I wasn’t always living the high life. Before my days of jet-setting and cashmere, I was living in a puppy mill. I want to share my story to help educate others on the horrors puppy mills inflict on pups. 99.9% of all puppies sold in pet stores are from puppy mills like the one I survived. Full disclosure: this part of the story is a bit of a downer. Puppy mills are commercial breeding facilities that treat dogs like livestock, breeding them at every opportunity and neglecting medical care. I lived in a cage and had no human contact. I was removed from that facility when the owner got in trouble from animal cruelty and placed in a shelter in South Florida. I thought my story was definitely over at that point, I was pretty rough looking and had a host of medical issues.
Lady Human came into my life within days of the end. I was on death row and it wasn’t looking good. I saw her walk into the shelter and summoned all my energy to try and telepathically communicate to her to take me home. She claims she knew she had to save me because I pricked my ears up at her, but I know it was for sure the telepathic signals.
Our first weeks together were rough – I had medical and behavioral issues. But here’s the thing about rescuing a pet – we KNOW you saved us! So as hard as Lady Human worked to make my life better, I worked on trusting her. Today, I’m healthy and happy. I love 50% of humans and dogs I meet (but honestly, it’s because I have high standards, not because I’m anti-social).
I hope you’ll consider adopting your next family member and saving a life like mine!
xx
Ella Bean