...To Help Put an
End to Puppy Mills!
"Yankee
Dooley went to Thorp a-riding in a dog cage...." Only, he had a different
name then, and a number; no cute hat, no soft, fluffy bed to sleep on, no one
to care whether he lived or died except for the puppies he could help make and
the money he helped bring in.
Dooley's
owner sent the obviously sick, worn-out stud papillion up from Iowa to be
auctioned off at the 10 March 2007
Thorp Dog Auction, to try
to make a last few dollars off him. However, the little dog was in such
terrible shape that the USDA inspector pulled him from the auction.
We
can't say for sure what would have happened to him, but it's a pretty good bet
that the little guy wouldn't have survived the day -- he may even have shared
Rascal's fate and been thrown out
with the trash. Luckily, a rescuer pursuaded Dooley's owner to let her take
this worthless castoff.
That's
Dooley's "rescue photo," at the top of the page. You can click on it
to see a larger view. Even in this thumbnail, though, the first things you'll
notice are his scraggly little legs and that pink tongue sticking out. No,
Dooley wasn't trying to look comical or making a social comment -- with every
tooth in his mouth either abcessed or completely rotten, he could NOT retract
his tongue into his mouth!
Between
the agony of infection raging through his jaws and burning up his body, a
hernia, and the horrible existence he had endured up to this point, his
attitude at the time of his rescue was, "I just wish I were dead."
Dooley
was only five years old. Five years old and already done with life.
But
what a difference love and care can make: We are told that after just one week,
he began greeting his foster mom with a sparkle in his eyes! When he wagged his
tail for the very first time, she cried tears of happiness. As she says,
"He still gets it! He still knows he's a dog, that life isn't full of
misery and pain and that (some) people can be trusted."
Dooley
has discovered the joy in life, and his new photos glow with it. His hair is
long and silky; he flits around like the butterfly that gave his breed its
name. His mouth closes over his tongue now; every one of his teeth had to be
pulled to save his life, but that just left him with a wise, Mona Lisa-like
smile. He's even a bit on the plump side, thanks to all that good, nourishing
soft dog food.
Now,
Dooley is celebrating HIS freedom from the "breeding facility"
where he lived the first years of his life by asking everyone to help put an
end to puppy mills and grant that same freedom to the tens of thousands of dogs
still suffering in them.
He's
even commissioned some Yankee Dooley posters that you may print, post on
bulletin boards or windows, hand out at protests and fair booths and anyplace
else you can think of, to Help Get the Word Out. He hopes his face will make
you smile -- and that his message will make you think.
Each
poster features "Yankee Dooley's" photo, a different "Stop the
Abuse!" message, and our URL for further information. Click on one of the
four links below to download. You will need Acrobat Reader to view the posters;
if you don't already have this installed, you can get it for free from the link
below.
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