Valley Humane Society Staffer Talks about Rescuing Dogs as Part of TV Show on Hoarding

It was a cold, foggy April morning at when we got the news.

The day began as it normally does, cleaning up after and feeding the animals, walking the dogs, returning phone calls, and catching up on emails. Early in the afternoon an email was received that provided Valley Humane with an opportunity we couldn’t resist. 

A producer from Animal Planet’s “Confessions: Animal Hoarding” wanted us to help rescue almost a dozen dogs from a hoarding situation in the Central Valley.

The opportunity to help a nationally broadcasted TV series and help these pups was too hard to resist.  We only had a couple days to plan the details like where would we put the dogs, how we would train them, what potential issues should we be prepared for, and how we would get to the Central Valley to rescue them.

We spent the next two days mapping out the whole rescue. We worked seamlessly with Animal Planet to assure that the dogs would be properly cared for in our shelter.  

Our largest hurdle initially was where to put the dogs.

At the time, we were still in our modular building, waiting for the final approvals on the new, bigger building. Where would we fit these dogs in a modular with small space? There was no way we could do it. After a lengthy brainstorming session, our Executive Director spoke to our contractor and received approval to start using the new, un-opened, facility on Nevada Street for the dogs. What great news!

The night before, we were like children unable to sleep before a vacation to Disneyland.

We stayed up emailing back and forth about how excited we were to get started. The next morning, with coffee and snacks in tow, a crew of six staff members and volunteers drove down to pick up the dogs, while another crew of staff and volunteers began to prepare the new building. The set-up crew worked tirelessly to make sure each kennel suite was stocked with towels, bedding, food, and water bowls. We set up the shelter to be a dog sanctuary with a plethora of leashes, collars, and toys. Ultimately, our goal was to create an easy transition for these dogs and to ensure their comfort.

I remember when the dogs arrived at Valley Humane Society. It was early afternoon on a Monday. The set-up crew was waiting to help carry in the kennels and welcome the dogs to their new temporary home.

Two large vans were filled with almost a dozen of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen. Each dog had their own large kennel that they traveled in, with their name taped on top of the kennel. We rolled each kennel in on a rollaway cart, one at a time to the respective dog’s suite.

After moving all of the dogs into the new facility, we took a moment to determine our next step. We decided to keep all of the dogs' names the same as the prior owner had requested. We then starting looking into each dog’s history — some of the dogs had a rougher history than others. One was just a small puppy, still very shy and unsure of what was going on. Another had several puppies in her short life. Meanwhile, another had lived in a closet and was very nervous to be out in the world.

Throughout the end of April and almost all of May, we had our dog trainer working nearly around the clock to help socialize the dogs. We also brought in dog behaviorists from all around the community to work with these dogs. At first, the dogs were extremely shy and trusted nobody. As the days and weeks moved on, the dogs became more social and eager to go out on walks and play fetch with others.

At different time intervals during May, the dogs were spayed and neutered and put up for adoption to find their new forever homes. Watching the adopted dogs leave our facility to move on was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The care and attention for each pup created a lasting bond with the employees and volunteers who helped rehabilitate the dogs. In the end, everyone was filled with mixed emotions as the dogs stepped out of Valley Humane and into the car of their new forever family.

During July, we made follow-up calls to all of the families who adopted. Never have we heard new families gloat about their new pet like we did with these dogs!

Everybody had nothing but kind words to say about their pets and were so glad to be brought together by this special circumstance.

We still look back on the great experience that brought us all closer together. It was such an inspiring time for us at Valley Humane Society and we look forward to finally seeing the much awaited episode air on Animal Planet tonight.

On Animal Planet’s website, it says the episode airs at 10 p.m. But, check your listings; some service providers are airing it at 9 p.m. (such as AT&T).

Pop some popcorn and gather your family and friends to the couch….you won’t want to miss this!