The news media isn’t known for being positive and uplifting. I think of what it would be like to have the news tell only “good” stories or stories that didn’t appear to bring anything good, but ultimately did. Beyond or within every disaster, we hear amazing stories of strength, hope, and the willingness to help others.
It’s a great feeling, an honor, and our duty to help someone (animal or human) who can’t help themselves. Thank you Humane Society and all those who contribute for making 2008 so memorable! Here’s a wonderful video of the lives that were saved and changed forever through the work of the Humane Society.
Here is an excerpt from a great article on the recent closing of Puppy Mills in West Virginia.
“More than 1,000 puppies have a new lease on life following their discovery Saturday in a large puppy mill breeding facility tucked away in the backwoods of West Virginia, just outside of city of Parkersburg.”
This little Yorkie was given up to a local shelter. She’s not special because she’s a desirable mini-dog - she’s special because she was used only to breed. It’s not clear how many litters she’s had or how she was treated.
She is (was) terribly afraid of human touch; especially if you were to reach for her before she was ready to approach. It’s not likely that someone will adopt her with this behavior quirk. So, I brought her home.
Once home, I noticed that she sounded like her bark was filtered. She’s been debarked. Then, there’s her teeth. She soon trusted me enough to let me take a look in her mouth. I quickly saw that she only has four teeth in the front. No wonder her tiny tongue sticks out. There’s nothing to hold it back. This is a relatively young dog so it’s not an age issue. It’s an abuse and neglect issue.
I realized that this little girl doesn’t need me to feel sad or sorry for her. She needs love and dog rehabilitation. Within 12 hours of bringing her home, I was able to put a harness and leash on her. I could pick her up, walk her on the leash, clean her face, look in her mouth, and check her ears without her recoiling.
Never underestimate the power of the Spirit, be it Human or Canine. And, the two of us together can be an amazing combination!
She will be “fine.” It’s good that we can’t sit and talk about her past. We might get stuck. Dogs don’t stay stuck in their stuff unless we do. They live in the moment and deal with what that brings. I’m learning a lot from the shelter dogs.
I recommend it - if you can put your thoughts aside of how horrible it is, you might experience the love of a little girl like Melody.
PUPPY MILLS ARE A TRAGEDY! It’s beyond horrible that these places exist at all. Thanks to Oprah and Lisa Ling for the investigative report exposing these farms, thousands are aware. Now, we can’t act like we don’t know that they exist. TODAY.
The ONLY way for this to stop is for us to NEVER buy a puppy from a store or a pet shop. Reputable breeders would not let their dogs be sold by someone else. They care about their dogs and the homes that they go to.
When buying a dog, don’t be embarrassed to ask a lot of questions. If the seller loves their dog, they will welcome your inquiries. You owe it to the dog and yourself.
It’s challenging not to justify buying this adorable, sweet, innocent puppy from the store because we know that it’s most likely from a puppy mill and we are going to “save” it. We may save one, but there are hundreds of other dogs that will suffer and die needlessly so we can “save” one.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that not only may their new $1500 “rescued” puppy be ill and traumatized, chances are housebreaking may be more than a challenge. These dogs pee and poop where they stand. It’s like putting them in jail without a bathroom. They have no choice. We have a choice. . .
The stores need to suffer the financial consequence of no one buying their pups and then the breeders will be put out of business.
And, if by some magical six degrees of separation this note gets to Lisa Ling, there are a couple of stores where I live that are almost guaranteed to be selling LOTS of puppy mill pups. Thanks to everyone who works to shut down the mills.
