Tasha and Others

A cute, Golden Retriever puppy named Lucky wasn’t born lucky at all. In fact, when she came into the world, she didn’t even have a name. You see, Lucky was part of a large litter of puppies born in a puppy mill.

Lucky’s mother was used as a breeding machine. Over and over, the skinny dog had her litters of puppies. The puppies stayed crammed together in a tiny chicken-wire cage in their own waste. They were unable to stand or sit. Tightly enclosed with her brothers and sisters, Lucky tried to curl up in a little ball to make herself as small as possible, but failed every time.

When Lucky was just a few weeks old, she was shoved onto a truck, where she suffered on the long trip to a pet store. When she arrived, Lucky was advertised as a “cute Golden Retriever puppy.” Although her price tag was high, she lacked any socialization skills. She was very shy and afraid of people. Lucky stayed curled up and waited.

Soon, she was bought by a family who wanted the cute puppy with the light gold fur. Clueless about Lucky’s background, they took her home with them. Soon, the family became frustrated with the sad little puppy that never barked or played. Her eyes stayed vacant, and she didn’t respond to anyone. After only a few weeks, they took her to a street far away, and dumped her on the side of the road.

Lucky wandered in the alleys, eating little, and sleeping as she was used to, curled-up in a little ball. Somehow, she made it back to a street where a man saw her wobbling down the sidewalk. Without knowing where the golden-haired dog came from, he took her to a nearby animal shelter. There, she was given a blanket, food and water, a checkup by a veterinarian, and other dogs to play with. Lucky started to notice her surroundings.

A woman and her children came by and saw the cute puppy curled up in her cage. As they peeked into the enclosure, Lucky raised her small paw to the wires of the cage. The children mistook her gesture, and they couldn’t wait to take her out and play with her. But Lucky didn’t know how to play, and she trembled at the sound of their words.

Because she was cute, the family overlooked her strange behavior, and they quickly arranged to adopt and take her home. At first, Lucky was confused and shy, and lay quietly on the little bed that the children had made for her. She watched their movements with her forlorn eyes, occasionally wagging her tail as they knelt beside her and spoke gently, repeating her new name over and over. Lucky, Lucky dog. She was part of a loving family for the first time in her life. Lucky was finally a very lucky dog.

Note:  The puppy mill industry is booming. According to Wikipedia, there are an estimated 4,000 puppy mills in the United States that produce more than half a million puppies a year.