The World Is Changed By Example, Not Opinion.
–by Anna Cooke
never had any human contact to speak of,” said Hoffman. “And living in cramped quarters, on top of one another was their normal.” The shelter looked for adoption can-
didates who had experience with social- ly-awkward dogs. “Some of these dogs were not going to be good with children. And if the applicants had a dog, we asked them to bring their dog in so we could evaluate the interaction and overall dynamics,” said Hoffman. “As heartbreaking as that first day was
– seeing those dogs in that condition, it was also the most rewarding day I’ve ever had in my career. To see how our staff and volunteers jumped in to work with the dogs. When our day started, I thought to myself, ‘this is gonna be a really bad day.” But, by the end of the day, Hoffman
told us, it was surreal to see the dogs after they had been shaved down and bathed. “It was as if they had shed their old
On Friday, April 3, as the staff of the Humane Society of Greater Miami arrived to open the shelter, they encoun- tered a horrific scene. A total of 16 Maltese mix dogs had been left in front of the facility, sometime during the night. They were stuffed, one on top of the other, in two crates. At the time, Laurie Hoffman,
Executive Director of the Humane Society of Greater Miami said, “All of the dogs are very scared and we are doing our best to calm them down, stabilize them and ensure they are provided all the med- ical care they need.” In our interview with Laurie, she
told us it was the worst case she had ever seen in her 11 years with the shelter. All of the dogs were terribly matted. Even the dogs that didn’t have feces matted into their fur were discolored from step- ping into and living in their own filth. “Our veterinary team worked the
entire day with the dogs,” said Hoffman. Security cameras captured somebody
www.TheNewBarker.com
dropping off the crates about 5 a.m. that morning and a car driving off. “As bad as this was to see, in my
heart, I have to believe the people who dropped the dogs off knew they would be in a better place,” said Hoffman. Some of the dogs were older, esti-
mated to be around 11 or 12 years old. There were a couple of seven-month-old puppies. “We can only speculate, but it most likely was a hoarding situation that turned into an accidental breeding situa- tion that soon got out of control,” said Hoffman. As word went out to the media, the
adoption applications came pouring in. The list was narrowed down with some pretty discerning parameters and strict criteria for adopting one of the Sweet 16, as they were dubbed by staff. “The dogs’ personalities were iffy
when we first started examining and working with them. You have to under- stand that, in addition to being very frightened, these dogs most likely had
Top, left: The 16 Maltese mix dogs, as they were found just outside the Humane Society of Greater Miami. Above: By the end of the day, the dogs had been shaved free of mats and bathed.
Humane Society of Greater Miami
www.HumaneSocietyMiami.org 305.749.1803
Summer/Fall ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 49
lives. It turned out to be a day of relief. Someone, whoever they were, had the heart to bring those dogs to us.”
U
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