DUI Lawyers in Blairstown, NJ

Over the past four months, three local animal rescues have been working together to rescue 16 dogs from a retiring breeder in Blairstown. Over the last week, the breeder released the remaining nine dogs, marking the end of a "decade of breeding horrors."

A group of rescuers from the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. (RBARI), Second Chance Pet Adoption League, and A Pathway to Hope have been steadfastly working to take in the "designer" dogs. The rescuers were not permitted inside of the barn that the dogs called home, but as each one emerged, they were "trembling and terrified," according to RBARI.

The first seven dogs that were rescued from Blairstown have all been adopted with the exception of one that is still being fostered, according to RBARI. Most of them are very shy but they have become attached to their families.

The final nine rescues consisted of four miniature labradoodles and five smaller dogs, all of which have only ever known a life of being farmed and suffering.

Upon their rescue, each dog underwent medical exams. Most of them have heart murmurs and luxating patellas which are all congenital conditions that were likely passed onto the puppies that were sold. Many of them also have ear infections, rotting teeth, and are filled with parasites to the point that they are anemic.

"This is the reality behind the cute doodles you see everywhere," said Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge. "These are the parents, the abused, the neglected and discarded."

Prior to this larger-scale rescue, an independent rescuer had been taking in the rejected dogs for over 10 years. She reached out when their medical care and placement became too overwhelming.

The remaining nine dogs are all suffering from various issues but are receiving the necessary medical care and warming up to life in the outside world. They will eventually be available for adoption.

The story of Cindy, a 7-year-old doodle, is perhaps the epitome of what all of these dogs have gone through.

Two months ago, Cindy was on the list to be rescued until the breeder decided that she may be pregnant and wanted to profit off of her puppies, therefore not releasing her to the rescuers. Upon her recent rescue, Cindy was hospitalized and stabilized with fluids and antibiotics. She had to undergo urgent surgery and, in addition to mammary tumors, is suffering from rotting teeth, ear infections, a cough, a heart murmur, parasites, and anemia. Both ovaries were covered in cysts.

Thankfully, following surgery she is bright, comfortable and eating. She is being spoiled as she recovers in preparation for her next surgery which will consist of dental work and the removal of multiple mammary tumors.

The other dogs that were recently rescued include:

"Though their stories will break your heart, we promise to put it back together with updates and happy tails over coming weeks," said Megan Brinster, executive director of RBARI. "Until there are none, rescue one!"

If you are interested in contributing to the dogs' care, donations can be made through the RBARI medical fund at rbari.org/donate/rbari-medical-fund.html.

"Rescue, rescue, rescue! The best thing people can do is to adopt through their local shelter or rescue, and if they are looking for a dog they can't find locally, there are also rescues that will place dogs long distance," said Amy Hofer of RBARI. "Yes, a breeder will hand you a dog with few questions asked, but the same care they take in placement is the same care they provide the dogs. Rescues have to ensure that their dogs are going to a [good] home, so the process is more involved."

If you are interested in adopting one of the doodle rescues, you can submit a general doodle application at rbari.org/doodleapp.

Keep an eye on the RBARI Facebook page for continued updates about the rescued doodles.

BLAIRSTOWN - The Paulina Dam has been notched as plans move forward to remove the structure from the Paulins Kill to restore the original watercourse, reopen migration routes for native fish and improve water quality.

The 40-mile long Paulins Kill - third largest New Jersey tributary into the Delaware River - begins on a hillside on the Newton-Stillwater border, wanders through the town, into the Hyper Humas area of Hampton before north through Lafayette then turning west through Stillwater and then into northern Warren County.

The work is a project of the Nature Conservancy which removed the Columbia Dam in Knowlton in 2019. The Paulina Dam removal project is funded at just under $5 million and opens up another 7.6 miles of mainstream and tributary habitat.

In the years since the Columbia Dam was taken down, biologists have said species of fish, such as eels and shad, which use the Delaware's tributaries for breeding and nurseries, have returned to upstream areas.

With this removal, there is only one other small dam upstream before the Paulins Kill Lake dam in Stillwater.

The company doing the demolition built a small-stone "roadway" from the west bank for a large power shovel to get to the downstream side of the dam from where the removal will be done.

The Paulina Dam's removal is being done in stages to allow the river level to gradually recede into its original streambed without a rush of silt downstream. The work also included building a small outflow area to slow down water rushing through the "notch" which will be gradually widened.

The dam was built in the late 1800s with waterwheels or turbines to power mills. A corner foundation wall of one of the mills remains on the east side of the dam.

As the water recedes, land will be exposed which the demolition crew will seed for ground cover and plant small trees before the ground freezes this winter.

During a presentation to the Blairstown Township Committee earlier this month, Beth Styler Barry, TNC's Director of Freshwater Program in New Jersey, said the river will likely be flowing over a stone and gravel bed when the dam is fully removed, similar to how the river flows in other undammed stretches.

According to on-site crew members, demolition has revealed that the dam was built with large timbers held together with wood pins to form a "crib" structure. That was then filled with large boulders and smaller stones and then finished with a concrete coating.

The resulting dam is 12 feet high and 230 feet across.

Only that main wood/stone/concrete structure will be removed. Plans are for the earthen wall on the west side of the river to remain with steps leading down to the new shoreline.

In addition to the removal of the Columbia Dam, TNC is also working on a project to restore the river in the Hyper Humas area within the Paulins Kill River Wildlife Management Area in Hampton.

Hyper Humas was a natural peat area which was mined for that resource last century, leaving the peat bog with channels. The bog is being restored. There is already a bike trail through part of the area following an old rail line and other hiking trails are also being developed.

Newton has received a grant to build a boardwalk from Memorial Park to connect with the existing bike trail.