A new life for puppy-mill dogs

I was standing in the heat of a San Jose veterinary hospital parking lot on Memorial Day when the van pulled in. They'd been on the road for over 24 hours, transporting 49 dogs from Oklahoma to California.

One of the dogs, a small female golden retriever, trembled in the van, refusing to be tugged, pulled, cajoled or tempted out. She was finally carried out in the arms of one of the vets, who set her, shaking, on the ground.

"Hey, Sunshine," crooned Pat Lynch from Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue. "Don't worry, everything's going to be OK."

Seeing a golden retriever so scared of people that she shakes is sobering for anyone familiar with the breed's usually happy-go-lucky, ball-chasing, people-loving nature. But Sunshine had reason to be afraid: Until that day, she'd spent her entire life inside a wire cage, pumping out puppies for the puppy-mill trade.


http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/06/12/petscol.DTL

As a dog lover, I think it's a terrible problem, here on the east coast the Amish are known for running deplorable puppy mills. The dogs that come from these places are usually in really bad shape and take a while to get socialized. It's heartbreaking to see.

How sad this whole situation is. :(

Small Paws Rescue. It's heartbreaking to watch these dear little furballs when you first get them. They're afraid of EVERYTHING except other dogs. Some respond to kindness fairly quick and are fairly responsive to people in about 3-4 months, but I've had some that still have serious difficulty after 1 1/2 years.

I was talking to the rep. from the Dept. of Agriculture last week when she stopped by to do an inspection of my home for my license renewal. She said the people who operate these puppymills look at the dogs as livestock. They're there for one purpose only and that's to make $$. Once they can't do that anymore, they get rid of them...one way or another!

I foster Pomeranians rescued from puppy mills, and it's heartbreaking to see what is a generally social breed come to me afraid of everything, but most of all people.

My first hid under a desk the entire first day I had him. He had to have all of this teeth pulled (they were broken from trying to chew through his mill cage) and his feet were so crippled from a lifetime of standing in a wire cage he couldn't run. He wouldn't allow you to pet or even touch him. He was especially terrified of doors for some reason (they all have been, I have no idea why).

It took about six months but he finally started becoming socialized. When he started playing with the toys I bought him I knew he was coming around. That was a year and a half ago and I ended up adopting him because he had finally established trust and I hated to have to put him through doing that all over again with someone else. He's a great little pal and I get so goddamn angry over how he spent the first seven years of his life. These puppy millers should be jailed, period.

The rest of my mill rescues have been much the same - no teeth, lots of physical problems, afraid of their own shadows - but these dogs can be brought back to life, so to speak, and it's well worth the time and effort.

For taking the time to work with them. Do you work with a regular rescue group or is it a special group aimed at helping these dogs who have special needs?

One of the vet techs at a local animal hospital has made rescuing puppy mill dogs her passion. She goes to the dog auctions in Missouri and also 'encourages' mill owners to surrender older or sick dogs. She mainly rescues Pomeranians but any animal in need is on her radar. I'm one of many who takes her dogs in and fosters them for adoption.

It's a sad situation and a heartbreaking one. So many of these dogs are so damaged emotionally and I just can't imagine anyone treating an animal the way these dogs have been treated.

This is Gabby.
She was rescued from a mill in CO. She had 3 litters in 2 years.
Her vocal cords were cut out and she was exactly like the Retriever from the OP -- sacred of her own shadow, distrusting, no social or people skills, etc.

Still after 2 years of all the love you can give her -- she is still not like other dogs.

:cry:

Kinda sick the way some people make their money...

She needs special love and you can obviously give her that!

with patient, loving, understanding people who can nurture those dogs and give them happy lives.
:cry:

a puppy mill pup first...then burn in hell.

Many puppy mill owners are Amish.

Most unChristlike behavior and values.

understand that us buyers want a puppy that has people skills and is good with children. We bought a little guy this year who is socially dumb about most things in life. I think he would have ended in the pound if we had not bought him: a runt with bad teeth. It is not only the mothers that are getting a raw deal.

Those dogs were SO inbred... Casey's knee would pop out of joint and he would scream in pain until you popped it back in. He was also diabetic and had to have insulin shots. Maranatha had seizures, a back problem that required an 8,000 surgery, and a thing that made all his hair fall out. These weren't old dogs when these problems presented themselves. These were problems these dogs lived with for most of their lives.

