Success Stories!!!
This
is the stories of the Kennewick Eskies, a horrific puppy mill shut down
in May 2009 after being allowed to run for over 42 yrs, while Benton
County & it's citizens stood by & did NOTHING, the one's who
tried were ignored by the entire police force & local agencies...
not surprizingly We've all seen them, those
adorable little puppies at the pet store, so tiny & sweet & full
of
puppy kisses... The sad reality is that 95% of the time their mothers
&
other siblings are sitting in 6 inches of their own feces, waiting for
the
kindness & relief that death will bring. Every time you buy one of
these
pups you are creating the motivation for yet another litter to be
produced by a
female who has been bred every cycle, never had vet care & because
of
the close proximity of all the dogs there is no way to guarantee there
will be
no inbreeding.
In May of 2009 the horror
of what truly happens unfolds as authorities raid a puppy mill that has been in
operation since 1967. We will go into why it was allowed to happen so long &
to so many helpless creatures later but I'd like to introduce you to some of
them now
Oso: Oso was one of
the first one's to arrive, he was called "Oso dead" by some of the volunteers at
the humane society because he was the most terrified of the bunch, he was also
the first dog to have a breakthrough, within 9 days he was sitting in my lap
with his own private wardrobe of collars, leashes, & bandana's, soon it
became painfully obvious that he also had something else...seizures, no doubt
from his lack of care & possible inbreeding but that didn't bother me,
I was going to keep this boy, he had stolen my heart. Unfortunately for me he
had other plans, we had a whole family that came up here from Oregon to look at
another dog, that day Oso was extra agitated so I had him outside as well when
they came & he immediately went running to one of the son's who the other
dog was supposed to be for, it was love at first sight, & so my precious Oso
is now an Oregonian with a whole family & a pretty little spayed bulldog
girlfriend...such a far cry from the life of desperation he once lived
in.
Damien: AKA Devil Dog,
he is all of 10lbs but totally vicious according to some but he is a total
snuggle bunny, he had to have all of his teeth pulled except for his canines
& will now have to eat wet food for the rest of his life but he couldn't
care less as he warms the lap of his new momma
Ellie Mae; She &
Scooter were adopted together, I picked a very special woman named Sue for them
because they were so physically & emotionaly damaged because of their past,
they have made some gains but most days they backslide but Sue has promised them
that they will never have to leave her & she will wait for as long as it
takes for them to come around. Ellie does seem to have more breakthroughs than
Scooter, but again, like many of the others, she also has seizures so every day
is a battle for her & even though they're not here it just kills me to hear
the pain in Sue's voice when they've had an especially hard day, & every
time she asks me how someone could've done this to these beautiful sweet
creatures & I have no answer for her
Scooter:When Scooter
came through the door my heart sunk, he looked at me peed & had a seizure, I
got him some valium, & held him til he came around a bit, as I held him I
counted so many scars & felt his ribcage which felt like a brick road, his
little legs were bowed out so far it was hard for him to walk, he's another I
thought would be here forever, but then Ellie came, he bonded to her like
superglue & as he built confidence his goofy little personality started to
emerge. He was the runt & got picked on alot but not with Ellie around, no
way, no how, then we found Sue & she took them both once she seen how bonded
they were, even though she only came for Ellie, the good news is that over the
past month he seems to be having more good days than bad for the first time. He
has been put on a supplement & his legs are straightening up & he is
more able to get around
Bianca: Sweet little
Bianca just couldn't catch a break, she was in foster care, lost that home, went
back to the shelter, came here, went to another foster home, & they couldn't
deal with her so she was again brought back, but I promised her that if her
people weren't able to find her she could stay with me forever... It was
starting to look like that was her fate, until I got a call from Misty who
wanted her in spite of her "fault" What is it that would send her back &
forth so often? Seizures!!! Yep that was it, that was all, but Misty wanted her
not in spite of her seizures, but because of them. So it was with sorrow &
joy I said Good-Bye to my sweet little Bianca AKA Kea. I have to admit her
seizure were terrifying to me & I have eperience with them, but I would sit
next to her begging her not to die, yet knowing that it might be the only
release she would have, but I just couldn't give up hoping for her to have the
life she deserves, & now she has it!
Jesper: Is
in Spokane with his original rescuer the lady who took care of them
from the day they were rescued from that living hell but he will soon be
on his way to Canada to live his life with an awesome rescuer
Hayden:
Is in Spokane with his original rescuer the lady who took care of them
from the day they were rescued from that living hell
Reynolds:Now when
Reynolds got here he wasn't happy about me touching him, he put up with it but
would always give me "The Look" he was always very curious about everything I
was doing but still kept his distance...One night I was awakened by a dog
licking my face & softly whining it was him!!! I threw the blanket over him
& he settled in right next to me & we've been fast friends since that
night. He is the funniest guy & watching him evolve has been so much fun,
now he's the unofficial "Hall Monitor" he watches everyone, & if he can't
make them mind he tells on them by running to me, barking, & spinning once.
