As my dad, Ken, carried his new addition in his arms up the flights of stairs to his attic office, the little creature was shaking, her big brown eyes wide with fear, her nails digging into the back of his neck. She had never experienced anything like this before: she was being lovingly held by a human. Finally, my dad felt her shaking subside and hoped Roxie realized that she was now safe. But it became quite clear when my dad felt the warmth down his chest, Roxie was relieving her stress in the most basic way. He couldn’t help but laugh.
A Girl’s Best Friend
Abby Brown
2 months earlier: The ad in the local paper read, Roxie, a Brussels Griffon, 6-years-old, a sweet puppy mill mama looking for a loving home.
Roxie had lived in a puppy mill cage since birth, had a countless number of litters, and the end of her ”useless” life was just around the corner, because the mill was done with her. Roxie’s dire future was changed drastically when an animal protection representative broke into the mill and brought Roxie into the world of people who love animals and protect them from harm.
You may know the feeling. Do you have a companion in your life that always makes you smile? Never fails to make you feel like the most important person in the world? That’s right, I’m talking about our four-legged friends that wait at home all day just to see our smiles and feel our touch.
However, some animals in the world aren’t as lucky as yours may be. They don’t have a house to roam in or a bowl of food to call their own. They live in cages, being bred again and again as soon as they have birthed their litter. These dogs live a mean existence, and have no chance of ever finding someone to simply love them for who they are.
Sadly, puppy mills exist all over America. Puppy mill mamas usually breed from 20-25 litters from ages 2-6. When their bodies are no longer capable of producing puppies, most puppy mills either abandon them or kill them in a rather violent way.
Some puppy mills will have the dogs’ vocal chords taken out so that people in close proximity can’t hear the dog’s cries and barks. Many of these unfortunate dogs loose their feet and legs when they get caught in the wire of their cages.
To maximize their profit, puppy mills often have no heat or air-conditioning, which makes for intolerable conditions both summer and winter for these poor creatures. The dogs have little or no veterinary care and are fed unhealthy food that makes their teeth rot. Shockingly, some puppy mills are said to even make their dog food from the dust on the floor.
Thankfully, there are caring people who fight against the cruelties of these puppy mills. There are even courageous volunteers from animal shelters who bravely go undercover to infiltrate puppy mills and expose their illegal practices. They even go so far as to breaking into the mills and rescuing animals caught in these horrendous breeding grounds. Roxie, the Brussels Griffon, was actually rescued with this method.
Right here in Vermont, we have TARPS, The Animal Rescue and Protection Society in Chester and RCHS (Rutland County Humane Society), which are non-profit organizations, dedicated to the welfare of animals. Their goal is to rescue needy animals and deal with animal cruelty reports and illegal breeding facilities. They both fight to pass animal rights laws and advocate the neutering of animals.
Both organizations fight to bring down the puppy mills and are actively involved in creating and maintaining a caring, healthy and happy world for all of our canine and feline friends.
If you need help, advice, or you want to have your pet neutered, bring them to TARPS or RCHS and they will provide all that you need. You can visit either of their sites at http://members.petfinder.org/~VT15/index.php or http://rchsvt.org/ for more information.
There is an obvious difference between a dog breeder and a puppy mill. In most cases, profit-driven puppy mills may not be illegal, but how they care for and treat these helpless animals is illegal. On the other hand, breeders treat their dogs with love and care, and a profit is not the only thing on their minds.
How do you know if your pet is from a mill or a breeder? If you are buying a dog from a pet store, don’t hesitate to ask the store where they buy their dogs. Ask for an address and the name of the breeder, and send it to TARPS or the RCHS who will investigate it further.
P.S. By the way, Roxie is now doing really well. She has had to learn how to climb stairs, be held in a human’s arms, walk on grass and a hardwood floor, and be treated with respect and love. Her best day was seeing snow for the first time!
