Why You Should Care About Puppy Mills

 If you are an animal lover…..

 Inhumane treatment of dogs.

• Female dogs are bred every heat cycle (twice per year).  Usually bred until they are 7-9 years old.  Average 6-8 puppies per litter.  That’s 84-144 puppies PER DOG.  ON AVERAGE!  Many dogs can have up to 12 puppies per litter!
• Sanitary issues – contaminated water, build up of feces and hair

Imagine living on your bed – having to eat, sleep, play, and go to the bathroom on your bed and never getting to leave.

• Lack of social interaction with both other dogs and people.  Dogs are social pack animals.  Fear of people, noises and normal day to day interactions.
• Physical abuse and neglect.
• Physical ailments and health issues that are not attended to.
• Using no anesthesia, breeders will debark, dock ears and tails and perform c-sections.
• After dogs are no longer useful, they are abandoned, shot or drowned.  The lucky ones get turned over to rescues.

 In 2008, Two eastern Pennsylvania kennel operators shot 80 dogs after wardens ordered some of the animals examined by veterinarians.   Wardens had ordered 39 dogs checked for flea and fly bites. They also issued citations for extreme heat, insufficient bedding and floors dogs’ feet could fall through.   The kennel owner stated he feared the state was trying to close his kennel, and said a veterinarian recommended destroying the dogs. “They were old, and we were hearing that they don’t want kennels anymore,” he said. “The best thing to do was get rid of them.”

 Commercial breeders and pet stores do not care about quality of the puppy.  Instead, their concern is financial gain and product sales.

• Purchasing a puppy from a pet store supports puppy mills by adding to their bank accounts!
• You are not “rescuing” a puppy mill dog if you purchase a puppy at a pet store.
• Purchasing any products from pet stores which sell puppies also supports puppy mills.

 A study from doctors at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the top veterinary medicine and research institutions in the world, shows that 83% of breeder dogs from commercial kennels suffer from behavior problems as opposed to 54% of “normal” dogs.

 Health issues. 

• Puppies get sick from being transported and exposed to all kinds of other puppies and dogs.  They also get sick from living in filthy conditions and improper health care.  Parasites, worms, parvo, distemper, and respiratory diseases are all common in puppies from puppy mills.
• They can develop health issues later in life, not seen as a puppy.  Hip dysplasia, allergies, bone diseases, cancer…  Poor quality breeding increases the likelihood of health problems.

 Expense to owner.

• Commercial kennels and pet stores usually do not cover the cost of vaccines, spay or neuter or perform certified health checks on the breeder dogs used to produce the puppies they sell.  A puppy at a pet store can cost anywhere from $500-$1500.  Consider the cost when the owner must pay this fee as well as all the additional costs of vet care (spay/neuter, vaccines, training classes, etc.). 

 

If you are an average member of society…..

 Your tax dollars!

• This is your tax money used for kennel inspections, re-inspections & court costs for trying animal neglect and abuse cases.

Behavior issues of other people’s dogs could affect you and your family.

• Puppies from puppy mills, because of the lack of proper social skills, can suffer from behavior issues that could affect you, your children or grandchildren.  Dogs who are fearful of people have potential to bite if put in a fight or flight situation.

A Ball for Biscuit… or two or three!

The first thing people say when they meet Biscuit is… “what a big girl!”  At 98 pounds, someone must have given her a bit too many, uh, biscuits. 

Big Beautiful Biscuit!

Five year old Biscuit came from a farm and had a few litters of puppies. Other than that, we don’t know much about her history.   At DVGRR, she participates in Project Home Life although she does not show the classic fearful behaviors of many breeder dogs or dogs from puppy mills.  In fact, she already knows how to “sit”, “lay down”, and most importantly – she LOVES to fetch a ball!  She brings it back and will drop it when we ask.  What a great dog!  So we don’t think it will take long for Biscuit to drop a few pounds running after all those tennis balls!

