Brought Lucy to the groomer at lunch. We sure hit the jackpot with her (the groomer.) She's so awesome! I love talking to her! (And Lucy & Emmy were CRAZY!! They love each other!) Anyway, she's part of an animal rescue & last night she found 5 rescue wheaten puppies in Florida. She was planning a trip to FLA for the 4 of us (her & her hubby & Jim & I) - she contacted the rescue & they won't adopt out of state! What the heck??? I'm sure they will find great homes, but who could call these pups "worthless"??? Here's the story if anyone is in Florida & interested!!
Current situation: Tuesday night, 10:32 pm - after an 11 hour day, I can finally sit down, for just a few minutes, and try and unscramble the massive ball of mixed emotions in my head and heart. I just came inside after hosing out filthy travel carriers, the remnants of today's puppy mill intakes. Due to weather, our transport was delayed, and the pups arrived scared, filthy, and exhausted. Today's van full was five wheaten puppies and a goldendoodle puppy. All 5 months old, all as we were told, and I quote "like awkward teenagers, too young to breed and too old to be small, cute and fluffy for the pet stores, so they're basically worthless". Words like that weigh on my soul, especially when I look in their eyes, and know, that statement is categorically incorrect. Their lives have value, purpose, meaning. Their hearts have love they are wanting, hoping, waiting to give, yet too afraid, too unsure. The late arrival meant a phone call to Dr. M, asking for an after-hours favor, to get the pups checked, vaccinated and settled for the night. They are coming to us with nothing - no vaccine history, just a transport certificate with a birthday, some "AKC papers" that truly aren't worth the paper they are printed on, and a tag around their necks with a number, so getting vaccines on board as soon as we can is of utmost importance, and then we wait, for the next 15 days through quarantine, hoping that they don't break with anything, repeated exams, repeated fecals, a heart stop at the slightest sneeze - all while we try and mask our nerves so that the pups only absorb the positive energy - the love, the kindness, the positivity. These pups need us because there are humans out there who just don't get it - stop buying puppies at puppy stores ~ your "demand" for instant, cute, gratification creates a "demand" that the mills will keep fulfilling to keep padding their bank accounts and until people do get it, there will be many more late nights just like this, spent showing the "worthless" pups that they are worth it. Tonight these six are safe, warm, and on a solid surface for the first time in their lives. Please, please consider visiting
www.floridalittledogrescue.com - any of the donation links will work, if you can lend a helping paw towards their medical care. Every donation matters, and helps. Tobin, one of the pups, after being examined, vaccinated, given dewormer and other meds just sat at Dr. M's feet for a minute. He then looked up, wagged his tail, and put his paw up on Dr. M's leg, as if to say "thank you", and all I could think was how I wished he could understand how much I wanted to think him, for being willing to take a chance on humans again, to give some of us the chance to get it right. Tobin, we will get it right for you, I promise. -Laurie
Footnote: No, we won't discuss adoption on any of the pups until they have passed quarantine in 15 days, and are fully medically cleared and vetted after that, usually about 30-45 days. We have previously had puppy mill pups break with parvo, k9 flu, get pneumonia - and we can barely handle our own hearts breaking with that, much less having to break a prospective adopter's heart - so it would be irresponsible of us to discuss. If the pups clear medical and are adoptable, they will be on the adoptable dogs page of our website, and we will only accept applications at that time