Puppy Mill Rescue - Spring '09

Curly Tail Pug Rescue worked for weeks with Help Save One to pull these 4 dogs from some of the worst mill conditions. These pugs are terrified of human hands. They were severely infested with fleas and other insects. Their bodies are covered in cuts, open wounds and scars. Their journey towards recovery begins with us.

Look for their full stories, slide shows and videos to be posted shortly. As usual, we will provide you with updates as we go along...as we learn...as the healing begins.

The following video is of Romeo, the only male of the four. The video was taken on day three. The 1st days the mill dogs spent in Curly Tail foster care was simply spent trying to bond. Their foster mom would lie down on the floor with food in her hand and speaking in a high yet quiet voice. All four mill dogs are petrified of human hands so teaching them that our hands will only offer love and food is very important in gaining trust.

Romeo does well with the consistency but after several hours of being alone, he quickly forgets what we are teaching him and becomes petrified at the sight of humans all over again...even his foster mom. What you see in this video is utter fear and a true struggle with fight or flight for Romeo. This video is sad but also heartwarming. You will see strong fear but by the end of the video, you will see him suddenly remember his foster mom by scent and slowly he welcomes her touch, eventually coming right in with great trust to lick her face. The fear they have is profound but the progress they are making and the forgiveness they are showing is beautiful.


The next video is of Wendy who is hugely overweight and has the most profound yet non-vocal fear of humans. This video was also taken on day three and although she is still clearly terrified, she has made remarkable progress. When Wendy first arrived and her Curly mom tried to reach out to her, she would immediately run away and try her best to melt into the floor to avoid being touched.

Most times, she would roll on her back/belly up in a fit of submission and fear. By day three, she still runs from hands and and avoids contact at all expense but she will no longer roll onto her back in "I give up" mode



Stay tuned for more updates and slide shows of the Puppy mill rescues, as we record their 1st weeks in Curly Care.