14.3.19

Why Do People Still Buy Dogs?

Breeding dogs lead very sad lives. I hope the word gets out. If you do, I hope you’ll learn to empathize with their situation. If you don’t, then we hope you will learn something from us today, and spread the word.

Leaving the shelter, leaving the past behind.

Breeding dogs don’t get any rest since young. They are bred from their first heat, at around 6 months old, until they retire at around 6 to 8 years old. How do breeders ensure the female pup gets pregnant? They lock 2 to 3 male dogs inside a small cage with the poor girl and they take turns to rape her. That would definitely ensure she gets pregnant.

How many times has this poor dog given birth? 10 times?  How much money has she made for the breeders? Her poor tiny body has never rested 

To put it into context, that’s akin to raping a primary school kid, forced to give birth twice a year, and is only fed white rice and meat shavings for all their lives. Breeding dogs are not provided any medical treatment, and aren’t well-fed.


Rotten teeth that will need to be extracted when her health is more stable 

A growth on her eye that bleeds and will need to be removed during her sterilization

In their lives, breeding dogs would have given birth about 8 to 12 times, before breeders decide to retire them. This means giving or selling them to animal welfare groups to rehome.

Think about that for a bit.

These poor breeding dogs are then taken from the breeders straight to shelters then to adoption drives, still without medical treatment / medical checkups. Kind people who want to adopt these ex-breeding dogs actually need to be prepared to spend anything from $1000 to $5000 after they have saved the dogs by adopting it and giving it a forever home. This amount is dependent on what illness or health issues the adopted dog has. Most common conditions include pyometra, which is an infection in the uterus, rotten teeth, arthritis / stiff joints from standing in an overcrowded cage for years, skin issues from inbreeding or hip dysplasia.

Leaving the shelter, scared and confused - she had no idea what was happening 

Inbreeding also occurs. Brother is mated with sister, mother, with son.

Imagine doing that to your very own family. Would you be comfortable with that? When inbreeding happens, your offspring will be affected, too.

"You're going to a new family today."

"What's a family? Why must I go?"

These poor breeding dogs have no idea what a family is. They have not known love during their short little lives.

Meet Tiny, a breeding dog, who I brought home today. I brought her to the vet for a full medical checkup because she has not been given any medical care at all. 

She will need to be sterilized, she is constantly drooling because she has rotten teeth that need to be extracted and her gums are sore. After the dental treatments, she may have just 4 to 6 teeth left. She has a growth on her left eye that bleeds and that needs to be removed. She has a skin tag / cyst on her left rump and this needs to be removed as well although this isn't life threatening.


Her teeth are so badly decayed that one tooth fell out while she was eating 

That's way too many things to be addressed in one surgery so we would need to prioritize as ideally a dog shouldn't be under GA for more than 2 hours, or her health is put at risk.

She is about 10.55kg, and is overweight. But she hasn’t been eating well and enough. Where is all this weight coming from? By being forced to stand all day with minimal movement, and being fed only white rice, which is extremely unhealthy.

Again. Imagine it for yourself.


Shaving off all her fur so we can see the condition of her skin, check for sores etc 

The first night in her new home, she stood and stared at nothing for 3 hours before sitting down to stare blankly for another 3 hours before finally falling into a light sleep. She must have been locked in a cage so small that she only had space to stand and sleep. Given more space, she had no idea how to behave.

Her tired, overworked body looks like a cow, with dangling tits almost touching the floor. She drools constantly because her teeth are so rotten, she needs dental treatment, and soon. However, years of giving birth and being fed a poor diet has made her severely anaemic and she can't yet undergo a surgery until her body is in a more stable condition. X-ray also revealed she has an enlarged spleen and liver. 


Look at her sagging tits on her poor abused body
Her joints are stiff and painful and her paws so rough it feels as if she has walked miles but in actual fact, she never even got to walk. It's rough from standing in a metal cage all her life.

Part of her tongue is missing because she gets into fights with the other dogs for food. Or the lack of it. Her tongue hangs out semi-permanently because most of her front teeth are missing from a lifetime of poor nutrition.


Part of her tongue bitten off during a dog fight where they fought for food cos there wasn't enough 

She is estimated to be about 8 years old. She has been treated like this for most of her life now.

She cowers when we walk past her because she has been rough-handled so much that she is so fearful yet when we squat down, she literally leopard crawls to us to be patted.

Think about how sad this is. To fear humans, and yet to crave for their love, affection, and be so eager to please. Is your heart breaking already?


Skin tag / cyst on her left rump will be removed during her sterilization 

I call her and talk to her but she behaves like a deaf dog, she only responds to dogs barking because that's the only sound she has been surrounded by and is used to, incessant dogs barking in the breeding farms.

"Are you deaf?"

"I didn't know you were talking to me, no one has ever talked to me. Please be patient with me, teach me gestures and sign language first."

When I first laid eyes on her, I was told she was a Schnauzer. I laughed.
Which part is Schnauzer? She had been at the kennels since September 2018. No one seemed to be keen on her because she was supposedly noisy and didn't look like a pure breed. The other dogs such as the Corgis, Spitz and Shetland Sheepdogs literally had people fighting over them. This little dog was in the kennel, jumping on her painful hind legs for attention but no one even bothered to pat her. Always one for underdogs, I decided I would take her.


Over weight from lack of walks and eating white rice 

What breed are you?

"I don't know. I'm different from the rest."

I believe she is probably a mixed terrier of sorts.

From now onwards, your name is TINY.

"The name makes no difference to me."

How sad to not have a name or identity all their lives and to be used only as a sex worker, helping the breeders get rich.

Now you must be thinking, so many problems, why would someone adopt an ex-breeding dog? Fortunately we have kind dog lovers around and these days, with more awareness on puppy mills, more such dogs are given opportunities and a second chance in life.

For now, rest your tired little body

The road to rehabilitation can be long but patience and love conquers all.

A lot of socialization is also needed to teach your new dog how to behave like a normal dog. And the icing on the cake? These dogs are often so sweet, submissive, eager to please, you wonder how evil humans could have taken advantage of them, used and abused them.

And why did I choose to adopt an ex-breeding dog? Because I have the capacity to make her smile. Maybe not immediately but in time.

TINY, today is the beginning of a life worth living.