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The head of a cats-only household for several years, dad Stefan Flaim yearned for a German Shepherd, the kind he grew up with.
“I’ve tried to remake every cat we’ve owned into a dog,” he said.
Bergen County SPCA investigators in May found more than 40 pure-bred, full-sized dogs and puppies jammed into the Ridgefield Park Animal Hospital on Main Street (SEE: Bergen County SPCA rescues German Shepherds).
“Some of the crates were so small, the dogs were unable to stand up,” Investigator Evan Kutzin told CLIFFVIEW PILOT the night of the raid. “One crate big enough for only one had three full-sized dogs inside.”
In the basement, SPCA workers found a crate containing two full-sized dogs and another with a full-sized dog and six puppies. More crates were found in the gated backyard of the Main Street facility, along with three dogs running loose.
The dogs ranged in age from 5 weeks to seven years old. Most were under 2. Half were under 6 months.
This past Tuesday, veterinary tech Edison Davalos pleaded guilty in Hackensack to animal cruelty. He was fined $5,500 and ordered to provide 40 hours of community service (SEE: Animal tech admits neglecting dogs at Ridgefield Park animal hospital).
Owner Paul Kim — who wasn’t charged – agreed in May to sign over more than two dozen dogs to the SPCA, which took them to the Bergen County Animal Shelter & Adoption Center in Teterboro.
STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter
They knew it was a long shot, but the Flaims got on a list, along with hundreds of others.
“It just felt like the right time to get a dog,” said Bernadette Flaim, who is a borough councilwoman.
On Mother’s Day, the Flaims visited the shelter. They’d gotten a good feeling on a previous trip to donate blankets and towels, because the facility was “beautifully maintained,” Bernadette Flaim said.
Although the shepherds weren’t ready for viewing, the family got a call the next weekend.
“We think we have the perfect dog for you.” they were told.
Willa was more than a year old and had lived in a cage her entire life. Her legs were very weak.
But that face….
“It was sad. She was frenetic because she had no idea how to behave outside of a cage,” Bernadette Flaim said. “But she had the most soulful face — as if she was wise beyond her years.”
All the men — Stefan, sons Thomas and Will and brother Tom Rude of Fort Lee — “fell in love with her,” she said.
“She wasn’t housebroken, but she was smart,” Bernadette Flaim said. “She didn’t know how to walk on a leash or respond to any commands.
“But we got her trained in three days.
“She didn’t answer to her name, either, but that was OK, because we wanted to name her ourselves.”
So far, living in Leonia is working out just fine for Elsie Rose.
STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter
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