One look into Scout's big brown eyes and I knew, Scout had something to say to me and all who would listen. On the outside, and wrapped in a blanket, Scout could be any little Yorkie. Until you put him down on his feet to walk you don't realize the challenges he's lived with his entire life.
But I am getting ahead in Scouts' story..we need to go back to his beginning.
Scout originally was a Puppy Mill puppy. He was bred by a puppy mill breeder in Baltic, OH. Why is the town and State so important to this story? It is so important for people to know...Baltic, OH is home to the Farmersmarket Barn Auction. This is a Puppy Mill Auction that holds auctions for Puppies from Puppy Mills several times yearly.
This is the place where the Millers' get paid for the suffering they put their dogs through to produce their cash crop. Crate after crate of puppies line the aisles, and back areas of this 'barn' auction. This is also a place to get rid of any 'mistakes' they had in breeding. Those dogs are generally penned together as the 'trash' dogs and are sold for a dollar or included in 'lots' to make the deal sweeter for the buyer.
These auction are purely for the Millers. The general public is not invited to these auctions. In fact, you are searched at the gate to make sure you are not carrying a camera or video camera. They do not want anything being publicized from the auction.
Scout was purchased by a Puppy broker. A Puppy broker normally sells their dogs online to unsuspecting people who do not know how the Puppy Mills operate. The puppies are bought at auction. Then transported to the buyers' site to be sold online. All you will ever see is the cute little cuddly puppy you see advertised online. You will not see the suffering, neglect, horrible conditions, their parents live in day in and day out.
There are very few Puppy Millers who keep the kind of lineages needed to insure proper breeding of these dogs. What happens frequently is family dogs are kept in the same cages and such as mothers and sons and they end up breeding together to produce offspring. A minor oversight to the breeder. A major medical problem for the dog and you.
It's a good arrangement for people looking to make money on the suffering of so many dogs being held in Puppy Mills. The Puppy broker who purchased Scout, paid for him and then advertised this cute little puppy for sale on their website. Checking the website that sold Scout to his new owner, they deny any connection with Puppy Mills. They guarantee their puppies free of any congenital defects. They actually guarantee their customers so much...how can you go wrong purchasing a cute little puppy from this great group of people who only buy their puppies from reputable breeders? Indeed...
The owner took Scout to the vet when he was 14wks old. The reason why, I can not find out due to the records not being available to me. I would have to have owner approval to open the records and get any previous medical information for Scout. It would be invaluable information to know what indicators the new owner had about any medical issues at that time. It would show how soon his symptoms started showing.
Scout was born on 11/6/2008. In October of 2010, there was an ad on Craig's List for 'Free to Good Home' and Scout was posted on the site for anyone to just come and pick up. The owner no longer wanted to keep him. Just 2mo prior I can see in his vet paperwork, he had acquired another dog puppy. I believe Scout's owner found out about Scouts' medical condition, his prognosis, and his care. The owner did not want to care for Scout on this level of care and decided to give him away rather than keep him and care for him.
One of our FOHA rescue volunteers saw him on Craig's list as an owner surrender and she did go and pick Scout up from the owner. There is no looking back for our Scout now...
I would like everyone who reads Scout's story to please listen to the message contained in his story. Never purchase a puppy from an online retailer of puppies. There is a 95% chance you are buying a Pupppy Mill dog.
The online retailer will make themselves seem like they have the rolling hills of green, green grass and a perfect country breeding atmosphere, when all along...the truth is the puppies were born into a cesspool of squalor and hopelessness for the parents.
Most pet stores have had to stop buying from Puppy Mills due to the people learning about Puppy Mills. What most people don't know is how those same puppies are now being sold online.. Please tell everyone you know...Do not buy online. Adopt your next puppy or dog from a rescue. There are so many dogs and puppies being euthanized due to no where to go...there will never be a shortage of dogs to adopt. You can find dogs of Pure Breed of almost any breed by just contacting the breed rescue of the type dog you are looking for.
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