Taken by a volunteer in our Project Home Life apartment, Biscuit is enjoying the company of THREE tennis balls!BisBiscuit with one of our fantastic PHL volunteers!

Meet Maxine!

 

Maxine! Cuddly & sweet with a twinkle in her eye!

Meet Maxine!  A 5 to 6 year old Golden Retriever with a twinkle in her eye, Maxine came from a farm breeder who gave her up to keep his kennel under 60 dogs so he would not need to pay more for the next bracket of  commercial kennel licensing.  She had trouble giving birth to her last litter and therefore needed to have a C-section, so the breeder had her spayed.  He was going to keep her as a farm dog, however after acquiring more dogs to breed, he decided to give her away.

Maxine is an easy going girl, but also very playful with other dogs.

Maxine will flinch at times if we reach over her head to pet her, but besides this she shows great social skills with people!  She approaches people with no hesitation, eats treats (especially meatballs!) from our hands and sits next to us while we pet or brush her.  Her tail is always wagging!  She likes to play with other dogs and wiggles excitedly when she sees them!  She likes to be the center of attention and will gently push her way into the spotlight

Maxine started Project Home Life just a few days after arrival at DVGRR.  Our volunteers note that she likes to carry soft toys around in her mouth.  She doesn’t mind the TV and curiously noticed when a dog barked in the DVD video.  In our PHL apartment, we have two “fake” life-sized dogs – one a Golden Retriever and one a Cocker Spaniel.  When Maxine first “met” them, she licked their faces and gently put her mouth around their snouts.  Little did we realize she would also begin to show this odd behavior with the real dogs in her play group!  Some of them give her a look like, “What are you doing???” and others see it as an invitation to play. 

Up for adoption soon at DVGRR! www.dvgrr.org

At first, Maxine would chase a tennis ball but not pick it up.  Now, after only a few tries, she has learned how to carry the ball around in her mouth.  Our volunteers are teaching her to “sit” and lay “down”.  Our staff describe her as sweet, easy going, playful, cuddly and a funny character.  Another said she looks like a giant teddy bear! 

Maxine will be up for adoption soon.  If you are interested in learning more about her, contact our adoption team:  adoption@dvgrr.org  She’s a great girl who will be a terrific member of the family!

Maxine

6 Ways to Stop Puppy Mills

This holiday season, many people will purchase puppies as gifts for family members or friends.  But do people know where these puppies come from?  I’m still amazed at the number of pet stores selling puppies and all the people who are unaware that those puppies are not from reputable, responsible, compassionate, quality breeders.  We need to continue to educate the public and ask ourselves and others why we should care about the effects of puppy mills on our canine companion friends…

 

6      WAYS TO STOP PUPPY MILLS

 

1.       CONTACT YOUR FEDERAL & STATE LEGISLATORS.

• www.legis.state.pa.us  (Click on “Who’s My Legislator”).
• Write or meet with your legislator and tell him/her why you won’t support puppy mills.  Supplement your letter or conversation with factual information and let him/her know this is an issue that matters to your vote.
• Support dog laws that improve living conditions for breeder dogs.
• Contact your local politicians (mayors, commissioners, etc.)

2.       DO NOT PURCHASE PUPPIES FROM PET STORES OR THE INTERNET.

• Responsible, reputable, quality, compassionate dog breeders will never sell their puppies to pet stores or sell them online.
• Do not purchase ANY product from a pet store (including food, toys or supplies) that sells puppies.  It supplies the store with additional revenue to continue their business.

3.       DO YOUR RESEARCH WHEN PURCHASING A PUPPY.

• Review kennel inspection reports online:  www.padogs.state.pa.us/publickennels/searchkennelinspections.aspx
• Ask questions:
  • What is the health, temperament and behavior of the mother & father of the puppies?
  • Where are the mother, father & puppies housed?
  • Is more than one dog being bred?  Is more than one breed being bred?

