New leash on life in Arizona for 25 dogs saved from puppy mills
Dec 13, 2016, 5:25 AM | Updated: 7:35 am
(Arizona Animal Welfare League Photo)
(Arizona Animal Welfare League Photo)
PHOENIX — Twenty-five dogs who used to live in a Missouri puppy mill have a new leash on life in Arizona.
The Arizona Animal Welfare League, along with the Colorado-based National Mill Dog Rescue, will house the animals for the time being while they receive medical care and learn to be treated like pets.
“Many of these dogs have never even walked on grass before,” Judith Gardner, president and CEO of AAWL, said in a release. “They will need to learn how to be a dog for the first time in their lives, because many breeders keep them in wire cages without interaction with any other animals – except to mate.
“Most of them have never had any veterinary care or socialization with people.”
After the dogs are brought back to health, microchipped and spayed or neutered, they will be put up for adoption. A timeline was not given, as the dogs take longer than typical shelter dogs to be rehabilitated.
“Their little souls come alive after they learn they can trust humans to provide them with loving care,” Gardner said. “It takes a special person to adopt a mill dog – someone who has patience and loads of compassion and is willing to put in the time to let them adjust to a new and safe life.”
