Rescue Dog origins

Hi all,

My partner and I just drove to Mass border on the weekend to take possession of our new dog. He is an adoption dog, a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier to be specific.
The WIN organization called after I registered to say they had a recent Mill rescue dog as part of a group they had recieved.
Beckett will be a great dog but I have my hands filled just trying to socialize him to even accept being loved. Sad but true.

My reason for joining here is fairly self-serving, I need to know that I have just truly 'rescued' a dog and not helped a puppy mill make space for more dogs.

Does anyone know of a female 'Miller' as she was described who is located in Canada about 2 hours north of Syracuse NY? These dogs would have been kept in a barn the majority of the time and by the sound of it, a fairly large number of dogs on the site.

As I stated, I thought I was rescuing a dog that had been taken from a Miller's location by force and therefore implied that the Miller had been closed down. I'm not so sure of that now. It may be a case where the Miller handed over the dogs to a rescue service and indeed, not have been put out of business. In that case, i just created the opportunity for this person to do even more damage and get fresher stock in the space.

I volunteer with a horse rescue organization on PEI called Sadie's Place and one of the issues I have is that when a horse is retired from racing, the horse's owner is now calling us to take care of their animals "or else it's going to auction". I do NOT consider this a rescue, but rather a shirking of responsibility for the animal's owner to take responsibility for the animal's continued care. I'm viewing this rescue of this particular dog to be the same.

Whether I pay the rescue service an adoption fee or pay the puppy mill person directly, the result is the same, there is now space open to fill with even more puppies and the problem hasn't been addressed.

LOL... am I venting.. yup. Will this group agree with me, most likely not entirely.

Beckett is now a member of our family and we're all lucky to be together, but has my actions and that of the rescue organization done what is best for the situation.

I lookforward to the replies i get in here.

Doug

I understand your turmoil in this situation.

The millers now can shed their responsibility by contacting rescues and/or shelters to take in their overstock or 'product' that is no longer profitable.

On a good note - if this option was not available, this dog would have been auctioned, sold to a laboratory or simply killed by blade, bullet or club.

Did you save a life? Yes. You are making a difference to this dog in particular. Do you have a long road ahead? Perhaps, but they can be salvaged.

Indeed you are right on the money however. We as making it easier for those turning a profit on these animals. BUT - the animal that you currently have would have perished otherwise.

You do indeed have a rescue dog but you personally have not contributed to the use of another...because another was already chosen before they let this one go.

I agree with BenMax, you did indeed rescue a dog and are allowing that dog to live a life knowing love and care, rather than neglect and illness.

I only hope that the rescue did not pay the miller and went into the mill to pull out those that were most in need of rescuing without any benefit to the miller.

The only way to stop these millers to for people to stop buying dogs and cats online and in petstores.

L4H - some rescues do 'purchase'. Some go through a broker, some use a 'middleman' to retrieve the dogs.

Personally, I do not believe in this practice, but I will not judge a rescue on this. I will however not participate in getting mill dogs in this fashion.

I have heard agruement from both sides and can understand both sides. I however cannot find peace in myself to pass money on to those that I am trying to fight.