Major operation to save suffering dogs

Former model Celia Hammond's animal charity intervened when 200 emaciated Yorkies were found at the home of a breeder who had died.

Six dead dogs were among the squalor rescuers found in a garden shed at Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex.

Conditions at the breeding kennels were said to be so bad that some of the Yorkies had survived by eating the bodies of those which had died.

Barby Keel's Bexhill-based sanctuary accepted an emergency call at midnight on Sunday to take some of the rescued animals.

But nothing in sanctuary founder Barby's long experience could prepare her for the sight which confronted her team.

"They were walking lumps of excrement, basically," she told the Observer.

The sanctuary is served by the Happy Hounds dog shampooing and clipping service.

The firm was so appalled by what it found that it gave it services in response to the crisis.

Barby said: "We had cut off the worst by the time they arrived but it was absolutely dreadful."

She said the Yorkies would need a lot of loving care to restore them to health before the sanctuary could begin to think of finding homes for them.

Barby said on Wednesday: "Gill and Gloria from Happy Hounds were wonderful. They arrived here yesterday at 9.30am and they worked right through till 8.30 at night until they finished.

"They wouldn't stop even to eat until they had done.

"And they wouldn't take anything for it. But they had to cut the hair off first then clip them before they could shampoo them.

"It took for ever.

"When they had clipped one it was so tiny it was no bigger than a jam jar.

"In more than 20 years in animal rescue I have never seen anything so terrible.

"My boy Dan and his girlfriend went to Hurstpierpoint to collect the dogs. When they got back Dan was physically sick.

"He said it was appalling.

"We took in all that we were able to cope with. We are doing what we can. Its going to cost us - not that we begrudge that - they all need vet's treatment. Some have bad eyes. Others have bad teeth. We are starting an appeal fund at our charity shop in St Leonards Road.

"They are all traumatised. But they are so sweet. The little pups are already trying to play. But they are so weak they fall over."