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Oct. 26, 2007:
I added more pictures and started updating the other
sections.
Sept. 28, 2007:
I added a few pictures
but, most of them, are not linked to the larger
images. You can also find old news stories in the
news
section.
Sept. 12, 2007:
Still working on the site but be sure
to click on Mig and Pig's face up there if you want
to know more about them. The bio's aren't finished,
but it gives you an idea of who they are. Until
I get more of the site completed, here's a cute
news story. I also made a DeviantART
account and a button for the website.
About the site:
Mig and Pig: Mignonne is a Maltese and
Piglet is a Chihuahua. Even though they're not related,
they act like a sister and brother. |
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September 14, 2007; Added
to the site on Oct 26, 2007
Pooches and their parents reunite on the one-year
anniversary of a puppy mill raid. Bright-eyed, clean
and groomed, dozens of pampered dogs gathered with
their proud parents one chilly afternoon. At first
glance it looks like the group might be members
a Maltese club or participants in a dog show. But
this gathering is actually a reunion—the one-year
anniversary of the dogs' rescue from a cramped and
squalid puppy mill in Tennessee.
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.
Story ripped from the HSUS website, here.
Go
to past News Stories... |
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