My Footsteps, Through A Puppy Mill

Nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed that day. Nothing could have prepared me for the sights I would see and the stench I would smell. My heart was pounding under T-shirt and my legs were shaking. I was undercover, and my name for the time being was, "Nicole". I am pretending to purchase puppies. My mind is racing, I have to stay focused. It began in the first building we entered. The lighting was very poor but well enough for me to see the horrid conditions the cries were coming from. The smell was so bad that it made you gag. The ammonia from the urine stung my eyes and blurred my vision. There were dogs everywhere crammed into small wooden boxes that were no more than 5x3x3 in size. In each of these boxes there were anywhere from 2-3 dogs small dogs, with some having more. The mad rush of tiny paws raced to the end of the boxes for me to touch. Boxes full of Chihuahuas. Boxes full of Maltese and Malti-poos. A box full of Yorkie-poos, another full of Shih Tzus, all tiny, sickly and very pregnant. Line after line of these makeshift boxes in a small building with no windows and ventilation. The owner reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small bottle of Vicks Vapor Rub. He smears some under his nose, and with an outstretched hand he offers me some. I smile at him, and dab some under my nose too. I left that building and walked around to the next building where there were larger dogs outside. They were in mud holes with empty food & water dishes, covered in the urine and feces they were forced to live in. As I walked by, they all stood on their hind legs, begging for me to come and give them a soft touch of a human hand. I walked into the next building....there were puppies, puppies and more puppies in rabbit type cages made of chicken wire. There were tiny ones from Tea-cup York Shire Terriers to very large Boxers. The large dogs did not have the space to turn around, not to mention lay down. I went into the 4th building, each one seemed worse. There were dogs that were very ill and needed vet care. There were dogs with blinded eyes, dogs with broken jaws, and dogs that hobbled on three legs. The sight of one Boston Terrier will stay with me forever. Her eye was so swollen with infection it hung out of her head, the size of a plum. Many of the Boston's had severe 'cherry eye'. Other small non-shedding type breeds were just so matted or full of mange it was difficult to distinguish what breed they were. Adult dogs were fighting, with many wounds and infections. There was just no end to the horrors and the stench. I just wanted so badly to free them all.....today. It would have to wait. These dogs are treated worse than our most dangerous criminals, yet they have done nothing wrong. I wish everyone who has ever purchased a puppy from a Pet Store could have walked those footsteps with me through those dark, dingy sheds. How these puppy millers sleep at night I will never understand. For I know each night I go to bed, I still see those visions when I close my eyes. I whisper to them, "I will be back".