Tag Archives: Sheltie Shack

Shih Tzu Day 101: Puppy Mill Before and After Shots

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A glimpse at puppy mill life

A shih tzu the day she was rescuedshih tzu in a green sweaterWhen I checked my email this morning, I saw one from Linda at the Sheltie Shack. She had found the pictures I asked for of Dottie, Flower and Candy from the day she had rescued them from the puppy mill. I didn’t  know what to expect.

The first attachment I opened was Dottie. She was sitting in hay in some type of enclosure. She looked forlorn and disheveled. The next attachment was a picture of Candy. Another sad looking shih tzu, with long, dirty hair hanging over her face, covering one eye.

Those pictures made me very sad. I knew the last picture would have to be Flower, but when I opened the attachment, it was hard to recognize her. She looked more like an unkempt sheep than a dog. I couldn’t see her eyes at all.

A shih tzu the day she was rescuedshih tzu in pink sweaterMy heart broke for my little girls and the time they spent at a puppy mill. It also broke for all the other dogs forced to live in those conditions, for the sake of giving other people fluffy little puppies as pets.

As I looked at the pictures, I looked at Dottie, Flower and Candy in their safe zone in our living room. They were wearing sweaters I got them to celebrate their first fall with us. My guess was that no one at the puppy mill where they came from ever saw a need to groom these little puppy producers. I seriously doubt that anyone came by and held them, hugged them, kissed them and told them that they were loved.

a shih tzu the day of her rescueThose pictures were a symbol to me. Yes, where they came from might have been legally classified as a “commercial kennel,” but that kennel was a puppy mill all right. No dogs should have to experience what they experienced. I have no idea what that full experience was, but I know they weren’t the pampered little princesses that many shih tzus and other dogs are to their humans. I am so grateful that they can experience life from the other side now.

shih tzu in red sweaterIt’s true that they might never act like other shih tzus who never lived in those conditions. They might never crawl into my lap, but they might. They might always show signs of fear in some way or another. But at least I know that John and I are doing our best to give them a great life from this point forward. And I am thankful that other puppy mill moms, many who have had far worse lives, find loving, forever homes each day as well. I am very grateful for organizations like the Sheltie Shack and BFF Rescue that make it a point to help these dogs find good homes.

Shih Tzu Day 91: Sheltie Shack

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Digging into the Past

When I first saw a picture of Candy online in June and called Delores at BFF Rescue to ask for details about her, she explained that her and her half-sisters Flower and Dottie, all in a foster home through her rescue, had been puppy mill mothers.

She told me that a Kansas organization named the Sheltie Shack had been the rescue that was initially involved. I have recently been thinking about their origin, and I decided to look up the shelter online. I found a number for the founder, Linda, and called her. I told her who I was and that I had a blog telling the story of three shih tzus I had adopted. I said I had heard her organization had rescued them and asked her if she would tell me what she recalled about that day.

Linda was very pleasant to talk to. She remembered the dogs instantly. She said she had heard that a local breeder was not going to breed shelties anymore. When she inquired about them, the breeder told her she could take them off their hands. The breeder also relayed in the conversation that they would no longer be breeding shih tzus, and that if she wanted to, she could take the ones they had. Concerned about what could happen to them if she didn’t take them, the rescuer said she would make arrangements with other rescues to place them in homes.

When she picked them up, six shih tzus were in an outside chicken coop-type dog kennel. They were in need of grooming and affection, having lived a life isolated from humans, but otherwise, the rescuer had seen fair worse cases among the hundreds of dogs she had rescued. I was relieved when she said that. I thought maybe their life hadn’t been as bad as I had imagined.

She told me a few of the shih tzus acted very frightened. The others simply acted confused, most likely because they were being moved from the only home they had ever known.

I thanked Linda for sharing the story with me and asked her if she might have some pictures of the girls from the day they were rescued. She said she would look into it and send me what she could find. I will share those pictures if she finds any.

Shih Tzu Prelude: Puppy Mill Life Aftereffects

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Puppy Mill Effects

My conversation with Delores at BFF Rescue was very eye-opening. She told me that the shih tzus I had seen online had all come from a puppy mill in Kansas early this year. Some would say they came from a “commercial kennel.” I had never given much thought to where those adorable puppies in store windows came from. Come to think of it, I realized I hadn’t seen any of those pet stores lately that I used to see in malls.

Delores told me the horrible conditions that many of these puppies’ mothers lived in, and how their entire purpose was breeding more puppies. Unlike the puppies that are sold, the puppy mill moms rarely receive love and often don’t get exercise. Sometimes, they are forced to eat, sleep and relieve themselves in the same small space. The deplorable conditions of many puppy mills caused both emotional and physical problems in many cases.

In the case of the shih tzus I was considering fostering/adopting, the owner of the Sheltie Shack Rescue, a Kansas-based rescue, had rescued six shih tzus when rescuing several shelties. She had got the word out to several animal rescues and two in Colorado had volunteered to each take three of the shih tzus. BFF Rescue was one of those organizations.

The shih tzus Delores took were three half-sisters, Dottie, 5; Flower, 2; and Candy, 2. The Sheltie Shack couldn’t give Delores much information. Someone had told the rescue that the commercial kennel using them for breeding no longer wanted them. When she had arrived to pick them up, the shih tzus were outside in a chicken coop type kennel.

Before turning the three shih tzus over to BFF Rescue, the original rescuer took them to a vet. The vet gave them needed vaccinations and checked them over for any problems. They noted that Candy had a small hernia.

The shih tzus came to Colorado in late February 2011. Once there, they made the trip to another vet, where they would all be sterilized. Before they could be adopted, they would need to be socialized. That meant they would need to be placed in foster homes.

Delores explained that many of the dogs that had come to BFF Rescue found homes within weeks. However, that wasn’t the case with these girls.