The following are letters from adoptive moms of puppy mill auction Bichons!

Subj: Snoopy (formerly known as "Weed")--becoming a happy Rescue boy
Date: 9/4/2002 5:05:04 PM Central Daylight Time
From: JediCarrie@aol.com
To: Pup3
CC: BA DEHART

Robin,

Since you are on the subject of Puppy Mill Rescues from Auctions, I thought I should let you know how our Snoopy (previously known as Weed) is doing. You put him on a plane to us in mid-May (2002). My husband Tom picked him up at the Hartford airport. We were so desperate to hug and kiss him, but he was petrified of us and everything around him. That first night at our home, we took him outside to go potty; he sat down on the grass, not knowing what to do, and cried. We cried with him.

What a difference a few months makes!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although he still shies away from people when they go towards him, he no longer runs and hides in his kennel. Snoopy often peeks around corners of rooms and sofas to see what is going on; he doesn't want to miss anything! He loves eating at our house; Tom grills almost nightly just for the dogs--they often get nice little pieces of chicken, steak or hamburger mixed in with their doggy food. Snoopy's favorite place in our house is the nice, comfy [people] bed in our master bedroom. He now rolls around on the bed, pretending to fight with the pillows, and doing "Happy Puppy". He loves snuggling down for the night w/Tom, me, Charlotte and Nicky. Sometimes he relocates to one of three doggy beds we also have in that room.

Getting Snoopy was one of the most difficult, challenging, rewarding, heartwarming experiences of our lives. I know our beloved Pierre (who went to be with God 4/24/02) is happy that we have adopted Snoopy and are giving him the best life we know how. Snoopy seems to want to make up for 'lost time'. He is trying to cram in all the new things that puppies normally experience that he missed out on being cruelly kept as a stud at a puppy mill for 5 1/2 long years. He loves to run and wag his tail outside. He just, two short weeks ago, gave his first full bark, and let me tell you, that was one of the most beautiful sounds I ever heard.

Snoopy, with Charlotte and Nicky's help, seems to finally be understanding what it means to be a D O G. Watching him discover new things each day and become more confident and happy is such a rewarding experience for me. I can't imagine it much better than this!

Let me also add part of an e-mail I just sent earlier this week to my family and friends about Snoopy:

I GAVE SNOOPY A FULL BATH TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I needed to wash little Charlotte's toes and decided to try putting her and Snoopy in the same tub at the same time, to see if he could handle it. I put both kids in, and Snoopy just looked around and watched Charlotte prance around the tub w/no water in it. Then, I added 1/4 inch of water and just let it sit there on their toes. He was still fine. I let the water out, and put a little more in this time; I did this about 4 times, putting a tiny bit more water in each time. Charlotte just kept prancing around, and Snoopy kept watching her. But he did not shake at all! Snoopy even sat down in the water after awhile, since nothing else was happening. I started sudsing up Charlotte's toes and Snoopy just watched calmly. I swirled the soapy water around him and he just stayed put.

I needed to wipe his eyes, so just used my wet fingers to gently wipe around his eyes. He looked straight at me, AND THEN PUT HIS RIGHT FRONT PAW IN MY HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, so if that wasn't a sign, I don't know what is!!!!!

I went for it, and wet him all down and tried to wash him w/the shampoo as quickly as I could before he got too scared. He was pretty good holding still, until I tried to wash under his tail. I calmed him down, and just rinsed him off.

After being rubbed down, he trotted around the Blue Bathroom wagging his tail so fast and smiling!!!! I think he has been waiting for me to bathe him so he could smell nice like his Princess Charlotte!! I couldn't believe how calm and accepting he was. What a sweetheart!!!!!!!!!! Snoopy didn't really want to be blown dry, but I held onto him long enough to get most of him blown out. What a gorgeous little boy, albeit a little overgrown!


As you can tell, my/our world pretty much revolves around our Fluffy kids. I think it is a most wonderful life.

Sincerely,
Carrie N. Soriano
One Happy Bichon Mommy :-D

P.S. Robin--please feel free to use part/all of my e-mail in a Small Paws® letter, whatever if it would help.