4.       ADOPT A PUPPY OR DOG FROM A HUMANE SOCIETY, SPCA OR BREED-SPECIFIC RESCUE.

• Benefits of adoption:
  • Save a life.
  • Give a dog a safe, warm home to live in.  Share your life with a companion.
  • Adult dogs are most often house trained and past the “puppy training” stage.
  • Challenge yourself by taking on a special needs dog or a dog with trainable behavior issues.
  • Dogs in shelters and rescues started out as puppies.  They are given up due to lack of commitment or neglect.  Dogs with behavior or health challenges come from non-quality breeders and therefore end up in shelters or rescues when they are not what the owner expects.

5.       VOLUNTEER AT YOUR LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETY, SPCA OR BREED-SPECIFIC RESCUE.

• There are many volunteer opportunities including walking dogs, bathing dogs, paperwork, phone calls, cleaning… the list goes on and on!
• Donate money and support by attending events.
• Donate wish list items such as blankets, toys, treats & supplies.

6.       SPREAD THE WORD!

• Tell your friends and family what you have learned about the inhumane conditions and treatment of dogs at puppy mills.
• Support or create an organization to educate the public.
• Use social media (such as Facebook)  to post messages or “Like” groups who are helping to spread the word about  puppy mills.

 

Challenges Working Indoor with an “Outdoor” Dog

Please enjoy these beautiful pictures of Maxey (from the prior blog post), taken by volunteer Monica Lehman.  He seems a bit more relaxed, wouldn’t you say?

Maxey relaxing with his favorite book, "A Home for Dakota".

 

"I love this fluffy bed! I don't know how to play with toys right now, but I think this one is really cool!"

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

~ “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”~    Bernice Johnson Reagon

We see similarities between dogs at DVGRR whether a dog arrives after being used for breeding in a puppy mill or from a neglectful owner that kept her outside all her life.  Most often we notice a more relaxed, playful nature about the dogs when they are outside for their potty & play times.  Then, when brought inside into the Project Home Life room, some become very nervous or shut down.  The purpose of Project Home Life is to assist the dogs by helping them learn to trust people and also to help them figure out that living in a home is not so bad.  Many of the dogs show significant progress within a matter of weeks.  There are others who may have had more severe traumatic experiences in their past who build a wall around themselves.  It may take several months to break through to these types of dogs.

Meet Nina.  She is a 7 year old beautiful golden who came to DVGRR several months ago.

Nina!

 

At first, we thought Nina was one of the dogs who would easily transition into a home because of the excitement and brave spirit she showed in her play group outside.  However, after weeks in Project Home Life, we noticed she was going to take a little more patience and time than we originally thought.  As you will witness in the video below, Nina is very energetic and playful outside.

 

But once inside, Nina basically shuts out the world around her.  She hides her face in a corner of the wall and will initially tremble.  We often bring her friends, Autumn & Alley, into the Project Home Life room with her to give her some sisterly comfort.  Still, we can obviously see that Nina adores people when playing outside – so the goal and purpose of Project Home Life is to encourage Nina to be that playful inside, too.

Nina shuts down indoor. Outside, she is the life of the party!

 

 

Some dogs can be a challenge for our staff and volunteers, but we never give up on them.

 

 

Maxey, a Sweet Soul

Great news, Daphne was adopted by a loving family and has two new canine siblings to share her life with!  I’m sure Daphne will teach them a thing or two about searching for treats!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.”  -Hippocrates

I would like everyone to meet Maxey.  He is a male golden retriever, probably mixed with another breed – but golden enough for us – and is 8 years old.  Seven years ago, he was dumped at a shelter in Virginia and has lived there ever since.  It wasn’t Maxey’s fault that he was not adopted, he is obviously a very sweet soul.  But because he spent most of his time at the shelter outside in a large pack of dogs with few people around, he is lacking a bit in his social skills.  DVGRR was happy to rescue him and will be able to help him start learning how great people can be to cuddle, how neat it can be to play with toys and how good he will feel with proper vet care and nutrition.  We are fortunate and thankful for everyone who supports Project Home Life, which makes it possible for us to help rehabilitate Maxey!

