Vida’s past

Author’s note: If you read or share just one of the blog posts on Dog Souls, I hope it’s this one. I wish more people knew the truth about the dog breeding industry.

Catch up on episodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the story.

Vida was used for breeding. You might have idyllic images of what that was like, especially when you see the adorable puppies for sale in pet stores or on websites. Breeders often market their businesses as farms, giving the idea that the dogs run free, play all day, and are doted on by the breeders.

The reality is far different. While there are dog breeders who give their dogs good care, many do not. There is strong demand for adorable purebred or designer puppies, and many breeders “produce” puppies on a large scale, and sell them for fat profits with little regard for their health and wellness.

For the first eight years of her life, Vida lived in a puppy mill, which is a facility that keeps numerous dogs in cages and uses them to repeatedly breed puppies. Sadly, many puppies come from mills, and the dogs used for breeding endure horrific cruelty. Most of the puppies eventually end up in family homes, but the breeding dogs are trapped – confined and abused. And when they can no longer produce puppies, they are discarded, sometimes in horrible ways.

Exploring her new world after her rescue. Because she spooked easily, Vida wore two leashes for safety. She relied on mentor dogs to teach her normal dog behavior.

Because of my work in animal welfare, I was able to learn a lot about Vida’s breeding facility. I researched the breeder and talked with a rescuer who visited Vida’s mill undercover, who provided me with detailed information and photos of her in her cage. There were multiple undercover investigations over the years, so I learned a lot by reading the reports and watching video footage, studying legal documents, reviewing media coverage, and by talking to attorneys who fought to have the breeder’s business shut down and the dogs seized.

Vida was one of over 150 dogs who were owned by a breeder in Michigan. He advertised himself as reputable, but conditions in his puppy mill were inhumane. He kept Vida in an outdoor cage. There was no roof over the cage, so on hot summer days she baked in the heat. All winter long she stood on ice and snow. On the cold rainy days when we all want to be inside under a blanket, Vida was outdoors, shivering and wet. 

The rescuer I spoke with said there was no source of running water outdoors at the facility, so the dogs often had none. Imagine having to endure sweltering summer days without a steady supply of fluids to drink.

Reports by investigators described dogs confined to small cages outside, filled with snow and mud. They were given only a few handfuls of straw in their dilapidated doghouses, which were often soaked in urine. Video footage shows dogs shivering in the elements. The windchill was recorded as zero degrees the day one investigator was there, and the dogs’ water was frozen. When given water, the dogs drank desperately, some for more than sixty seconds.

The investigator reported that the dogs were given no opportunities for stimulation or exercise. Unsurprisingly, they showed signs of extreme psychological distress, turning in endless circles. 

We assume that Vida was also physically abused, because for years when she saw people she would hide in fear. Long after we adopted her, if we moved the wrong way she cowered or fled, sure she was about to get hit or kicked. And anything with a stick terrified her – shovels, rakes, even people in the park with hockey sticks.

Vida grew very agitated if her hips were touched, presumably because she was held down and confined, perhaps when she was forced to breed.

The owner of Vida’s puppy mill was videotaped cutting off puppies’ tails and dewclaws (which have bones in them, like a human thumb) with no pain medicine. The puppies would scream in pain and fear, but their mothers could do nothing to protect them.

An investigator stated that they worked undercover at the mill for nearly three months, and never saw the owner touch the dogs, with the exception of him removing a deceased dog from the cage in which she had died.

***

In 2013, after a court battle, the breeder had his dogs removed, and Vida and the other dogs were freed. A national organization cared for the dogs temporarily and reached out to humane societies in several states, asking for their help. For Vida, it was the first step in a difficult recovery from years of trauma.

Vida’s new life was beginning, but it was not the end of her puppy mill. The owner was shut down and had dogs seized at least three times over the years, but each time, he started his business right back up without consequences.

In at least once instance, the county sheriff refused to act despite being provided with video footage and photos of the cruelty that was happening, even after a rescue group offered to relocate the dogs. There is video footage of the breeder meeting with the sheriff and leaving his office smiling and sneering, knowing he was off the hook once more.

Vida was freed from his abuse, but the impact it had on her was permanent.

To be continued…