68 dogs rescued from puppy mill looking for forever homes

TROY, Va. (WVIR) - An organization in Troy teamed up with the Humane Society of the United States, or HSUS, to bring in a group of pups that were removed from a puppy mill earlier this year.

68 dogs were transferred from Maryland all the way to the Green Dogs Unleashed headquarters, each looking for a forever home.

“Our goal is to be able to help animals in need. And when we bring them into our program, we give them a much better life,” Green Dogs Unleashed Executive Director Erika Proctor said.

Green Dogs Unleashed is an animal rescue and dog therapy organization in Troy. Proctor is the one leading the way in bringing these pups in.

“HSUS actually had handled this neglect case four months ago,” Proctor said. “We’ve been working with them throughout their criminal process to gain custody of the dogs.”

Little do these pups know they are about to get a second shot at life.

“These guys have been through a lot of trauma, they were really badly neglected and not taken care of. And being able to partner with HSUS on this is just amazing,” Proctor said.

Once each dog is looked over and microchipped, the mission to find them a forever home begins.

“They need a stable environment,” Foster Parent Joyce McCollough said. “They’re just like children they need a forever stable environment.”

McCollough has been a foster parent for Green dogs unleashed since it was created back in 2011. She came by and picked up Almec, a poodle named after a character from Star Wars.

“She’s very quiet so far I have a feeling that will change,” McCollough said.

McCollough also says you can really tell how appreciative these animals are to be given a new life. She says fostering isn’t easy but so worth it.

“They so deserve it, and they’re so thankful when they get it,” McCollough said. “It’s hard. It’s very hard. It’s very hard to let them go. I go into it with the view that I am their caretaker, their babysitter until their person comes along.”

If you are interested in adopting a new friend with Green Dogs Unleased, click the link here.

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