This is a video of Maxey.  His whole life has been uprooted, so he is anxious right now in this transition period.  I will be posting videos so you can witness his progress.  We have high hopes for this guy!  Click here if you would like to sponsor Maxey or one of the other dogs in Project Home Life.  You can also support Maxey and other PHL dogs by donating an item on their wish list!

Daphne’s Magic Game

Project Home Life has been very successful this past year, rehabilitating former puppy mill breeder dogs as well as other shy or fearful dogs.  We currently have 29 very dedicated volunteers who pour their hearts into helping these dogs learn to trust people and learn how to live in a home.  We also have generous donors who have sent toys & treats and others who have sent money to support the dogs in Project Home Life.  We wanted to let you know how much we truly appreciate your help in making the lives of these special dogs so much better.

I want to share the story of a very special dog with you.  Her name is Daphne!  She has been in our program for several months and whoever the lucky family is who opens their home to Daphne will certainly be in for a treat.   (Or if Daphne were speaking, she’d change that to “make sure you have plenty of treats!”)  Daphne was always overshadowed by a pretty blonde girl named Olivia who was in her play group.  When people would come to our monthly Meet & Greet day,  Olivia always demanded attention (in her princess-like way!) and would sometimes push the other dogs aside.  Now that Olivia has been adopted, Daphne has really blossomed in her personality and no longer fades into the background.

Daphne and volunteer, Denise, watch TV!

When she first arrived at DVGRR, she had recently had a litter of puppies which was evident by her sagging underside.  Her fur was dull, coarse and thin.  It would fall out like a bristled broom when we pet her.  She had a mammary tumor removed.  She would approach us for treats, but did so cautiously.  She was a follower.  Today, Daphne is a confident dog.  She has become the leader of her pack of friends, Alley & Rocky.  She likes affection from people, but is confident enough to spend time exploring on her own.  Her fur is beautiful palette of red and gold waves.  It is thick and feels soft to the touch.  She adores people, loves to be pet and brushed and most of all, she LOVES Project Home Life!  Her favorite things to do in Project Home Life:  eat treats, watch TV and play the Magic Game!  Please enjoy this video of Daphne playing the Magic Game.  For me, to see Daphne change from a cautious, untrusting dog to one who practically jumps into the laps of volunteers when entering the Project Home Life room – that is the best gift I could ever receive in 2010.

To everyone who has helped support Project Home Life in 2010 – thank you.  You have helped Daphne and countless others to become life-loving, happy, carefree dogs.  We’re looking forward to what Project Home Life will see in 2011!

Blast From the Past, part two

I received several notes in the comments section from people involved in the rescue of Avalanche from his original, neglectful owner.  I wanted to publish these comments separately so that you could all read the history and the update on the case against his owner.  I am also saddened to learn that his owner still has animals – to this day – mostly dogs, living outside in the same conditions Lance came from.  Sadly, a few of these dogs are Lance’s litter mates and they are still as feral as Lance once was.  Let’s help these animals stop suffering in cold silence as well as all the dogs in PA puppy mills by spreading the word to our friends and co-workers, writing letters to our government, educating people to not buy puppies from a pet store, & educating people to not tie or chain their dogs outside.  Obviously, animals like Lance have the ability to be affectionate and comical once they are set free.  Let’s help more animals to be set free.

This comment was from a woman named Marita who visited the hoarder’s property several times and helped save the lives of many dogs:

“This is a great Cinderella story. Knowing the life that Avalanche left behind that cool November day last year and hearing how far he has come shows that there is hope for any dog out there. I remember how scared he was as he was removed from the property and knowing that he now has a wonderful family is fantastic news. He was truely a feral dog who has learned that humans aren’t something to fear. Without the help of DVGRR, Avalanche’s life would not have had a happy ending. DVGRR gave him a chance that few rescues and rescuers would have had the time and patience to devote to him. Thank you so very much for loving and giving him a chance to enjoy life.”

