Learning to be Loved It's hard to believe that these well-groomed dogs (and one cat!) with their designer collars and bows have not always lived pampered lives. But when Winnie was rescued, she did not know how to walk in a straight line because she had spent her entire life in a cage, where she could only hobble in circles. Pogo had to be taught how to use the stairs, because he had never lived in a home before. And Stewie had to learn how to stand on solid surfaces because his paws had never rested on anything but the bottom of a bare wire cage. Special Caretakers "We knew our babies had unique needs due to the special circumstances into which they were born," says Emilie Bottiggi, who adopted three of the rescued dogs. "We were seeing behaviors we had not seen before with our non-puppy mill dogs."
The adopters created an email group to stay in touch and share their successes. A year to the day after their "babies" were rescued, they gathered to celebrate the anniversary of their pets' freedom. It was the first and largest of several reunions that have taken place since the day of the raid. Remembering the Rescue It all began in January 2004, when more than 230 animals were removed from a puppy mill in Franklin, Tenn. The animals were mostly Maltese dogs, but there were also a few Yorkshire Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, West Highland Terriers, and 14 Ragdoll cats living in the terrible conditions. Like most such operations, the puppy mill owner advertised in dog fanciers' publications and on the Internet, posing as a small, responsible breeder. She had been operating for many years, and at one time she enjoyed a good reputation. But when authorities entered her home after receiving a tip about animal neglect, they found that behind the pretty photos on the owner's website lurked a completely different reality. Ugly Reality Inside the house, dirty and matted dogs cowered in small wire cages—three or four dogs to a cage. Their cages were lined up row after row and stacked on top of one another. Many of the dogs were ill, and some of them died shortly after the rescue. The dogs had lived in these cramped dirty cages all their lives.
Like most puppy mills, the breeder hid the cruel reality of her business behind closed doors. Her puppies were cleaned up and made presentable before being sold via classified ads and the Internet. But their mothers and fathers never had the chance to escape the brutal conditions into which they'd been born. Buyer Beware Even after her conviction for animal cruelty in 2005, the puppy mill owner violated the terms of her probation by continuing to breed and sell dogs. Healthcare workers who had been in her home to care for a relative testified that she was still selling puppies over the Internet. "This is just one example of why you should never buy a puppy over the Internet," says HSUS Director of Outreach, Stephanie Shain. "You should not buy a pet without personally visiting the home where he or she was born and raised." For more guidelines on how to purchase a dog without supporting puppy mills, visit www.puppybuyersguide.org. An even better option is to adopt a rescued pet and transform a life. The happy faces at the reunion alone can attest to the joy adoption can bring to both rescued and rescuers alike. To learn more about adoption, visit www.proud2adopt.org. | ||||||||||||||||
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Tuesday, September 18, 2007
