Happy ending found in Northern Nevada for puppies, mother dog rescued from abusive breeder

The Nevada Humane Society recently assisted in a large-scale rescue effort of nearly 300 abused dogs and puppies in Nye County.

While many rescued dogs were taken to different parts of the country to rehabilitate or be adopted, many found their forever homes in our local region of Northern Nevada.

The dogs in question were Caucasian Shepherds, from a failed breeding facility that turned into a nightmare for the animals involved.

While there are many ethical breeding kennels operating in Nevada, the individuals who owned the hundreds of shepherds were not among them.

“This was a neglect situation and a legitimate animal abuse case,” said Nevada Humane Society’s Nicole Theodoulou. “It was so bad that some of the animals were extremely malnourished from being underfed and competing for food.”

Investigators also found mass graves of dogs and puppies that did not survive. The dogs were not being provided medical care, including basic vaccinations or spays or neuters, leading to many cases of inbreeding and sickness.

“It was a very sad case,” Theodoulou said.

The first organization to step up to assist Nye County was the ASPCA, who quickly erected a shelter specifically for the rescued shepherds.

The ASPCA then reached out the Nevada Humane Society in Carson City and Reno to help with a very special subset of the rescues: a mother known as Mamasita and her puppies.

While the shepherds that needed specialized care and rehabilitation were being careflighted to Ohio — including between 150 to 170 puppies rescued — the ASPCA and Humane Society determined that for this particular group of puppies and Mamasita, the trip and shelters would be far too stressful.

There were 15 puppies in all, from three different litters.

“This particular situation was so bad, and we were so concerned about what kind of shape they’d be in, and we didn’t want to stress them out further,” Theodoulou said.

So, in breaking with typical fostering tradition, Theodoulou and her team went to work coordinating fosters for the puppies before they even reached Northern Nevada.

“We were able to coordinate three different foster volunteers and set them up with care packages and training materials,” Theodoulou said. “We performed on site evaluations when the dogs arrived, including providing vaccinations, to determine that they were healthy enough to go into foster care.”

The most challenging placement was not a puppy at all, but rather, Mamasita.

“She got to the worst of it, being older, living on that land, having to experience that level of abuse and neglect,” Theodoulou said.

One familiar face to the Carson City Humane Society foster program stepped up to the plate.

“This particular foster lives just outside Virginia City, and she is never put off by any situation or background,” Theodoulou said. “She is always willing to help out.”

Many of the puppies, both those who went on to foster as well as those who were determined to be healthy and old enough for adoption, have been adopted and are already living their new lives in Northern Nevada.

“A week after the rescue, the first group of puppies were ready for adoption,” Theodoulou said. “We had to really explain to people who wanted them that these are dogs who need a job. They weigh over 100 pounds when grown.”

Caucasian shepherds are traditionally livestock guardian dogs, and many of the puppies adopted will be able to do just that now in their forever homes.

“Many of the puppies ended up with people who own plots of land in rural areas,” Theodoulou said. “It’s perfect.”

In a happy turn of events, the Mamasita has also found a home in which she can learn to trust again.

Out of the entire experience, Theodoulou was most impressed by how quickly the ASPCA was able to spring into action to help the dogs.

“The amount of time they were able to take action in was so amazing,” Theodoulou said. “They got so much done in such little time. They were able to break down this huge structure that housed the dogs for several months in about a week.”

The owners, Oskana Higgins and Vasili Platunov, are currently in jail and face charges of over 60 counts of felony animal abuse and neglect.

For this and other Northern Nevada stories, visit https://carsonnow.org/.