Terrier Club Rescue Forum This is what you get back when you rescue.   Click to vote for your favorite post  From:  Message: Phoenix, "really mom." Feb 04, 2009 at 13:12 This is what you get back when you rescue. LOVE... When the shivering 11-pound ball of fur was taken from the truck, she didn't have a name. She might have had a number at some point, but no name. It wouldn't have made a difference. She wouldn't have known to lift her head if someone called her. But she has a name today. It's Violet. In fact, it's "Queen Violet Josephine Antoinette Ruvin." And now she has a life filled with something she never dreamed of. Love. Violet, a 4-year-old miniature schnauzer, is a survivor of the Puppy Haven puppy mill in Markesan, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Violet was one of 1,630 dogs rescued when the Wisconsin Humane Society bought the mill, once among the largest dog breeding facilities in the United States, and shut it down last summer. The closure was an unprecedented action by a local humane society, and it made international news. Now people around Violet say her story is a lesson about the power of kindness. First things first: A name When Wisconsin Humane Society workers found her, Violet was caged in a dark, corrugated-steel building. Her 3-by-4-foot enclosure had only a wet concrete floor. She had no bedding to lie on. Her fur was matted with feces. Society officials suspect that she had known just one reason for human touch: to be held down while bred. "She likely had at least four litters," said humane society spokeswoman Angela Speed. When any of the humane society's rescue personnel tried to pet Violet, the only move she made was to hold her tail tight against her body. Violet arrived at the humane society on Oct. 8 in a truck with 40 other dogs. Whatever life she'd had before had wounded her so badly she was among the worst cases to come from Puppy Haven. "What we would call her was 'shut down,' " said Natalie Zielinski, humane society behavior program manager. "She had no experience with the real world. She could have been hurt or physically abused, and the dogs learned in the puppy mill that when people approached them to flatten themselves. They're so afraid they melt to the ground." At the humane society, the little dog went through the same protocol as other Puppy Haven rescues. First, she got a name. "That's so the dog became an actual living creature in our facility, no longer a piece of livestock," Zielinski said. "When we speak to the dog by name, we give it treats. It's a nice, calming, relaxing word they associate with the treat." Why "Violet"? Said Speed: "She looked so shy, like a shrinking violet." The name was the first in a series of new experiences for Violet. Her fur was too tangled to allow her to walk, so Portable Pet Groomers of Milwaukee volunteered to come to the humane society to bathe her and gave her a schnauzer-esque cut. Veterinarians performed a medical checkup, which she passed, though she will have to have teeth pulled at some point because of her poor diet at the puppy mill. Then humane society experts evaluated her to learn more about her behavior. It turns out that shrinking though she was, Violet had a great personality. "We brought her into the evaluation room and let her sniff around," Zielinski said. "We watched how long it took her to become interested in her new environment, and it only took her three minutes" - a good sign. To find out if she was aggressive over food, they used a plastic hand on a stick to push Violet's head away from a bowl of food to see if she'd bite. "She was fine," Zielinski said. Paralyzed by fear But whatever suffering Violet experiencred at Puppy Haven went deep. The day after her arrival, Speed and a reporter took her outside for the first time in her life. The dog that had never walked on grass froze and curled down into a ball. After a few minutes she could be coaxed into taking only two steps, and then she froze again, her back legs wobbling like noodles. "She's not disabled," Speed said. "She's just terrified." The next day humane society volunteers started working with Violet. More than 350 volunteers helped the Puppy Haven dogs socialize, and several read aloud to Violet, books from Dr. Seuss to Buddhist theology - anything to bring soft, human voices into her world. The next day humane society veterinarian Jane Pohlman spayed Violet. When she came out of the surgery, she'd regressed. She wouldn't get off her blanket or accept a treat. Humane society workers began to worry about her. "We called her our sad girl," Speed said. Story on next post. Phoenix, "really mom." Feb 04, 2009 at 13:13 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. A new leash on life However, Violet's luck was about to change. On Oct. 17, Ali Ruvin stopped in at the Wisconsin Humane Society to give a donation in memory of a friend's dog. Ruvin saw a picture of Violet posted among the Puppy Haven survivors. "She looked like she needed the most amount of help," Ruvin recalled. She filled out an adoption application and walked over to meet Violet. Violet shook when Ruvin and her children - Maddie, 9, Jack, 8, Joey, 5, and Gabrielle, 2 - entered her cage. "I had warned her that the Puppy Haven dogs were shy. So everyone was quiet and Ali held her hand out to Violet," said humane society adoption counselor Sarah Wolfram. But the magic connection had already been made. "I didn't even touch her before I decided to take her," Ruvin said. "I sat down in her kennel, and she crawled out of her little bed. Her legs wouldn't allow her to stand up she was so scared. I fell in love with her. Then she started to lick our hands. She was such a soulful creature." It was a once-in-a-lifetime match for the Ruvins and for Violet. "We talk in our house how you're supposed to treat animals," Ruvin said. "We wanted a dog that would teach them something." The Ruvins heard about socializing techniques and got a "shy dog kit" from the humane society that included a heartbeat pillow that has a constant thump "so Violet thought she had other dogs with her," Wolfram said. Then the Ruvins went home. Violet went with them. Finally, a wagging tail At her new home in the Milwaukee area, Violet had a crate to stay in, but unlike at Puppy Haven, the door was never locked. The Ruvin kids learned not to overwhelm the little dog and to speak in quiet voices around her. Many bits of bologna exchanged hands/paws. After about a week, a minor miracle occurred. The tail Violet held so tightly against her body broke out in a wag. After 10 days, her legs began to support her. These days, a visit to the Ruvin household begins with a greeting at the door by Violet. She wears a pink collar "because she's a queen, and she needs something pink," Ruvin said. The dog runs down the hallways, checking out family doings, being picked up and hugged by the Ruvin kids. She has learned to climb stairs to inspect every room. She devotes much of her day to lap time on the Ruvin couch. 