National Mill Dog Rescue Haylie was rescued from a Missouri puppy mill when she was six years old. She had spent her entire life in a small wire cage, producing Shih Tzu puppies every six months with no reprieve. In return, she received just enough food to survive and a rabbit bottle with which to keep herself hydrated. A mechanical way of life, devoid of human touch, fresh air, a soft bed or any of the simple comforts that dogs so enjoy. Haylies life was nothing more than a means to a dollar with no regard to her comfort or well-being. At some point during those six years, Haylie developed glaucoma, a painful, debilitating disease of the eyes that without treatment, leads to blindness. Unfortunately, in a puppy mill, rarely is there any attention paid to medical conditions, so, over time, Haylie went completely blind. When Haylie came into our care, her eyes were quite literally like two bulging golf balls, ready to burst out of her head. They were all one color, an odd bluish-gray, and were covered in what looked like black spider webs. She had no vision at all and was extremely reactive to being touched anywhere near her head, flinching and crouching, quite obviously in great pain. The day after her rescue, we took Haylie to see the ophthalmologist. He confirmed that because her condition had gone untreated for so long, the damage was irreversible and there was only one option for Haylie - to remove her eyes. As heartbreaking a decision as it was to make, one day later, Haylies eyes were removed. After surgery, Haylie went home with Cheryl, one of our foster moms who cares for many of our dogs with special needs. Right away, her reports of Haylies progress were incredibly heartwarming. No longer in pain, Haylie was ready to begin experiencing life - the life that she was robbed of during her years as a commercial breeding dog. She took kindly to her foster brothers, one in particular, whom she trusted to show her the way. Soon, we were watching videos of Haylie romping and playing, snoozing by the fire and sleeping on mom’s bed. In no time at all, Haylie learned that the human hand was kind and could be trusted. Having cared for Haylie through this whole ordeal, Cheryl could not think of letting her go. She officially adopted her about two months after her rescue and today, Haylie is the prettiest, sweetest, most beloved and well-adjusted dog in the world. Every dog we rescue has a lesson to teach us. Haylie was our lesson in courage. The most beautiful things can’t be seen, they must be felt with the heart. https://youtube/watch?v=ZvEqF5-5-7c
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 03:58:26 +0000
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