Dogs rescued from Zuni farm stretch group

Cindy Lakin could see the fear and mistrust in the dog's eyes.

Miya, as the dog has been named, was in her final days of pregnancy. She couldn't make it up the stairs in Lakin's house on her own. Once there, she crept into a wire kennel, plopped down and cowered.

It took a while to convince the young retriever taken last month from a farm in Zuni, along with 29 other dogs, to even come out of the cage, Lakin said.

But the golden retriever slowly got used to her surroundings. On Jan. 30, she gave birth to 10 pups.

Meanwhile, another dog taken from the farm gave birth to an additional 10 at a foster home in Richmond. Members of the rescue group are expecting another birth and perhaps another.

The dogs are in poor health, said Laura Spink, president of the Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training organization. One had to be euthanized because of a grapefruit-size tumor on her belly. Many were malnourished, and all of them have intestinal parasites.

"This is stressing the limits of our capabilities," Spink said. "We usually rescue about 100 dogs a year."

The dogs were among the animals found at Meadows Quarter Horse Farm in Zuni in Isle of Wight County. Authorities went there after someone reported a dead horse in a pasture.

On Friday, the Isle of Wight sheriff said the farm's owners, Jeff and Diana Hansford, would be charged with animal cruelty.

Meanwhile, the dogs are multiplying like the Dalmations in Walt Disney's popular animated film.

Erica Feiste, a veterinarian with Cooke Veterinary Medical Center in Chesapeake, said she saw several of the dogs. She said the younger dogs, in addition to their health problems, appear to have had little socialization.

Spink, with the rescue group, said they're estimating that each animal could cost the group $500 for medical care and training. The group relies on donations.

Lakin, who volunteers for the golden retriever rescue group, said she's doing everything she can to rebuild Mi ya's health and trust. The dog gets a high-quality food, usually blended with chicken. She lives in luxury in her own bedroom, settled comfortably with the pups in a wading pool padded with warm blankets.

"She's a good mom," Lakin said. "I think she's done this at least a couple of times before."

The rescue group will put the dogs up for adoption when they are ready, from both a health and socialization standpoint, Lakin said. The group visits adoptive homes. They require a fenced yard, and the dogs are implanted with identification chips before they go to a new home.

 For more information about adopting a golden retriever or to help support the Zuni dogs, go to adoptagolden.com.

Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com