He also believes that he was meant for loving on & is willing to let anyone
love on him. I don't know if I will be able to let him
go...
Quinn:Quinn was the
epitomy of silent beauty he was somewhat reserved but his eyes held you captive,
he assimilated very quickly & decided he was my official footwarmer. We had
just went through the death of Reese 10 days before & I had sat at my
computer to answer emails, Quinn almost hesitated, looking up at me, but I
called him over & told him it was okay to warm my feet, so I kicked off my
slippers & he settled down, I finished up a few emails about 20 minutes
later I went to stand up but he wouldn't move, I tried to wake him up once
again, called his name & then I realized he wasn't breathing, I did CPR on
him for well over 45 minutes, I guess I knew it was futile, but I just couldn't
believe this was happening again, I must've been there with him for hours crying
into his soft fur, holding him as if that would help, when I finally got up it
was dark outside, knowing full well the vet was closed by then I made him a
little bed next to mine & in the morning I took him to be cremated. I almost
gave up at this point, but I had so many others depending on me that I had no
choice but to go on. His necropsy results were the same as
Reese's...cancer
Reese:Reese was such a
beautiful sweet creature but the second he arrived I knew something wasn't right
with him, he was almost complacent but I chalked it up to all he had been
through in his life... Shortly after he arrived, with just enough time for me to
fall in love with him, he stumbled out of his kennel walked towards me &
started spinning & crying, within minutes he had crossed the rainbow bridge,
there was no real warning or even time to get him to the vet. The vet found out
later that his precious little body was riddled with cancer, it seems he had
been in horrible pain for quite some time. Not once did he snap at me when I
picked him up or did is nails or tried to clean the tear stains off of his eyes,
he didn't make a sound when I bathed him after he arrived. There was just no
warning. He was cremated where he will remain with me, until I cross over to
meet him again
Healy: Was adopted by Caroline with Bo, but he decided he wanted to live with her friend instead
Sammy: Is back in Spokane with his original rescuer loving his life
Bo Duke:Bo is my
heart-breaker, he came with 3 toes snapped clean away from the bone but still
inside of the skin, we thought he was going to need the whole leg amputated but
luckily because of the magic fingers of our vet Dr Mark call he only lost those
toes & is now runnng all over the place, thanks to the love & caring of
his new momma Caroline, but you see there was a problem, she already had, a Bo
at home...so Bo's new name is Charlie! He has come so far & is still so
loving in spite of all he's been through, no doubt because Patty at the Spokane
Eskie rescue worked with him for many months before he came to
me.
Bashful: Is playing across the Rainbow Bridge waiting for me join him
George: He is still here with me, he has cancer, so he will spend his last days with me...
Hanska: Is now named Link & having a great life
Joska: Is now living in Seattle running most of the local dog parks with his everlasting charm
Adson: Adson passed away on 7/21/2010 we don't know why, but he always
seemed a little sickly, he was a very timid boy but he was so sweet. He
put up with me grooming him, picking him up & was just getting to
the point where his little tail would wag ever so slightly & he
would actually come up to me without a treat in my hand for an ear rub. I
can't tell you what happened, he was in his kennel then started to
scratch, his "I want out" so I got up to open it, he stumbled out of the
kennel & I picked him up & checked him out, he didn't seem to
be in pain anywhere, was breathing fine so I put him down again & he
stumbled again, I went up stairs to get dressed to take him out to the
vet, by the time I came back down he was struggling to breath & then
he gasped about 3 times & then just like that he was gone, the very
next morning our senior respite care poodle died too so it's pretty
safe to say I am not happy about this month at all.
Joy: Is living in SW Washington taking her rightful place as Princess of her castle
Willa: Is living in Auburn with her new mom & dad who cant have kids but she is trying her hardest to fill the void
Ulfred: Is now is Pierce county with his new family
Watsi
& Huka: Were a bonded pair, & were adopted together by someone
sent from the Seattle area Eskie rescuers, so after they tried to damage
my reputation, call animal control, the final analysis is that they
took my boys to Heart Bandits in California & wont return them, I
will start a lawsuit as soon as I am able to for the return of the boys,
they were the one's hardest for me to adopt out, they survived parvo
& were so close. I still cry for my lost boys. I just hope they are
okay & know that I love them & miss them. I wont rest til I know
& Kititas is a small town, they told the police Chief that Sherry
Meyers from the Eskimo rescue here arranged for them to be taken down
there
Winu: Is now living in Oregon having fun all on all his new property
Felicia: Lives in West Seattle with her momma Quinn
Odale: Was adopted by a young couple & is teaching them about responsibility
Marley: Marley is lost, the man who adopted him dumped him at the pound & I suspect he was put down...way to go Craig
Ollie: Adopted n living a life of luxury
Nini: By the time Nini got
to me she was very sick, seiures had taken such a toll on her little body that
she only stayed with us for 3 months.. She was such a sweet beautiful girl, she
haunts my dreams, sometimes I still think I can smell her here, I don't know why
but she smelled like sugar cookies to the point that I still can't walk into a
bakery.
