And now for something completly different....

Meet our newest rescue..... Latika Masala Boston

She is a full grown teacup poodle. She is 10 inches tall and weighs 4.12 pounds. ( She "might" weight a little more now. She gets lots of treats!)

Tika was a breeder release from a puppy mill. Meaning; she lived in deplorable conditions and was forced to breed litter after litter of puppies until she could not breed anymore. Tika was one of the "fortunate" ones. When she could no longer breed she was released to Latichia Duffy of Halfway Homes in Collins Mo.

For those that don't know, Missouri is one of the states that doesn't enforce its rules about commercial breeding facilities. Puppy mills ARE illegal, but little has been done to seek out these mills or to put a stop to the industry. ( It's very common for dogs to have their vocal cords severed by shoving a metal pipe down their throats so the mill isn't as easily discovered.)

Latchia explained to me that the majority of these dogs are killed in a variety of horrible ways OR dumped in the middle of nowhere to die after they can no longer produce. These dogs experience little to no positive human contact, they spend their lives in tiny wire cages, with wire floors outside in the elements. The medical conditions that plague these puppies are astounding and include horrible teeth, missing jaws, lost limbs, genetic conditions from bad breeding.

Tika is a very lucky puppy. Her teeth, for the most part are ok. She has retained her vocal cords, although she rarely barks. She has all her limbs and as far as we no carries no genetic abnormalities other than a heart murmur.

She loves social contact and is VERY VERY attached to her human family now. ( In fact I carry her around the house in a baby sling, I'm a sucker, I know!) When I am not at work she is with me. She comes with us everywhere we can take her, including art gigs.

Its 2 ply, but it ain't no mega roll......

A ferret sized dog? Sure, why not?

Unfortunately, until people stop buying dogs at pet stores the puppy mills wont stop abusing dogs. Even if a pet store says their animals are not from a mill, they most likely are. Puppy mills are NOT limited to small toy dogs, BIG dogs are also frequently raised in puppy mills.

If you want to adopt a pet, always check the animal shelters and pet finder first. You never know what you are buying from a pet store or what you hell you are contributing too.

You can see the animals for adoption from Halfway Homes at http://www.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?shelterid=MO508

Another great KC rescue is LL Dog Rescue. They specialize in small breeds and puppy mill rescues. You can visit their website at http://www.lldogrescue.org/ You can see a list of their adoptable pets at http://www.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?animal=&breed=&age=&size=&specialNeeds=&declawedPets=&children=&status=A&id=&internal=&contact=&name=&shelterid=MO77%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&sort=&preview=1

If you want to get rid of an animal, contact a rescue group. NEVER list a pet for re-homing on Craig's List. ( As Kathy from LL Dog Rescue explained to me, most dogs given away on Craig's list in the KC Area end up as Pit Bull bait.)

" I'm protected by a family of panthers now, just try to hurt me again!!! I am no longer defenseless and my daddy will eat your face off!!!"