This second comment was from Rose, who works for SEVA GRREAT, the Golden Retriever rescue where Lance was first placed:

“I am the lucky person at SEVA GRREAT, a golden rescue group, that was contacted to rescue Avalanche, now Lance. I remember the day our group took him in. He was sedated to make the trip to our vets office. My heart went out to him immediately. He was covered with sore and raw places all over. As he cowarded, shivering immensely from fear in a corner of the run he was in, I sat on the floor with him. I couldn’t resist trying to touch him. His eyes were showing fright but I slowly touched his head and rubbed him. It was like he was thinking what is going on and what are you doing. I couldn’t help thinking it was going to be a long road for him to adapt to socialization skills but there had to be someone out there waiting for him. We at SEVA GRREAT knew Lance needed more than we could do for him so we contacted DVGRR and thankfully they opened their arms out to help this wonderful guy. Lance did have a funny side to him. The night before the transfer to DVGRR he spent the night at my home. Due to his fear we double leashed him to keep him from escaping from us. Well at least we thought that would do the trick. He managed to pull out of both collars and made a run for it. Luckily it was in our fenced yard. As we laughed off and on during the hour we tried to catch him, my husband swore he was having several heart attacks as he ran around the yard after him. Lance would run faster than I’ve ever seen a dog run. He would run directly at you and just as he got within 1 foot of you he would dart to the side of you. He was like a rabbit. We finally corned him and got him back inside in his crate and he looked relieved to be alone again.
DVGRR is an awesome group that has been the last hope for a lot of dogs. I thank them immensely for the work they do.
It is heartwarming to read these updates. He looks wonderful and so happy. Thank you for giving him a loving forever home. I will never forget him as he has a special place in my heart.”

And this third comment is from a wonderful animal advocate named Eileen who worked tirelessly on behalf of all the animals held at the hoarder’s property:

“I investigated the case of Annette Thompson, the animal hoarder who had Lance (formerly “Avalanche”) since the time he was a very young puppy just a few weeks old. He was so completely neglected, he became feral, as did many other dogs in her possession. At one point, Thompson had 280 dogs, plus numerous cats, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens on her property. They lived in trailers, tents, chained to trees, and in totally inadequate, uninsulated dog houses. They suffered the bitter elements outside – through the scorching heat of summers and the bitter cold of winters in Goochland, VA – especially last winter (2009) which was extremely cold with several severe snow storms. Upon removal from her property, Lance was found to be flea infested and had explosive diarrhea when approached by strangers. He was totally withdrawn, living in his own, isolated and sad world. On 8/2/10, Ms. Thompson was convicted of 8 counts of animal neglect. Thanks to SEVA GRREAT for rescuing Lance and to DVGRR for rehabilitating him! And a special “thank you” to his new, loving and patient guardians for giving him his forever home, for continuing to help him learn to trust and enjoy life, and for providing all of us with this heart-warming update of his progress.”

 

Blast from the Past

It’s been six months since my husband and I brought Lance home from DVGRR to live in our house.  If you are wondering who Lance is, please go back and read previous blogs that I have written.  In short, his original name was Avalanche and he came to us from a Virginia Golden rescue in November 2009.  Prior to the Virginia rescue, he was owned by a woman who hoarded animals.  She had him for 5 years, tied outside on her property to an old crate that sat under a tarp or tent.  He was completely feral and unsocialized when he showed up at DVGRR and we weren’t quite sure where to start with him.  Slowly, with much patience from our dedicated staff, he made verrrry gradual progress, but progress none the less.  In May of 2010, I decided to have him visit my house to sleep over… and one thing led to another and he has been part of our family ever since.