Siku too is epileptic,
his new dad takes him all across this country, even to Canada & Mexico with
him in his long haul truck. He is getting to be quite the little ladies man from
my latest reports... it seems he not only has the people in this country wrapped
around his paw he has got Canada & Mexico wrapped up as well. At 2 of his
favorite truck stops his treat is a T-Bone steak, not just the bone but the
whole steak & when his dad & him get a hotel room he gets his own single
bed even though he sleeps with him... my efforts to get him to adopt me too have
so far been futile
Kiko: He is a little Dynamo,
he had some living to do & he wanted to get to his people. We were at a stop
light & he was barking his head off at a couple in a car, we pulled into the
store parking lot & they pulled in behind us, I thought they must be
shopping too but they approached the car & as I was getting out my worst
fear came true, he jumped out of the car & went running... straight to
them!!! After some talk we found out that they had just lost their Eskie &
had been looking for another but didn't know if theey were ready, it didn't seem
to matter to Kiko, he was ready to begin his new life with them. He is now a
part time Washingtonian spending his winters in Arizona
Kierra came to my
house on December 15th dropped off on my doorstep, I was so angry because I
really thought it was Joy, they looked the same down to their bent ear &
single coat. After driving all the way down to Vancouver & making a fool of
myself it was obvious this wasn't my little Joy because she was right in her own
living room with her mom! What else I didn't know is that she was also very
pregnant. One of her baabies had a liver shunt and crossed the rainbow bridge
after only 3 short months with us but I cherish every day, every second &
every memory we ever had with her. Kierra was spayed & is still here with
us, losing her baby took such a toll on her little heart & she is still in
mourning which just breaks my heart thinking how she must've felt as litter
after litter of pups were torn from her.
Faith: Is now living in
Bellevue with her new parents
Hope: Is now living in
Spokane with her new parents
Love; Love graced us with
her presence for 3 beautiful sweet months then she went across the rainbow
bridge, we had her cremated & threw some of her ashes up on Tiger mountain
Charity: Is now living in
California with her new parents
Java: It is questionable as
to where Java came from, he was by far the most beautiful of the bunch, he
passed away in my arms on May 27th, 2010 exactly 1 yr to the day of the puppy
mill raid. His second to last seizure he had went completely blind, I asked him
if he wanted to go, he gave me to little kisses & laid his head on my chest,
I started to revive him but his world was terrifying enough for him when he
could see, blind it would've been sheer terror every minute of every day, so now
he is free, & he took a piece of my heart with them lie they all
have
Tolek: We call him
Tolek Tookie Tookie Tolek & he does a little dance for you, he went home on
New Years day to live out his life with Rosemary & her daughter. Tolek, I
will miss so much, he took quite a while to come around but when he did it was
like gang-busters! It's these type of dogs that relly drive home the fact that
all of these dogs should've been someone's spoiled little Prince. So many nights
he slept next to me with his little paw wrapped around my neck & I cherished
those precious moments beasue I knew this day would come when I would have to
hand him over to someone else UPDATE: Tolek was returned not once but twice by
people not willing to give him the chance or the time he
needed.
Meeko: I saved Meeko
for last because he was my boy, he was the first dog I rescued from this woman
long before the raid, he was 8 yrs old when I got him, I believe he was
someone's pet & may have been sold at auction to a life in a puppy mill, he
was so dainty yet so ferocious especially if he thought anyone was going to hurt
his momma, I got him shortly after I had my stroke & he seemed to know that
I was weak & vulnerable, there were times when I would fall & he would
run to get me a pillow which were twice his size to put under my head, he would
try with all his might & his heart to push it under my head & then he
would lay there with me until he heard one of the kids or my husbands car &
then he would bark like crazy & drag them to me. Once the full horror of
where he came from & how he was treated settled into my brain it took me
about 4 weeks to stop crying, by the time I figured it out he had already
crossed the rainbow bridge... He also died of cancer at only 9 & a half
years old
Below
is the handout that goes standard with each Eskie so that people will
know their story. It is a hard one to read, it must've been even harder
to live, now all we can do is try to give them a better life, & try
to save the thousands more in this state living in the same conditions.
