Over 40 dogs were rescued from a filthy breeder’s apartment in Queens, where they had been living in cramped, unsanitary conditions without proper care or outdoor access.
When Quealy, cofounder of Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, arrived to pick up one of the dogs — a 2-year-old German shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix named Sammie — she was heartbroken. Trembling and unresponsive, Sammie was too scared to walk, so staff used a blanket and a cart to move the 75-pound dog to her car.
“He just looked so defeated,” Quealy said. Even getting him into the car took three people. A puppy in the front seat briefly caught Sammie’s interest, but he remained withdrawn.
At the vet, Sammie was still terrified, shaking in a corner — a clear sign he had a long road to recovery ahead.