NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A local couple was shocked to learn that their puppy came from what the Humane Society called a puppy mill.

Video: Poodle Is Product Of Suspected Puppy Mill, Couple Says

Hundreds of dogs that were rescued from a farm in Hickman County are being distributed to Humane Society shelters throughout the southeast, but at least one found its way to a Clarksville couple before a rescue effort by officials and volunteers last week.

The dogs will eventually be put up for adoption once they have been cleared.

Melissa Davis said she and her husband bought their 6-month-old toy poodle Chloe from the farm in February. She said they should have seen the warning signs.

She said they were surprised that Chloe’s life began in poor conditions.

"My heart just went to my stomach. Chloe was sitting right there. I just looked at her and said, 'You came from a puppy mill.' I was devastated," she said.

Davis said she thought she had done her homework.

"We tried to do everything that we knew to do that that we researched to not purchase from a puppy mill," she said.

Davis said she answered an ad placed in a paper by the farm’s owner Patricia Adkisson. Davis said there were warning signs but that Adkisson smooth-talked her way around them.

"We totally feel fooled. I mean, she had us snowed -- basically lied to," she said.

Adkisson runs Pine Bluff Kennels. She has previous arrests and charges related to animal cruelty.

Davis said Adkisson not wanting them to come to the farm to pick up Chloe should have sounded a warning bell.

"So we asked for directions and she said, 'Well, I live pretty far out on a farm. It's probably just best if we meet off the exit, because I live a little ways out -- so this is really close for both of us.' I mean, that was our big mistake, but we just decided to go ahead and do it," Davis said.

Soon after the Davises brought Chloe home, she developed health problems including kennel cough, which is a common malady to dogs that are kept in tight environments, Davis said.

Davis added that a more lingering problem surfaced.

"She also had another intestinal problem called giradia. She had that forever. We went through three sets of medication. It was really bad," Davis said.

Davis said that looking back now she believes she saved Chloe from enduring what the Humane Society called “inhumane conditions.”

"It just makes me so sick to see those pictures of those dogs," Davis said.

There are warning signs residents should be aware of to help steer clear of puppy mills. Buyers should be wary of breeders who ask what kind of dog you want then says that they have that kind of dog available. Buyers should also interview the breeder first. If they shy away from any of questions, there’s more than likely a problem they don’t want to talk about.

No charges have been filed in the case of the rescue at Adkisson’s farm in Hickman County. More than 700 animals were rescued from the farm.

Adkisson was charged in 1998 with 195 counts of animal neglect and cruelty after police and animal officials said they found hundreds of malnourished dogs and puppies on her property.

Three convictions stemming from the 1998 charges were overturned in 2001 when an appeals court found that police had improperly searched her property, which violated her constitutional rights.