Paws of War

Jan 3, 2023

Donner is one of eight rescued pups, all named for Santa's reindeer, that Suffolk's Paws of War will be placing in the home of a veteran or first responder. Credit: Paws of War By Joan Gralla joan.gralla@newsday.com January 3, 2023 2:21 pm The look in their eyes says it all. Dazed, confused, wary, eight rescued dachshund puppies, newly arrived on Long Island from the Deep South, have been restored to health and now are bound for new homes with first responders and veterans. “The poor guys, they were just so full of parasites, and you know, skin conditions, ear mites, and very emaciated,” said Kelly Basham, Northeast director of operations, Guardians of Rescue. The group nursed all eight back to health, so they could be sent from Kentucky to a partner rescue, Paws of War, in Suffolk’s Nesconset. “It’s rewarding at the end of the day to know that we make such a difference in the lives of veterans — to be able to give them a companion animal or a service animal — for all the hard work that the Guardians does from these cases, it is very heartbreaking,” she said of the eight puppies who are about 11 to 12 weeks old. “We’re confident they’re all from the same litter,” said Robert Misseri, founder of Paws of War, a not-for-profit. Blonde, white with brown spots, dark brown with cinnamon spots — and the more traditional reddish coat are among their colors. Sign up for the Suffolk news this week newsletter The biggest news, politics and crime stories in Suffolk County, in your inbox every Friday at noon. Sign up By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . Puppies usually are adopted out swiftly, let alone purebreds — and dachshunds are less common, he said. About 75% of the dogs Paws of War places are adults, Misseri said. Already training about 30 1- to 2-year olds, it recently took in two 10-week old Golden Retrievers, rescued from Ohio. Any adopters must go through a thorough vetting process, Misseri said. “Before we give a dog out, we’ve got to make sure it’s for the right reason.” Anyone who wishes to train their puppy to be a service dog can take the group’s free weekly classes — and some graduates keep attending for the camaraderie they experience. The awful way life began for these puppies was only revealed when their female Mississippi owner last month called for a coroner after her husband died, said officials. They found 87 dachshunds in that home, along with a child and an adult who both needed protective services. “I think what it was — she just got overwhelmed, and just couldn’t handle the situation, said Misty Daniels, director, of the local shelter, the Amory Humane Society, Mississippi. “Hoarding can be with anything, items or animal — it just got out of hand.” Amory, where just over 6,500 people live, according to the U.S. Census, lies around 142 miles southeast of Memphis. On Dec. 11, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies “discovered a rather large concentration of dogs inside the residence,” Sheriff Kevin Crook said on Facebook. “The conditions inside the home were poor, to say the least. Deputies say the odor was almost unbearable and there were dog feces and old food throughout the residence,” his post said. The local animal control officer alerted Daniels, whose shelter can handle no more than 100 pets. She contacted Guardians and other rescues who divided up the dachshunds — about half of which were adults, with some revealing telltale genetic abnormalities from inbreeding, from deafness or blindness to twisted or maimed legs. Still, said Daniels: "Unfortunately, I have seen way worse." By Joan Gralla