a few years ago. They're now being housed at the Lake Haven Shelter.
Some of the puppies were in bad condition before they were brought to West Michigan. Volunteers with the shelter tell FOX 17 a man shot and killed three puppies and drop kicked another one, abandoning three puppies and their mother outside of a veterinary clinic in Alabama. The other puppies were once housed in a animal shelter shut down for animal cruelty.
With tails wagging and toys to play with these puppies have a bright future ahead of them.
"It's pretty rewarding," said Cheryl McCloud, the shelter director. "It's kind of a feeling that money can't buy."
McCloud has been rescuing dogs and cats for nearly 40 years. In that time, she estimates rescuing as many as 40,000 pets.
"It's just really satisfying to know that you've taken something that was not going to make it and now you've seen it go to a good home with wonderful people," she said. "It's a really good feeling to have."
With a team of volunteers, they made the trek to West Michigan from Clarksville, Indiana Sunday morning. They met a group halfway from Lawrenceville, Alabama.
"It changes you," said shelter volunteer Ally Dora. "It makes you see the worst in people, but you also see the best in people when you see everyone come together to save innocent lives that have no voice."
The 21 puppies are mostly hound mixes and labs. Many of them already have a place they'll soon call home.
"There will be a good portion of them that are spoken for already by virtue of the puppies that came in last time and people didn't get them, so we'll be tapping our applications from the last time that if they missed out on one hopefully we can help them this time," said McCloud.
There are still plenty of puppies available at Lake Haven Shelter as well as some cats. If you're interested in adopting one, you can find information on how to apply on their website.
