View more
unique individual who is now counting on you for help in overcoming that horrible experience. It takes a very special person to do this — and if you’re ready and willing to take on this challenge, it will be life-changing for both you and your new companion. So many of the people who have undertaken this journey before you have reported that it was the most rewarding thing they have ever done — and the odds are that it will be for you, too.
In the coming months, you will watch a dog who has been deprived of virtually every known pleasure begin to first explore, then enjoy, a life that offers her these pleasures. The words that adopters before you have used most often to describe their dog’s change include, “blossom,” “bloom” and “coming out of her shell.” You’re almost certain to be seeing your dog’s changes in the same light.
This guide provides you with some specific methods for helping your puppy mill survivor. It is meant to supplement our larger report entitled Understanding and Caring for Rescued Puppy Mill Dogs, which is a comprehensive summary of the findings of our study of over 1,100 breeding dogs who were rescued from lives in puppy mills and adopted into human households. In obtaining full psychological and behavioral profiles of them, we were able to gain a wealth of information about these incredible dogs.
Some basic facts:
Puppy mills. Puppy mills are puppy-making facto­ries. They are large-scale commercial dog-breeding operations where the happiness of the dogs is all but ignored in order to make a monetary profit from selling the puppies. To maximize profits, the dogs are housed in very small enclosures, live in unsanitary living quarters, are fed inferior-quality food, are denied decent medical care, and, most important, are severely deprived of positive human social contact.
Psychological functioning. Because puppy mill dogs are born and raised in an impoverished environment and endure severe stress throughout life, their psychological functioning is not like that of normally raised pet dogs. This shows itself in how they interact with people, their desire to make eye contact, their social skills with other dogs, their desire to play, their ability to focus attention and learn — in short, their ability to function like a typical dog.
Fortunately, the dogs have a remarkable capacity to recover from their psychological impairments. Many recover to the point where they appear to be completely rid of their psychological difficulties, others recover partially but not completely, and others are so severely troubled that they continue to struggle emotionally. Every puppy mill dog has a different capacity to adapt and recover, and we almost never know at the outset what this limit will be or when the dog will reach it. What this means is that adopters must accept up-front that the dog they are taking into their home may retain some psychological impairment throughout his or her life and may always be a special-needs companion. It is imperative that puppy mill dog adopters commit themselves to unconditional acceptance of what their dog is, what he becomes, and what his limita­tions may be.
Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of puppy mill dogs is often difficult and fraught with frustration. It may take weeks, months, or even years for the dogs to be free of their fears and other emotional struggles. For some, rehabilitation continues for the dog’s remaining lifetime. Just like the terminol­ogy used for alcoholism in people (i.e., those who overcome their troubles are referred to as “recov­ering alcoholics” rather than “former alcoholics”), some puppy mill dogs will always be “recovering puppy mill dogs.” And even with the finest human efforts, some of the dogs coming out of puppy mills are just too emotionally scarred to completely overcome the harm that befell them. But, as our studies have shown, the adopters who open their arms and hearts to these little survivors are all but assured an immensely rewarding experience.
Course of recovery. No two puppy mill dogs’ course of recovery is exactly the same. For some it is fast, but for most it is slow. It can be fast, and then slow, and then fast again. Steps forward are often interspersed with steps backward. Improve­ment can stop at some point, stay unchanged for a time, then start showing progress again.
All puppy mill dogs are affected by their puppy mill experience in their own way, and their needs for healing are very unique when they escape that life. Methods of rehabilitation will also vary in their effectiveness from dog to dog. Methods that are beneficial for one dog may be ineffective and even counterproductive in another. Rehabilitation can involve some trial and error until you see what works best for your dog.
Normal dog behavior. We know that there are many aspects of normal dog behavior that dogs who have spent their entire lives in puppy mills cannot be expected to show at first, among them:
Showing any control or discrimination over when and where they urinate and defecate Trusting humans Desiring petting or being picked up, held or hugged Playing with humans, other dogs or toys Understanding any cues Walking on a leashEight words to live by. These eight words will characterize your life with your puppy mill dog: patience, love, understanding, compassion, for­giveness, calmness, empathy and perseverance. Write them on a piece of paper and post it on your refrigerator so you will see it every day.
Learn more about puppy mills at bestfriends (The above was borrowed from bestfriends)
This is all the information we have currently.
Approved Applicants may make the adoption fee payment by clicking donate above. Partial adoption fees will not hold a dog. Dogs adopted with our rescue come with FREE training from #GoodPup to help you build strong bonds from the start! If upon meeting the dog of your choosing at your scheduled pickup time you find that you aren't a good match, your deposit will be fully refunded. Adoption fees include vaccines up until time of adoption, microchip, spay/neuter and 1st 30 days of free Pet insurance. We are not affiliated with Pet First pet insurance. (you have to sign up for the insurance or it will not go into effect). The dogs in our care are fostered in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. While all dogs are picked up during our scheduled times, sometimes transport dates change due to unforeseen circumstances. More questions? Read our FAQs here: 4p4l/faqs/