Success Stories

                            " Jonsey"

Let me tell you about Jonsey. He is a very special Chihuahua. What makes him so special,? well he survived a puppy mill for 4 years. That is never an easy feat for ANY dog.

    Puppy mills are not a good place for ANY animal. The dogs tend to live in very small wire cages, in dark, swanky barns, the cages are barely big enough for one dog, but they normally have two dogs in one cage. A male and a female, then if they have pups, the pups get to live with their parents for a few weeks, till they are pulled.
And then the male does his job and the female is pregnant again, the female NEVER gets any breaks, they are bred from the time they are old enough until the time, they no longer produce.

Jonsey was subjected to this treatment as well. These dogs live amoungst themsleves. They live day to day, not knowing what will happen in the next moment. They are treated worse than livestock, they are NEVER handled, they are never spoke kindly to, they are never touched, except to grab at them to give shots, sometimes, or to check for abnormalities. They do not get petted, they do not get treats, they do not getout of those wire cages, they never feel the ground, grass, carpet, nothing but wire.
    No one speaks kindly to them, they do not get very good food.
But yet they are expected to produce.

    Jonsey came to us over 6 months ago.
I had to feed him can food sitting on the floor, and putting the can food in front of him, and avert my eyes, I was not allowed to look at him while he ate.
I was not allowed to touch, at all, he would shiver and shake so much, I thought he would have a heart attack, literally.

I was not allowed to put my hands on him for the first two months.
If I wanted to pet him, I had to climb in his crate, and force myself to pet him, while he would shiver and shake, and look totally terrified. I had to show him, that I would never ever hurt him, that he could trust me. I did this everyday for two months.
Until he finally allowed me to pet him, outside of the crate.

   We put a harness on him, so that we could introduce him to the outside, he would again, shiver and shake, he eyes would get so wide, I got to hate that look, it was a look of PURE fear. A fear that only a human could give him. It was at those times, that I am very glad that I do not live near a mill operation farm, for I know what I would have done to the people who had done this to this little dog.
      After awhile Jonsey got to use to grass, between his toes, and he got to like it, he learned to do his business outside, he learned that grass is sometimes good to eat.
He also learned that carpet is very soft and it does not cut his feet like the wire did. He learned that carpet is great for when you have an itch, the carpet will help you itch it.

He learned to trust me a bit more everyday.
He learned what a treat was, that took a bit for him to figure out
but once he did, he now loves treats.

Jonsey

Jonesy was and is our special Mill dog survivor. He was with us for 6 months while we rehabilitated him. He came to us as a very timid dog, who had no idea how much fun it was to be a dog. We took it day by day, we had to repeat almost everything everyday so that it became a routine with him. Everything was brand new to him. He was not use to walking on soft floors, or any type of floor. He was not use to people wanting to touch him, after living 4 long years in a puppy mill, he was only used to rough treatment. He did not know what grass was, he never had a collar on his neck. He did not know what treats were. He never heard a knock at the door. He gradually got use to it all, and he started to relax, and enjoy what we had to offer him. HE learned to like to go outside and roll in the soft grass, he learned that grass was also good to eat sometimes. He learned what treats were, and what to do when he hears a can snap open. He watched the other dogs and began to mimic their actions. He began to TRUST us, and show affection. He started to act like the others, and he really liked it. Jonesy started to live like a dog should live, with lots of love & tenderness. SO then we thought he needs to go a step further and we began to slowly take him out into the world. We would take him to a Meet & Greet once per month, to see how he would react to others, and a new environment. His very first one, he was very nervous and it showed. So we left him home for a few weeks and then tried it again, this time, he responded better, he was more inquisitive, really watched his surroundings, but still shy, so we let him be for a few more weeks, then brought him out for another event. He seemed to do better at each one he would attend. So finally we took him to them all. It was at one of these events that he met his new family. They had come to meet Jonesy, they loved him upon meeting him, and Jonesy had liked them, it seemed like the perfect match. They came back to other event, to see him again, and he remembered them and was glad to see them. After all te paperwork and home visit was completed, Jonesy went to live with them on a trial basis, he did exceptionally well. We knew it was time for him to find his own way in the world witha loving family, that would guide him the rest of his way. Jonesy now resides in RIchmond, with his new canine companion Lucke, and his human family, Susan and Danny. We went back for a two week check up, and Jonesy is making waves, he is progressing slowly but to progress at all is truly an accomplishment. We will be a regular at his new home, but we feel that this was a HUGE succes story and we wanted to share his good fortune with all of our supporters. This is one Puppy Mill Survivor that will want for nothing for the rest of his life. We thank his new family for wanting to help him go further in his long journey, and all the love and caring they are willing to share with him. Please remember that to adopt a dog, and save a life. Also please help us put an end to puppy mills, no dog should have to live as our little Jonesy has had to live.