Puppy Mill Dogs

In 2010, we took in Dirk, a male Golden Retriever who had spent his first 8 years in a puppy mill. When we agreed to foster him for the rescue organization we volunteer for, we had no idea what being a puppy mill dog meant - for us or, more importantly, for the dog.

We brought Dirk home, and he met our two resident dogs without incident. But that was where any shred of normalcy ended. He was afraid of everything that our resident dogs took for granted: the TV, the ceiling fan, carpeting, tile floors, stairways, doorways. And when I say "afraid", I mean cowering, trembling, frozen fear. He had no idea what to do with a toy. He was startled by every loud noise and sudden movement. I didn't see how we could keep him.

But miraculously, over many months, Dirk's dogness began to shine through. He watched our resident male intently and followed him everywhere. I will never forget the evening Dirk lay on the floor, watching our resident male chewing on a rawhide snack. When our resident finally tired of it and walked away, Dirk slowly made his way over to it, sniffed it a few times, then lay down and began chewing it. It was a genuinely moving moment to watch this little soul find within himself a little bit of what it means to be a dog.

Dirk eventually learned how to play, and would dash around our backyard with our other two. He was incredibly fast, and seemed to delight in just running free - perhaps for the first time in his life.

One day, Mrs. Cynical announced that Dirk would no longer be our foster dog, and we would no longer be posting updates on the rescue website. We would be adopting Dirk ourselves, and he would be the next member of our family. I knew better than to argue.

Today, now 13+ years old, Dirk still exhibits some of the traits he first came to us with. He still startles at loud noises. He hesitates before climbing stairs. And, oddly, he still does not like having a camera pointed at him. I have many photos of Dirk with Mrs. Cynical, in which just one of his eyes is peaking out from behind Mrs. Cynical. But for the most part, Dirk is just a quiet, gentle, happy boy, soaking up all the attention we can give him.

My point here is this: If you want a dog, please look into what puppy mills are and how their dogs are treated. Very often, they are isolated for years with little human interaction. As a result, they are very poorly socialized and without the skills and knowledge you expect in an adult dog. Your local pet store very likely gets its dogs from a puppy mill.

My suggestion? Go to your local dog pound or Humane Society. Lots of great dogs are looking for homes there. If you're bound and determined to get a specific breed, look into the many rescue organizations out there. Many are breed-specific, and have dogs of all ages looking for homes. Please don't contribute to the suborganic scum who are creating dogs like Dirk, then casting them out when they're done with them so that someone else can fix the damage they've created.