Lance has really grown, playfully and confidently, since coming to live with us.  He greatly feared my husband in the beginning and I can’t say it’s perfect now, but it’s better.  My husband really has to work to gain his trust – by that I mean he has been working to have Lance approach him to accept tasty treats (Lance prefers popcorn and goldfish crackers and has been known to bark repeatedly for them!).  At first, Lance would not lay down in the same room as my husband.  But now, he will come into the room and chew on a toy or bone and appears relaxed.  Oh, and in times of trouble such as thunderstorms, if I’m not home, Lance will stick to my husband’s side like glue.

Lance’s trust in me is really a miracle in my eyes.  When this dog came to DVGRR, he wouldn’t let anyone touch him.  He would run away from us if we even looked at him… Some dogs, even when they keep their distance from us if they are fearful of people, have a look in their eye that we can tell they really want to approach us, but they’re just too scared.  Well, Lance didn’t have this look.  He just wanted us to go away and leave him alone.  He was accustomed to isolation and that’s what he preferred.  He was a very scared boy.

Presently, he now loves to have his butt scratched and performs what I call the “Lance Dance”!  He gives me kisses on my face and jumps in the bed every morning  to wake me up.  I think he is saying, “it’s party time!”  He loves to go for walks and enjoys playing with toys… lots of toys!  He has really become quite a funny character and literally makes me laugh out loud every single day.  What kind of people would we be without our dogs?    It has been a process that has taken a lot of patience and unconditional love to make it to this point.  I can’t wait to see what he will be like next year at this time.

L - R: Sami (a former puppy mill breeder dog), Lance, Jilly & Satchel.

What Lance loves most is being outside.  So much that I have trouble getting him to come back into the house, even for a meal!  For one, he’s a little hunter.  Squirrels, rabbits, toads & chipmunks beware!  I would not doubt that he would attempt to hunt down a deer if he had the chance (much to the chagrin of his mother…)  Because of his ability to walk well on a leash and because of his love of the outdoors, I finally decided to take him on a hike at the Middlecreek Wildlife Preserve near where we live.  Satchel, one of our other dogs and an experienced hiker, went along as well.  Lance was so excited on the way there, he was watching intently out the window of the car.  When we arrived, he jumped out of the car and with his tail wagging I think he said, “Now this is what I’m talkin’ about!”

Start of the hike and I'm not nervous at all!

He and Satchel sniffed out the leafy trail walking over rocks, hurdling logs and streams, mastering wooden bridge paths and successfully got his paws completely muddy (as well as mine).  We followed the trail down to the lake where he did not hesitate a bit to jump right in.  I wished I had brought a longer leash or a flexi-lead so he could have swam, but I had no idea he was going to enjoy himself as deeply as he had.

It's hard for me to think of life without Lance and what opportunities he would have missed if he wasn't rescued by DVGRR.

"Look ma! I'm in the water and it feels so good!"

The only issue we ran into was when other hikers would pass by.  He’s still not at the point where he will trust strangers.  He would quickly dart past them and then keep looking behind him to make sure they weren’t following us.  But I believe the more we get out there and experience these situations, the more he will adapt.  All in all, I was so proud of Lance’s accomplishment and wanted to share it with all of you.

"End of the hike and I'm tired. But do we really have to go home?"

So if you have a dog, and not just a shy or fearful dog, but any dog – if they have plateaued in their training or appear bored – attempt something new!  Give them an exciting new experience.  Play a different type of game, make homemade dog biscuits or if they get along with other dogs – take them to a dog park or a friend’s house who has dog-friendly dogs.  Someone once said variety is the spice of life and I think that holds true for our canine companions.

Just a side note that DVGRR’s Project Home Life program is featured on page 23 of the January 2011 copy of Dog Fancy magazine.  We are honored to be included in such a great publication!

All In Good Health.

Many of my blog posts explain how former puppy mill breeder dogs deal with life after being rescued.  I have mainly focused on how these dogs deal with fear, anxiety, learning to trust and how we help them begin their journey to become confident members of a family.  I’ve focused on those aspects because many people are shocked and surprised to learn that it can take several months and sometimes years to rehabilitate a dog that has had traumatic experiences, like those that have lived in cages or outdoor most of their lives.  But I have not focused much telling you about their physical health.  I am going to tell you about a few dogs in our Project Home Life program who have dealt with similar health issues and unfortunately, these are issues we see too often.

