Unless you've been off having tea parties, you should be aware of the nastiness that is a puppy mill. Widely exposed years ago as nothing but factories with dogs as machines, puppy mills breed females repeatedly, without concern for the health of the animal or pups she produces. Animals are often killed or dumped at local shelters once they can no longer "earn their keep." Dogs may be kept in wire cages, stacked on top of each other, not walked, not trained, and abused.
As you have probably figured out, Nadine's story involves one of these hellholes.
The volunteer photographer at ACS, who's name I never got, was coming in to take pictures of the new animals who had been brought in that week. Her job is to get a great pic of each new dog or cat so it can be posted on the adoptable pets page of the ACS website. She saw me with Nadine and we immediately started to talk. She was so happy that I was considering adopting her. She said that Nadine had the most personality of all the shih tzus that had come in together and she loved her funky tongue just as much as I did. I asked what she knew of her past, if anything and how these dogs ended up together.
Apparently there is a woman who regularly brings shelter animals up from Tennessee to ACS. There are just so many dogs down there and a very high euthanasia rate - as high as 90% in some shelters. Chicago has all sorts of good people who want to adopt dogs, so she rescues them from, well, death most likely and brings them north. Since all four dogs were together at the TN shelter and all older females, it is likely they were puppy mill dogs. As they could no longer breed, they were dumped at a shelter when the mill couldn't no longer "use" them.
I didn't realize at first that Nadine was used to breed puppies; when the volunteer told me the story, I couldn't quite grasp that was what happened. It wasn't for a few weeks before I understood what it meant, and the life Nadine had led before me. While I was planning to spoil the beejezus out of her before, now I knew I was going to go completely over the top! (Although starting a blog about her wasn't on the list!) This dog had been through the worst...now she was going to get only the best.
Puppy mills shouldn't exist. There are so many dogs in need of a home that puppy mills are hardly necessary, yet the demand for certain breeds and puppies keep these places in brisk business. Pet stores are the buyers of these animals. Responsible breeders don't sell to the corner pet shop, nor is the shop selling rescue dogs - where else might they be getting their dogs from? Only a puppy mill. Sure, there are likely responsible businesses breeding dogs in safe and healthy conditions, but you don't know that when you are picking out your "perfect" pet at the store. The salespeople certainly aren't going to tell you the truth!
If you are thinking about adopting a dog or cat, please choose your local humane society or shelter first. If you must have a certain breed, find a reputable breeder. It won't be as cheap as the pet shop, but you'll probably save much more money in vet bills by purchasing a healthy dog.
There are so many animals who need homes, who will love you for many years to come even if they aren't puppies, sweet gals like Nadine who will bond to you like nothing you ever expected. She was one of the lucky ones. She got dumped at a shelter rather than killed. She and her sisters all got adopted, even as senior dogs. Most of them aren't so lucky.
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