'So eager to please us' "They told us she wasn't housebroken, but she's doing great now," Ali said. "She's so eager to please us." Violet is still learning how to be a family dog. Never having had a toy, she doesn't know what they're for, and she watches a ball being tossed in the air with no idea of what to do with it. The Ruvins are working to help her understand the concept of fun. And 24/7, the little dog gives back. "She has a calming effect on everyone in the family," Ruvin said. "She's such a great experience for the kids," who have learned much about patience and gentleness from the furry waif. Tuffstuff Feb 04, 2009 at 14:02 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. This brings tears to my eyes as that's what our Gracie Lou went through before we adopted her. She had a string around her neck with the number 9 on it. She was filthy dirty, she didn't even look white. She had to have 5 teeth pulled and her one ear doesn't stand up straight due to all of the scar tissue from untreated ear infections. She's still hestitant with some things and doesn't like changes in her routine, but she's a much different little dog now! She still won't play with toys, but does play with our other dogs and of course rules the house! Bless all those who take in and care for as well as adopt rescues. Linda Feb 04, 2009 at 15:27 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. So very happy for Violet, it does make you want to cry. Do you have any more pictures of her? God bless this loving family. Linda Katy Feb 04, 2009 at 16:12 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. Wow...what a touching story...I don't know if it is possible to hate puppymills even more than I already do...but I do - what a great shelter to buy them out and to help all of those dogs. Thanks for sharing the story! Jen Zoe, Tucker & Mommy Feb 04, 2009 at 16:24 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. I couldn't help but tear up as I read Violet's story. When I hear these stories, it makes me wonder what our sweet Tucker had to endure for almost the first 2 whole years of his life. Thank goodness for the happy ending for Violet, as well as for our Tucker. They'll never have to worry about being cold or hungry or mistreated again. These little rescue pups are so sweet. I think they're just happy to be loved. Kelsey, Furby and Shelby Feb 04, 2009 at 16:30 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. just makes you want to hold her and tell her life is better than what you had. What a wonderful lesson for these children to learn ans what love to get back from a sweet girl. May they pass it on to their children in the future and how wonderful for them to take a chance on Violet in the first place.. Makes me appreciate mine even more for not having been in that situation. ama & Linda Feb 04, 2009 at 17:22 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. What a tear jerker story. Makes me think of my Amy and Alex and the suffering they went through in the mill for 5 years of their lives. So glad violet is safe now. Linda Phoenix, "really mom." Feb 04, 2009 at 18:08 Another story Another little Westie's story. This one was posted here on the Terrier Club. It told of how she had puppies under a year, its stated how messed up she was when the rescue's got her she was completely matted and covered with feces and urine. She had an ulcerated eye; canine teeth broke off; and a ruptured uterus. she had urine burns on her feet. The little girl with the broken teeth would turn her little face to the wall whenever a human walked into the room. On the outside and the inside she had been harmed and many in rescue wondered if they were serving any justice by keeping her alive in her mental torment. I could not get this one with the ruptured uterus out of my mind - she had been bred too young. It had ruptured at some point and adhered to her bladder. She had extensive surgery to repair the damage the careless breeders caused her and she only saw rescue’s help as yet one more invasion to her already tortured body. But you just couldn’t give up on her. Even when I was told they had people who wanted her. I went to sleep with her on my mind. I wanted to send things to her so she could have something that came from me, in hopes that some way she would know I wanted her. When I was told it looked like she had a forever home and she would be called Sadie, I felt like someone had taken her away from me, for you see in my heart she belonged to me. Then one day there was a email message waiting for me, among all the words that were written I only saw these five words, "do you still want Sadie?" It explained how the family could no longer adopt Sadie for one reason or another, but all I kept reading was, "Do you still want Sadie?". DO I? I was on the phone at once making plans for the day she would be well enough to travel. After talking it over with my family, we decided to rename her Faith, for when you would hear her name it will remind us to have ‘Faith’ for a better tomorrow when all the puppies still locked up in puppy mills are freed! Then and now, I told her that first day I saw her I would take care of her and no one would ever hurt her again. Pictured below is how her feet looked, and her eye. But we all know our Faith today by those eyes, they still can melt my heart. Kelsey, Furby and Shelby Feb 04, 2009 at 18:50 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. I remember Eve and I think that is why we love Faith so much. Furby sends ear nibbles to his sweet little one... Toto Feb 04, 2009 at 19:42 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. What touching stories of rebirth! Zoe, Tucker & Mommy Feb 04, 2009 at 19:46 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. What a beautiful, moving story of Faith. She is special girl and so pretty too. Lyn and Kirby Feb 05, 2009 at 14:02 Re: This is what you get back when you rescue. I'm sitting here crying as I read these stories - - stories of love that has been provided to these pups. I'm saddened and so sickened to know that "humans" can be so unloving and unfeeling - - - - Thank God for you to have rescued these little ones.

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