First, please watch this wonderful video taken by DVGRR’s adoption manager, Donna Baker and Project Home Life volunteer, Denise Reifsnyder.  In this video, you will see four dogs – all who were used repeatedly for breeding and selling puppies.  When she first arrived, Grace (the reddish Golden pawing for attention) would show no response to us petting her and would refuse treats that were offered to her.  Olivia (the blond Golden) would cower and submissively urinate anytime we tried to pet her or attach a leash to her collar.  Daphne (another reddish, thin dog) was very subdued and appeared to always have a sad look on her face and Trixie (the dog running around in the background) would steer clear of anyone who even looked at her.  I am happy to report that Trixie was adopted, however the other three girls are still looking for homes.  They have all made tremendous progress, as you can see in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DonnaBaker125#p/a/u/0/iw6uckFIhe0

All of the dogs that are rescued by DVGRR see our vet for a complete exam.  We spay and neuter all dogs prior to adoption as well as test for heartworm disease & lyme disease.  We also run a full blood panel on our senior dogs, 8 years and older.  We feel it’s our duty and part of our mission to take care of the dogs we rescue and understand any health issues they may be experiencing.  Thank you if you have donated to DVGRR, because without you we would not have discovered the following issues.

Grace now likes affection from people and looooves treats!

Grace, who you saw in the video, had two lumps removed from her body that were considered suspicious.  One was benign.  The other was removed from her abdomen and was malignant.  Luckily, our vets feel they got clean margins and she has a good prognosis.

 

Daphne has become more confident and is waiting to be adopted!

Daphne and Patsy, who are sisters, came in with coarse coats and flea residue.  Daphne had a malignant tumor removed from a mammary gland – something all too common we see with dogs who have been bred repetitively everyheat cycle.  Our vets feel they also got clean margins from that removal and chest xrays showed the cancer had not spread anywhere else in her body.  Patsy had a non-cancerous mammary mass removed.

 

Patsy begs for attention and loves to play with other dogs.

Rosa LOVES her ball!

Rosa was used for breeding puppies, then later owned by a family who kept her outside in a cage.  Rosa came to DVGRR smelling awful and covered in ticks.  It was no surprised to us that she was lyme positive.  Rosa wiggled her happy little self into a new home just recently!

Trixie was tested to see if her thyroid gland was functioning properly after staff saw her coat thinning out and her energy level was low, as well as gaining a few extra pounds of weight.  Indeed, she was hypothyroid which for some reason seems common in many Goldens.  Fortunately, thyroid medication is not too expensive.  Once Trixie started her medicine, her coat came in much fuller and her activity level increased.

Trixie is continuing her journey to becoming a confident dog in her new home!

Our vet found several suspicious lumps on Autumn’s body.  One was a grade one mast cell tumor.  Again, clean margins were noted and she is in good health.  For all these dogs, we keep a close eye on the site of the original masses to check for any regrowth of the tumors.

Autumn loves toys and belly rubs.

We just can’t imagine what all of these dogs would have suffered if they did not come to DVGRR and receive the care of our vets.  Fortunately for all the dogs featured we feel we discovered their issues in time.  But there have been others that have been left too long without care by their irresponsible breeders.  These dogs have had tumors that are malignant and the cancer has spread throughout their body or the tumors are positioned so that they are unable to be removed.  DVGRR is grateful to the foster families who have taken dogs like these into their home for hospice care.  This is just another fine reason to educate the public not to buy puppies from a pet store or over the internet!  Help stand up for dogs like Grace & Daphne and help shut down commercial breeding farms and facilities by spreading the word – not only about the lack of socialization and anxieties these dogs face when liberated, but also the lack of health care provided to them.

Please consider giving a holiday gift to the dogs in Project Home Life from our amazon.com wish list! http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3287P9NRO31TG