"Simon is one of the lucky ones. He came from the most deplorable of conditions into a loving family that recognized and was able to take care of his hereditary problems. He has a 95% chance for a full and complete recovery. He is a wonderful guy and we wouldn't trade him for anything.
That doesn't excuse the situation into which he was born. He was born in a puppy mill. Created by people who had no respect for the quality of his life, their only concern being how much money they would make selling him. Living the first 8 weeks of his life in filth with no human interaction. Being sold to a company who shipped him across the country like mail in the back of a semi-truck. Slowly developing a hereditary disease that left unfixed would cripple him by the time he was 2 years old.
He never should have been born. It is hard to say, sitting here looking at him, because I cannot imagine life without him, but it is true. Some good, though, has come out of his birth. He has managed, through his pain, to help educate a few more people about the terrible conditions these animals are born into, and he has helped create, in myself and my husband, some new crusaders in the fight against puppy mills. Because the people that participate and encourage, in ANY manner, the horrible breeding processes that exist in these mills need to be stopped.
And every day, I will look into the bright eyes and happy face of this wonderful dog, who has undergone so much pain, and promise over and over again to make a difference. He has the spirit of a warrior and the heart of a champion and we WILL make a difference and give purpose to the pain he has endured."
------Simon's "Mom" |
