Rescued puppies on the mend in Nelson County

Smiley promptly brings Fonda Bell to her knees, thumping his front two paws on her thighs. As she drops to the ground he thrusts his tan-colored muzzle into her neck and within seconds his sisters have joined in, eager for their share of affection.

“They seem so very happy,” said Bell, their foster mom. “I hope they are.”

In March the puppies, along with six other dogs, were rescued from the Nelson County house owned by Robin and Bruce Pfeifer, where they had been living atop several inches of fecal matter. Animal control officers discovered dead dogs and bags of canine body parts at the home.

Robin Pfeifer was convicted in April on numerous charges of animal cruelty, improper care of a companion animal and failure to bury or cremate animal remains. Her husband, who has also been charged, has not been located.

The survivors were taken for medical care and then to Nelson County Animal Control, where they quickly began gaining weight.

Now four of the dogs have fresh grass beneath their paws, room to run and 10 different food bowls to choose from.

“I don’t think they’d ever seen daylight until animal control took them,” said Bell.

Bell, the morning officer manager for Almost Home Pet Adoption Center — run by the Humane Society/SPCA of Nelson County — welcomed the dogs to her Lovingston home for foster care this month. Her goal is to socialize them before they are adopted.

She has already assigned them new names, ones that match their emerging personalities — Smiley with his Cheshire Cat grin, and the sisters Laffy and Giggles, “all happy names because they came from such a sad place.”

Their shy mother, who still anxiously paces the yard as her pups tackle Bell, was named Hope.

“We named her Hope because we hope she gets a really good home,” said Bell.

In June the puppies will be eight months old and ready for adoption.

All four dogs, believed to be a mix of chow, German shepherd, Labrador and more, are physically healthy.

“They just need some time to trust somebody,” said Bell, who has fostered almost 300 dogs in the last four years.

Two other dogs, Dylan, a red lab mix, and Jake, an older dog found in the house were moved to Almost Home in May. Jake has three legs and is extremely friendly, according to animal control.

Over at Nelson County Animal Control, Sandy Solar, senior animal control officer, said the four adult dogs in their care are ready for new homes.

“They’ve come around, a long way,” said Solar. “These are nice dogs.”

Although the agency policy is to euthanize dogs after 10 days, none of these dogs will be euthanized.

“Being in a home will be the best thing for them,” Solar said.

One male, possibly the father of the three puppies, has a deformed ear and dislocated hip that will need surgery after adoption. The other male is very shy and has some mouth injuries.

Bell said there are lots of other ways to help these dogs other than adoption. Each has vet bills and needs more socialization. All eight dogs need spaying or neutering, shots, heartworm tests and physicals. People can sponsor a dog or foster one, as Bell does.

“Once the dogs realize that someone is going to feed them and love on them every day, I think they’ll be fine,” said Bell.