Both of those dogs were SUFFERING.... after that I would never get a "purebred" puppy. Maybe a rescued adult, but not a purebred.

however we didn't know it at the time.

http://www.tropicokennels.com/

The lady took us through the whole sales pitch. Made us apply to purchase one of her dogs and the whole nine yards. We paid $1500 dollars for the most beautiful pup you have ever seen. Light blond and show quality, supposedly.

She gave us her pitch about how her puppies had been featured in tv commercials. (the puppies coming out of that SUV Lindsey Wagner used to pimp.) We felt like we were getting a quality dog.

The puppy was sweet of course as they all are. As the dog got older that "play-bitting" got a little out of control. We took him to a very expensive "obedience" trainer with no progress whatsoever.

Finally, we were packing the motor home for a trip and my husband and myself were outside. "Boomer" got a hold of a chicken carcase in the trashcan. My youngest son, who at the time was about 8, attempted to retrieve the chicken skeleton from his mouth. The 9 month old puppy attacked our son, biting him in the face several times. We heard our son screaming and ran inside.

The dog even scared me, during training I would pull on the leash as the instructor taught me. A few times the dog would look at me after this attempt and resist. It was like he was ready to attack me. I never felt comfortable with this dog when it started to get bigger.

Supposedly the dog came with a guarantee. After he attacked our son, he wanted nothing more to do with the dog. We contacted the breeder to exchange the dog for a new puppy because clearly this dog had become food aggressive. This is so out of nature for the Golden.

Anyway, the bitch, after visiting Sea World dropped by and picked up Boomer. Trusting her, we signed the papers back over to her with her promise of a new pup. She took the dog and NEVER gave us a new one as she had guaranteed and promised. We attempted for months to get her to replace the very expensive dog.

We are glad now that she didn't because we have a beautiful little toy breed Papillon that is the love of the world. We also have a stray mutt we adopted. So our dog life is full.

Anyway, we attribute the unGoldenlike behavior to over-breeding. I posted her link. Feel free to give her as much shit as you would like.

I am increasingly intolerant of friends and acquaintances who go out and "buy" puppies. There are so many dogs in shelters that are ALREADY alive, needing homes and love! Every one of my pets was someone else's "garbage" and have the best personalities you can imagine. They just weren't "purebred", or they didn't have the right coloring, or some other asinine reason. I get so tired of seeing people perpetuate this bullshit. Pets aren't cars or stereos or clothing. They are living beings with wants and needs and the desire to have food, shelter and care. A dog isn't going to love you more if he/she is purebred. Stop using living things as status symbols.

rescue organizations out there.

The first time, we bought from a breeder, but we actually visited her home and saw her facilities.

The second time, we wanted the same breed but went with the breed specific rescue.

Next time will be a pound dog.

I do that too. If we don't spread the word, then who will?!

I tell folks to NEVER EVER buy a pup at an mall pet store. If you must have a specific breed, either look for rescues or buy directly from breeders whose homes you visit...and insist on seeing the parent dog(s).

And report abuse.

I mean -- :wtf: ??

our neighbors raised Great Pyranees until the mills saturated the market. They were responsible breeders, making sure not to inbreed (they would actually send the females to breed with males out of state to have a better bloodline), and made the owners of less than show quality dogs sign a paper that they would have their puppy fixed (only after proof of that would they send them the papers). They were members of the GPA, and supported the breed rescue organization. How many mill owners would do any of these things?

My first 3 mini dachshunds were purchased from breeders over 10 years ago, before I was aware of the rescue groups. My 4th little weiner, Bandit, was adopted from Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue when he was 10 years old. I had just lost one of my 3 original dogs to kidney failure, and I had been giving sub-cute fluids and doing other procedures until I finally lost her. I decided that I wanted another pup with special needs, as I already had background in that. Bandit's only special need was that he was old! He was pretty set in his ways, but patiently trained us until we could appropriately respond to his many requests. He is the funniest little dog I have ever known, and I can't understand why someone would turn him in to a shelter when he was 10, but I am very happy that they did.

I am not sure why people don't go to Rescue first to get their dogs. If more people did then the puppy mills would have a lot less business. Those people make me sick.

