Tiffany Allen and Cicely Everett walked out of Atlanta Humane Society headquarters Tuesday afternoon with bright smiles.

In their arms were Chita and Shasta, two thin and frail Yorkshire terriers, shaking nervously in the midday sun.

Allen Sullivan/aesullivan@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The Atlanta Humane Society agreed to help find homes for more than 100 puppies removed from a 'puppy mill' in Lyles, Tenn.

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"It's OK, darling," Allen whispered into Chita's ear.

Chita was one of 129 dogs at the nonprofit center that were rescued from a Tennessee puppy mill where hundreds were abused until last week.

Many of the 129 dogs rescued were purebred Yorkshires, a favorite among those living in apartments or condos, and they easily sell for $800 in metro Atlanta. However, they were going for the same price as every other dog at the humane society: $200.

The offer attracted hundreds looking to strike a sweet deal for a good deed, but many left unhappy and empty-handed.

Allen and Everett were the lucky ones. More than 200 people were waiting in line before 9 a.m. when the animal center opened Tuesday, hoping to take home the few rescued puppies that were ready for adoption. Some still had to be vaccinated, spayed, neutered or given a microchip implant before they could be sent to a new home. Each person was allowed to buy up to two puppies at a time.

A swelling crowd of potential puppy proprietors waited anxiously in a line that wrapped around the center on Howell Mill Road, counting down the minutes to 11 a.m. when the facility opened for adoption.

By the time the center's doors opened, a fight had broken out over who was first in line, and some near the front of the line even resorted to puppy scalping -- selling dogs to those farther back in line for an extra $100.

One puppy scalper was caught and denied adoption rights by the center's officials.

An hour later, the first 47 pups were spoken for. Faced with more than 200 angry people left empty-handed, the center's officials called Atlanta police to help with crowd control and traffic at the facility, Atlanta police Sgt. D. Hall said.

Those who left without dogs were later given numbered tickets good for the remaining 82 dogs that will be offered Wednesday and Thursday.

Earlier that day, Atlanta Humane Society president Carl Leveridge paced the building and talked to staff to be sure the agency was prepared to accept requests for each and every Yorkshire terrier, poodle and Chihuahua in the building.

"I expected a lot but not this overwhelming line of people," Leveridge said.

Leveridge was happy that momentum from the puppy adoptions carried over to the other 250 dogs and cats at the shelter; by mid-afternoon, 45 of the non-purebreds had been adopted.

"We knew we'd get the little fluffies [from Tennessee] adopted, but we were hoping some of the momentum would be carried over to the mixed breeds," he said.

Leveridge expects lines, albeit shorter ones, Wednesday as well.

And more police, too.