If only every puppy had this love
Recently I shared the story of Lara, a pregnant dog saved from a puppy farm whose ten puppies have been hand-reared by staff and volunteers at the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre. It’s been a gruelling 5 weeks of intensive care, dedication, worry and hard graft. I’ve been collecting experiences from some of those involved for a Schnauzerfest project and will be publishing more this coming week. I found these words especially moving and honest.They’re from Gary, one of the members of staff who have devoted many hours to saving their lives.
These are the words of a rescuer who sees day in, day out, up close the suffering of dogs saved from puppy farms. Gary has seen many dogs arrive in shocking states and knows first-hand how special it is to save from a puppy farmer the lives of 10 puppies and their mum.
“Caring for puppies can be an extremely rewarding activity both physically and mentally. But it can also be one of the most gruelling, tiring and sometimes heartbreaking things you can do.
Everybody loves puppy cuddles but at 4am when you’ve been trying to get a pup to take a bottle for 45 minutes with no luck, honestly, they’re not so appealing; especially when you have a full days work shift starting at 8.30 ahead of you, but you do it. You do it because you love it, you do it because they need it and you do it because their mother can’t.
Seeing their faces and personalities grow is amazing. Going from tiny mole like creatures to fully formed features of the dog they will one day become is worth every second of missed sleep and grumpiness. Seeing their reaction when they hear a voice they recognise is all the proof I need that we make a difference.
The horror these mothers go through in puppy farms is heartbreaking, so to be able to give Lara the respite of looking after her babies, is a tiny fraction of what we owe her. We owe her as humans for what mankind has put her through. I for one am proud of myself and those around me that gave up their time (mainly nights) voluntarily to help these babies have a place in this world.
I pray one day there will be no need to rescue breeding bitches and stud dogs as they, along with the puppy farms they come from will be a distant memory in the history of the human race.”
If you would like to support the work of DBARC and help them to pay for Lara and her puppies bills, donations can be made by visiting the Schnauzerfest website HERE
