This
sweet-faced little miniature dachshund spent most of the first 10 years of her
life in a 3' x 4' wire cage, which she shared with half a dozen other dogs. Her
"jewelry" was a necklace of rusted chain with her mill ID number on
it and "earrings" which were metal cattle tags punched through her
ears. You can see the tears in her ears where she pulled them out. She also
wore the scar from a hot branding iron on the top of her head for her entire
life. The miller who owned her was very careful to mark his property.
"Tag 19"
was bred heat after heat, producing so many puppies that even she wasn't sure
how many she'd had. Her feet were so damaged by living on wire mesh that she
walked and stood on her leg joints rather than her pads. Later in her life, she
wouldn't be able to walk at all.
But "Tag
19" was one of the lucky ones: though after her last litter was born
blind, the miller had no more use for her, the Oklahoma Dachshund Rescue did.
"Tag 19," puppy mill breeder, became Mariah Hope, Queen of her new
home and the hearts of her adopted family. Millons of puppy mill dogs are never
rescued -- but all deserve to be a valued family member and not just a
commodity.
Mariah Hope lived
to the age of 21 years, leaving behind the legacy of her story: She asks that
you use what you might have learned from her story to educate the public to the
horrors of puppy mills and help give the dogs their freedom.
Mariah Hope's
Family wrote and illustrated a book about her life in the mill and journey out
of it. You can read how to purchase a copy at:
JB's Legacy.
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