The Story of Ruth
Her name was Ruth. She was born on June 12th, 2001. It was penciled in on a sheet of paper with no other information. Her origin of birth was Lancaster, PA, the Puppy Mill Capital of the East.
It's unknown if she was the only live birth that summer day but we couldn't help but wonder the fate of her siblings, if there had been any. Were they shipped to pet stores where ill-informed individuals paid over $1,000 to purchase them? Were they sold to other puppy mill owners who used them to produce another generation? Was it possible they didn't survive at birth or died shortly thereafter?
With some smaller dog breeds, many Caesarean deliveries are necessary when the larger headed babies make it impossible to deliver naturally through the birth canal. Since Ruth's breed is one of them, our thoughts wandered, too, to the fate of Ruth's Mom. Was she well enough to clean and nurse Ruth after she was born? Did Ruth's mom even survive in the days following the crude Caesarean performed to give Ruth life? Did Ruth ever know her mother's love? Sadly, these questions will remain unanswered, as there was only one known survivor who would have the answers. Ruth.
How could one little 10-pound Boston Terrier survive the harsh Pennsylvania winters or the dehydrating heat of the summers for five and a half years living in a cage, devoid of all the comforts that help this breed thrive? After doing an Internet search, I learned Boston Terriers are friendly and lively dogs. They have excellent dispositions and a high degree of intelligence. They are enthusiastic and occasionally rambunctious and they have a sense of humor. They are very sensitive to the tone of one's voice. This breed is most reliable with children, especially good with elderly people and very friendly with strangers. Boston Terriers make an incomparable companion. Sadly, Ruth had never been allowed to possess any of these characteristics.
When she arrived at Animal Rescue, little Ruth was frozen in fear and when approached, spasms engulfed her body. Ruth came to us with a very large scar in the center of her back. Although totally healed, it was further proof of the past horrors in Ruth's life. Even without the presence of this horrendous scar, we could easily recognize the depths of Ruth's tormented past by looking into her soulful eyes….eyes that begged to be closed permanently, for all eternity. It was evident that she was tired of trying to stay alive and tired of the pain. It was decided Ruth needed a warm, quiet area to adjust to her new surroundings. After two days, Ruth slipped into a deeper depression, stayed curled in a ball and refused food. She was physically and emotionally dead except that her heart refused to stop beating. Our concern for her life prompted us to make a return visit to the Amish puppy mill where we questioned the owner about the possible reason for Ruth's sorrow. When taken out of the puppy mill, did she leave behind a loving mate or siblings? The owner tried to assure us that that wasn't the case but we were not convinced he was being truthful. We left with yet another unanswered question to which Ruth knew the answer.
To this point in the story of Ruth, we have presented the first four paragraphs in the past tense. In doing so, we want to emphasize the fact that this WAS Ruth's past until the afternoon of January 15, 2007.
Animal Rescue, Inc. is very fortunate to have some of the most dedicated, compassionate and loving volunteers in the world. And, once again, that special person stepped forward to offer a foster home in an attempt to help Ruth find a reason to live.
Linda left that evening cuddling Ruth in her arms. Days passed with little change from Ruth but by the 4th day, something wonderful happened. Linda returned from a brief errand and was greeted with a slight tail wag, a small sign that Ruth had begun to conquer her demons. In the days that followed, more small but encouraging steps, indicated Ruth wanted to live. Linda gave her the reason to do so.
After having Ruth in her home for less than 2 weeks, Linda noticed a bulge on Ruth's side. Ruth was rushed to the vet's office. After looking into Ruth's sad eyes and listening as Linda explained that Ruth was a puppy mill survivor, this wonderful, compassionate veterinarian stated, "Linda, you're going to make me cry". Upon completing the examination, the vet explained she suspected Ruth had endured several crudely performed Caesarean's and surgery was needed to repair whatever damage had been done. Of course, she would be spayed during the procedure. Once inside this little girl's body, the vet realized the bulge in Ruth's side was actually her uterus that had penetrated 3 layers of the center muscle wall. The operation was grueling and lengthy. One of the three muscle layers actually sloughed off when repair attempts were made. Although hoping scar tissue will form to help strengthen the abdominal wall, the vet feels Ruth can maintain a good quality of life with a few restrictions and with Linda's help. So touched by Ruth's sad life and the condition of her body, the vet waived all charges for Ruth's operation.
Ruth's past life is gone forever. Even her name has been changed to eliminate all remnants of her former existence. She is now known as Madison (affectionately referred to as Maddie) and is being formally adopted by Linda. The story of Ruth has officially ended and our love, hope and dreams for Maddie's future are now all that exist.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to The Honorable Edward G. Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania, for his decision to eradicate the inhumane, cruel conditions that exist in PA's commercial kennels. He is the first Governor in the history of PA who had the courage and compassion to acknowledge and address these conditions and has vowed to eliminate the pain and suffering that has existed for decades.
Ruth’s Story was originally published inAnimal Rescue, Inc'snewsletter (2007). Permission granted by the author, Linda Hauser, to re-print.
THE PUPPY MILL CAPITAL OF THE EAST Articles and Videos
Amish Puppy Mills Puppy Mills Ruin the Family Pet Digging into the AKC: Taking cash for tainted dogs Clickherefor videos and pictures of Amish puppy mills and dog auctions. Clickherefor a 5 minute video of Pennsylvania puppy mills.
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