Puppy mills are known for the terrible conditions the animals kept in their facilities must face. It’s very common that these poor dogs are left alone to starve, and even suffer unthinkable abuse and neglect at the hands of the only people who might be able to help them.
As a result, these animals don’t often understand how to properly interact with other dogs or humans and many of the animals used for breeding never experience life outside of their tiny cage.
When animal rescuers from the Humane Society of the United States discovered poodle pup B.B. living at a mill, she was starving and her cage was covered in waste. Her situation was so horrid that they knew they had to intervene…
Every day, animal rescuers around the world raid puppy mills to free neglected and abused animals from the confines of such an awful environment. So, when rescuers from the Humane Society of the United States received a call about a mill in Charlotte, North Carolina, they thought they were prepared for what they would find…
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When the rescuers from HSUS first laid eyes on B.B., a poodle housed in a tiny cage in the basement of that mill, it was clear that she had suffered years of abuse. Not only was her entire cage covered in excrement, but there was no ventilation in the room. It was shocking to see.
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B.B. was in such bad shape that the rescuers had a hard time even just estimating her age. Upon closer inspection, they realized she had been subjected to repeated breeding and nursing during her lifetime. But that wasn’t all…
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From the condition of B.B.’s body, the rescuers suspected that she had spent her entire life inside of that extremely small, filthy, and cramped dog cage. When they first tried to remove her from the cage, she was curious, though a bit skittish, as is expected with puppy mill dogs.
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“She was very tiny, and she looked like this helpless creature,” Animal crimes manager at HSUS Jessica Lauginiger said in an interview. “I put my hand up to the cage, and she’d come up and sniff a little bit. She was very hesitant for human attention, but she wanted it.”
After a short while, B.B. had warmed up enough to Jessica so that she could remove her from the cage. “I remember how tiny and frail she was in my hands,” Jessica said. “I pulled her close to my body, and she leaned into me.”
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In all, there were upwards of 150 animals living in the puppy mill, including not only dogs, but cats and goats, as well. Unlike, B.B., many of those animals were for sale. Thankfully, the staff at HSUS was able to rescue all of them!
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The majority of the animals rescued from the North Carolina puppy mill were brought to Cabarrus Animal Hospital. Former CAH employee, Brenda Tortoreo, stopped in and had the chance to meet B.B. “B.B. was in a corner,” Tortoreo said. “She looked pitiful. She was scared to death. She wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t drink and I felt so bad for her. And I said, ‘That’s the one I’m going to take home.’”
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Brenda adopted B.B. and two other dogs just days later.
Because she had spent her entire life living inside of that cramped cage, B.B. had a strange reaction to living in such an open space. “I put B.B. down on the floor, and she kept going in circles — not running, but walking,” Brenda said. “I guess that’s all she knew to do. I put her in the living room, and to go into the hallway, she would not cross that border.” Brenda wasn’t sure where this behavior might mean for B.B.’s new life…
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Not only was B.B. not used to living in such a large space, but she had never even been outside to experience the light of day. Brenda explained that the poor dog had no idea what grass was, and that she had never even seen the sun.
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Brenda made it her mission to get B.B. acclimated with her new and exciting surroundings, so she began to purchase items to give her some level of comfort in her new home. “She’s got three big baskets of stuffed animals,” Brenda said.
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“She takes certain stuffed animals, and she’d bring them to bed, and she would line them up like she was nursing them, and she’d lick them, lick them and lick them. It was just so heartbreaking,” Brenda continued.
Now, B.B. is making enormous strides toward making a full recovery and leading a normal life. Brenda notes how she’s recently come out of her shell, gained some weight, and began licking her — a sign of comfort and love for her new owner.
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What a little sweetheart. It’s so sad that she had to endure so much as a puppy, but it looks like she’s living her life to the fullest now.
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