:puke: :mad: :puke: :mad:

'because they're too old'....how someone can give away a dog that they've raised from puppyhood because 'it's too old' is beyond me. One can only hope that no one discards THEM when THEY are 'too old'. Or people will say, "I wanted my kids to see the miracle of birth' and then they dump the mama,or puppies or all.

We have two rescued yorkies, big 'uns, and i am almost positive the one was born in a puppy mill.

yep, these people make me sick, too.

what a great story! Thank you. :)



Pat Lynch from Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue and Sunshine, a 3-year-old golden retriever rescued from a puppy mill. Sunshine is being fostered and readied for adoption. Lynch says the group has rehabilitated and rehomed many puppy-mill goldens. Universal Press Syndicate photo by Morgan Ong

:loveya:

A few weeks ago at my vet's office, a woman and a boy came out of the exam room more or less dragging a very large youngish dog that looked terrified. The boy was crying. After they left, the tech told me that the family had bought the dog--a mastiff--from a "breeder" three days before and that they were going to return her because she was utterly unsocialized and also had some kind of a terrible dental deformity. I felt so bad for that poor dog.

rescuing these animals at auction only perpetuates the problem. What else can you do, though, let them go back to be bred to death, euthanased?

Suddenly ALF doesn't look like such a bad organization, do they?

Thank goodness for people like Pat and the DUers who posted below about fostering/adopting these poor victims of greed. I look forward to the day when there are no more puppy mills.

I'm also involved with a rescue group (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ392.html) and we sometimes get unsocialized dogs from breeders. I have a lot of respect for the people who foster them. My contributions are mostly in the fundraising and transporting areas.

Our two current dogs are getting up in years and my girlfriend swears she's not a dog person but I see how she is with them, a big softy.

So anyway, I'm trying to sell her on the idea of only adopting the oldest dog from the shelter when our current pals pass on to their grand reward.

She confessed it would break her heart if the dog would pass away after only a few years. But I countered with, "we will be giving the last few years of it's life a loving home instead of being put to death in a cold cell" (a little exaggeration never hurts to win and argument lol)

I still have a few years with my dogs so that still gives me time to softer her up some more. :)

Adopt older dogs, they are usually better behaved and seem to really appreciate the new lease on life.

Only mutts and runts for me thanks. :)

I lost my little weiner girl Judy when she was just 4. We got Judy as a 5-month old. When Judy passed and we adopted 10-year old Bandit my kids were kinda pissed because they thought we would not have him very long before he died. Well, that was 6 years ago and he is still going strong. Pretty blind and mostly deaf, but the nose is still working well! And he is a hoot.

They are truly wonderful human beings and to show my deepest appreciation, I just made a donation to Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue.

Thank you for posting this. I'm pretty well-educated about animal issues and I'd never heard about this internet problem! I knew about puppy mills, but didn't realize the problem was this extensive.

starved, tortured, they hung dead cats in front of them to keep them hungry so they could teach some of them to hunt. I hope the guy that owned it is dropping the soap in the prision shower right now if you know what I mean. She's the best though. My Katie Girl.

I am owned by a Golden Retriever and you are right about the breed...they have never met a stranger. My boy is a perfect example of that even at 11 1/2 years of age.

I'm not a violent person, but the people who perpetrate these horrors need to have the same kind of treatment visited on them.

we're a foster family for over 10 years now...

Have a beautiful girl "Cookie" who'e our "permanent" foster - along with our "Sherman" and "Polo" - we get the older ones because everyone want's a young one or a puppy - they're all so precious - even if sometimes we have them for only a few months or s few years before their time is up.

It's heartbreaking each time - but we go right out and do it again in a hearbeat because so many homes are needed.

Each year, our local Vegas organization rescues twice the previous year's number...

I can't go into a pound - walked away with a beautiful elder pitbull - "Lady" - that was on her "last day" - she passed away 6 months later in her sleep one day - she got all fit and trim and was the nicest dog we ever had the priviledge of sharing our lives with.

I think they should outlaw ALL mills until there are NO dogs/cats in a shelter. Period. Or tax them heavily to help support NO KILL shelters...

My dog I have now is a pound pup and my last two I had before him were stray hounds that found me.

Thank goodness for folks like Napi, Neecy, Mr.Prax and others here at DU for helping these less fortunate dogs.

search on 'puppy mill auction' and you'll find several.