Abandoned puppies looking for new home

Six Labrador-chow puppies abandoned at a Kansas animal shelter are about ready to find new homes.

The 9-week-old puppies -- rescued from a Hutchinson, Kan., shelter one week ago by the owners of K-9 Bed and Biscuit animal shelter -- have received all their shots and have been spayed or neutered.

The puppies suffered from chemical burns across their backs. The scars, some of them 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch in width, will remain on the dogs for life, but hair will grow out around them and cover most of it, according to K-9 owner Rachel Kruidenier.

"A couple still have an open wound, but most of them have healed well," she said. "At least someone brought them in. It's always the animals that don't get brought in that I think about the most."

To help with the puppies' care, the shelter received more than $315 in cash donations and more than 200 pounds of food and supplies from Windsor's Cornerstone Baptist Church vacation Bible school students.

Kruidenier said her no-kill shelter -- which specializes in rescuing animals, boarding, grooming and training -- has received "gazillions" of phone calls about the all-black dogs, and she's preparing for a line of people when the puppies are available for adoption next week. The four males and two females will be adopted out in a lottery format. Kruidenier asks that anyone interested should show up at noon Wednesday at the shelter east of Windsor.

However, she stresses that being drawn in the lottery doesn't assure anyone of a dog.

"(Prospective owners) must have a fenced yard," she said. "(The dogs) cannot be put on a chain. They must be considered part of a family -- not an outside dog. And I need to know the (people's) previous history with animals."

What: Six Labrador-chow puppies are ready for adoption at the K-9 Bed and Biscuit animal shelter east of Windsor. The puppies are 9 weeks old, have received all available shots and are spayed or neutered.

Cost: $95

When: noon Wednesday

Location: 14253 Colo. 392, Greeley

Directions: Take Colo. 392 west out of Lucerne toward Windsor. The shelter is on the north side of Colo. 392, a few miles east of Windsor.

About the shelter: K-9 is supported completely by donations of food, supplies and money. The shelter has a no-kill policy and rescues as many animals as the shelter can support. Currently, 106 dogs, 20 cats, a couple of rabbits and a horse are available for adoption. The cost to adopt is $95 for dogs and $75 for cats.

Details: For information, call 352-5330.