Year after year, our rescue efforts have a transformative impact on the lives of homeless animals and the people who love them. On a special mission this spring – one of several conducted through our ongoing partnership with National Mill Dog Rescue – we saved the lives of 50 dogs and puppies, including a beautiful 7-year-old Golden Retriever named Darla, whose trauma encapsulates both the cruelty of commercial breeding facilities and the power of nurturing to provide hope.
Saved as part of a National Mill Dog Rescue mission in February that included 50 small breed dogs, young Tillie had already proven herself to be a survivor. Life in a commercial breeding facility, like the one Tillie was rescued from, typically means inhumane conditions where dogs are treated solely as commodities. We were thankful to have this sweet Silky Terrier girl in our care, and shortly realized her condition was more complex. Though barely a year old herself, Tilly was pregnant. Given her young age and diminutive size, we knew that it was possible she could struggle with delivery.
Two-year-old, Pittie mix Alice was late in her pregnancy and left to fend for herself in a house in Georgia, while her body struggled to nourish the large litter of pups she carried inside her. It was a life-threatening time for her to be abandoned. Thanks to the compassion from her neighbors, Alice had food for four days. Once these kind strangers realized that no one was coming back for her, they called Animal Control, and it was in the nick of time.
First thing you might notice about four-year-old Calico Aja is her beauty, but make no mistake. Aja has the fight to survive. Rescued from homelessness in West Virginia, this stunning cat was pregnant when she arrived to us. We didn’t know how critical being in the safety of Animal League America’s Nursery would be for her. Aja’s delivery was complicated when one of her six kittens became stuck in her birth canal.