A Dog’s Life

Normally, I write pieces where there’s a bit of humor mixed in with the serious points I try to make, but this isn’t one of those pieces. Instead, I want to talk briefly about a topic I care about deeply because it’s affected me personally.

For the past ten years, I have been a proud dog owner and recently became a foster dad for an older dog for the first time. Growing up, I always wanted a dog, but my parents (correctly) decided I wasn’t mature enough to take care of one. That, and the fact I had a fear of dogs from a young age, made dog ownership more of a dream than a reality.

Then, a little Bichon Frise named Chico came into my life. My wife and I adopted him from the local Animal Rescue League at the age of 9 without knowing much about his history. After watching him react with a combination of fear and anger at males (and me specifically), we surmised Chico came from a puppy mill.

Puppy mill. Two words that make me cringe every time I hear them.

To put it mildly, puppy mills are the worst way a dog can live, if you call what goes on at puppy mills living. Cramped cages, lack of love and care, a perpetual breeding ground where puppies aren’t allowed to be with their mothers and adults are only useful as long as they produce litters. Once they can’t, they’re sent away to shelters for others to adopt them.

In doing so, these puppy mill breeders leave their former revenue sources with injuries. Some of them are physical, but most of them are psychological. Dogs are trusting and loving by nature, unless their environment is such that trust and love are alien to them. Then, they act on instinct, an instinct fostered by how they were treated prior to being adopted. That leaves a lot of broken dogs that will need patience and love to live anything close to a normal life.

That was Chico. It’s also Stella, the mini poodle we’re fostering right now. And so many more. Too many, really.

The problem is there’s a market for dogs and so many ways to get one from puppy mills. All it takes is a little dishonesty, a lot of looking the other way, and keeping as many potential buyers in the dark as possible. You may not even know you’re getting a puppy mill dog until after the transaction is done. Sure, you can adopt through a seemingly reputable source, but that doesn’t mean the dog you’re getting is free from the puppy mill experience.

Then, when your new dog starts acting up in ways you didn’t anticipate, what happens? In today’s disposable world, those broken dogs get put back into the system until they’re either adopted, fostered, or even put to sleep.

All because some scumbags wanted to make a buck by any means necessary, even at the expense of a dog’s life.

The way to counteract this is to do your homework. Work with only reputable dog breeders if you want a dog to raise. Sure, it’s going to cost more money, but the love you get far exceeds the money you’re going to pay to get it. But if you’re not willing to raise a puppy, there are older dogs that need the same love you would give a puppy. And, yes, some of them will be puppy mill dogs by the law of averages alone, but they need a chance to live, too.

Regardless of which way you go, be prepared for a lifetime commitment. That requires a lot of patience and love for an animal whose whole life is you.

Chico and I went through a lot together, but at the end, we were the best of friends. I hope to replicate that with Stella. Even if she is adopted next week or next year, she will need to know how to trust again. And as long as it takes, I will do my best to earn her trust and give her a happy home full of love.

After all, isn’t a dog’s life worth it?