Kennewick Eskies...
Imagine being held prisoner your whole life, never knowing the feeling
of a touch, a kind word, being so hungry that you would eat your own or
other's feces just to fill your belly, being crammed into a cell with
30 other prisoners just like your self in a space where you could
barely sit down let alone turn around, never being able to relieve
yourself & having to urinate & deficate on yourself & then
having to stand in this for years. This the life the dog that you are
considering getting has had.
The dogs you are inquiring about are what is termed "Death Row Dogs"
deemed as unadoptable, & so badly damaged by their past that they
are beyond repair & in some cases they may be right. I get these
kind, there's plenty of other rescues to take the cute well balanced
adoptable dogs.
I start by building up their nutrition, getting them fixed, chipped,
dewormed, deflead, & groomed. They are given Wellness puppy food,
small bites, electrolytes, pet tabs plus, premium gold vitamin &
mineral supplements, then thier dental is done which usually is very
extensive at which time their anal glands are also cleaned & their
nails done. I try to socialize them to the best of my abilities, get
them used to human touch, let them explore the feel of different
textures on thier feet, snow, grass, wood linoleum, fleece, carpet, I
give them knuckle bones so they can get rid of some tarter, but most
have no idea what to do with them at first, i get them stuffed animals
& various toys which they may or may not ever learn to play with, I
free feed all the dogs & any type of food aggression is not
tolerated, the offender is put into a kennel to watch the others eat.
When they get here they shove 4 or 5 of them into one crate & have a
nervous breakdown if the crate door is open, we try to get them to the
point where they can kennel up alone or chose for themsleves to sleep
with 1 buddy with their kennel door open.Somewhere in there we try to
get a collar, & harness on them. We also paper pad train them,
because most are still so shell shocked that they will stand at wait
for another to defecate & will eat the feces, so I stand guard to
pick up so they don't get to it, at which point I try to redirect them
to the food bowl.
I cook once a week & hand feed them so they get used to me being a
good food source, when they first get here they are fed kibble in the
same way which creates the bond we need to start with. Some of these
dogs come around fairly quickly, but most take many months for even the
smallest of accomplishments. These are not the cute little dogs you
see at the park chasing frisbees all around, these are not the
beautiful dogs that are on their way to the Eukanuba Dog show, some are
physically diminished, some of their coats may never recover, some may
never be able to go to a park. What they become or accomplish starts
with me, then ends with you & them.
Adopting one of these dogs because you feel sorry for them is wrong in
every way. They don't need sympathy, they need love, strength &
leadership from someone who has the patience to work with them. These
are not dogs you can take around & show the world "Look what I did, I
rescued a puppy mill dog" They are not trophies, they are living
breathing, thinking feeling creatures, if you have the mindset that they
are puppy mill dogs, they will remain so. If you are looking for a
companion & are willing to work on creating the masterpiece they can
become then please read on...
These dogs get along well with other dogs & cats, they are not
leash trained, when they first come to your house they will probably
have accidents everywhere because they will be disoriented, they will
also probably hide under something or stay in their crate for days,
they may bite you or nip at you if you try to push them too hard, some
have issues with urine & feces, & will pee on others or roll in
thier own or others poop, so they may not smell too wonderful, unless
your lucky enough to adopt around the time I give everyone their knock
out pills so I can wash them & do their nails. You may be overly
concerned with their personal hygiene, I am more worried about their
emotional needs & I don't want them to become addicted to narcotics
so they are only groomed or bathed once every 6 weeks, the ones I can
pick up are bathed every 2 weeks. I also choose not to leash train them
because they dont go outside as often as they should. I have between 6
to 25 dogs to care for at any given time, I also believe that it is
something you should do, because every "normal" dog LOVES to go
outside, if this is an activity he/she learns with you it a sustainable
show of positive reinforcement, it is also a great accomplishment for
you both designed to give you both confidence as a team. Your dog has a
ritual... it is called "Friday night treats" its the day I cook for
them, they can all eat off of a fork, they usually have great manners
about waiting to be hand fed. The leftovers are cut up & used for
treats for when they do a good job at something. They are not
destructive, they've learned to chew on rawhides, knucklebones, bones,
or pig ears. I don't recommend them for homes with small children or
any children under 9 yrs old,as the world is still a pretty scary place
to them & it is a recipe for disaster most times.
They have worked very hard & come so far from the terrified little
creatures who would rather sit in their own waste than come out of
their kennel, but your expectations of them have to be realistic or you
will both fail. I will support you & help you through the life of
this dog, i will also take them back at any time if you feel this is
too much. So if you're not scared out of your wits by now then please
fill out the attached adoption application & lets get you a dog!