Subj: Fluffs
Date: 9/4/2002 4:25:23 PM Central Daylight Time
From: SRMigdol@healthmidwest.org (Migdol, Sharyn)
To: Pup3@aol.com

Dear Robin,
I just finished reading the story from Phyllis about her Ralphi. I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat while here at work. I can only imagine the joy Phyllis felt when her baby reached this milestone. I just had to write and tell you how thankful we too are with our fluff babies Sophie (formerly Savannah) and Sierra (formerly Betty Jo). We have them just over 3 months and just yesterday I brought "before" and "after" pictures to work to show off my babies. Everyone that saw the pictures couldn't believe it was the same two dogs in so short a time. They all said you could see the complete changes in their appearances. Not only do they have beautiful white fluffy coats, but most of all you can see they actually look happier and it appears they are smiling. When they first came home we had them in a large cage, but with the door open. They came out and went back in at their convenience. After just 2 days they both decided they didn't need to stay in the cage any longer and picked a spot on the side of my bed. Now, when it's time to go to sleep, they come up on the bed. I took a picture the other day of how I wake up every morning - with 3 dogs on my side of a king sized bed. Every morning I literally have to extract my body from them and squeeze out of bed. It took a while for them to take food from my hand and Sophie is now wild about popcorn. They come when called and understand when I say it's time to go out and pee and poop. I was just extremely patient with them and when they had an accident, I just calmly spoke to them and said we do that outside and not inside the house. My husband and I work all day, but they don't touch anything. There are 3 dogs and a cat in the house and although our children are grown and out of the house, my husband says it's like having 4 toddlers in the house. We call them our children!! My babies were caged for 7 years, but you'd never know it now. I'm going to try to get my husband to send the pictures to you on the computer to use on the website if you want to. You also have permission to publish our letter if you want to. We want to tell everyone what a joy these dogs are and all they want is a lot of love, attention, and caring. They deserve to live the rest of their lives in a loving environment and I tell everyone I meet to pass the word.

bj: Re: $500 Matching Challenge Donation for the Puppy Mill Auction this Weekend!
Date: 9/5/2002 9:04:24 PM Central Daylight Time
From: randp@grantspass.com (Renee)
To: Pup3@aol.com

hi robin,

about mill dogs: tulsa still does not want to be touched - buttttt - he
touches us. he gets up on the couch with me so he
can lick my toes. WOW!!!!!!!!! he greets us when we return and jumps all
over us with happiness. he then, ofcourse blitzes around the house to show
his excitement. although he shows us love in many ways, there is one way
that is special. i love to take a nap in the afternoon, which i do on the
couch. when i have been sleeping too long he
puts his paws on the couch and his face in my face and does the softest
woof, to wake me up and to be sure that i
am alright.

he is my special mill dog and i love him with all my heart.

renee

Subj: Re: Operation: Bring Them On Home (This Weekend) /Cassie update!/Okie Bichon ...
Date: 9/3/2002 5:32:11 PM Central Daylight Time
From: BICHONE 3@aol.com
To: Pup3

Hi Robin,

Well you know how I feel about the puppy mills. I will put a check in the mail for 25.00 best I can do and I hope everyone on this list will help. You see I will have my Ralphi boy 2 yrs on 10/6/02. Sat morn I was taking a break from cleaning the floors sitting at the kitchen table and I felt little paws on my leg and as I reached down to take those little paws off my leg because I was going to start my work again I realized it was my precious little puppy mill boy Ralphie. He made my heart sing, that is the first time he has gotten up on his hinds leaning on me for some attention and he did this again on Sunday when I was watching tv, I thought it was my Romeo, but no it was my sweet little boy Ralph..he wanted to come up on the chair with me...I just pet him I didn't want to startle him because he came on his own...so Robin "bring on home" because enventually they start to trust us humans and I tell you that feeling can not be matched for me seeing this little scared boy coming to me to be loved, not even the joy of seeing my grandchildren after they were born...and that is a mighty joyful feeling...

Love,
Phyllis

Subj: Lucy Bird
Date: 9/6/2002 12:07:53 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Marilyn.Buchanan@oag.state.tx.us (Marilyn Buchanan)
To: Pup3@aol.com

Ladybird, right after rescue. She is now named Lucy Buchanana

Robin, I want to update you on Lucy Bird. She is really coming around being a regular member of the gang. When I get home in the afternoons she is in the middle of the fluffs, barking, jumping up on my knees telling me hello. When I get the leashes she heads to the door and barks until I put her leash on. She is so excited to get outside. She comes to me now when I call her. The other day we were walking, her leash broke and she went running off to see one of the neighbors who was walking their big dog. I started calling to her. She go to the big dog, turned around and discovered she was not with the right people and came running back as fast as she could. Sometimes she hops like a bunny. She and Petey really love each other. They play chase in the house. Sometimes she is so happy she starts running by herself up and down the hall. She has a lot of puppy spirt in her in spite of what they did to her at the puppy mill. She is much loved and loves her new home.

Love and Prayers
Marilyn B

ubj: Nellie's Story
Date: 9/30/2002 10:37:04 PM Central Daylight Time
From: varina@plvwtelco.net (Varina)
To: Pup3@aol.com

Dear Robin
My name is Nellie and I have a story to tell. I didn't always have a name. I had a number. I was born in Missouri (or as Robin says - Misery). I was cute tiny and female. The people who owned me were not nice. For seven years all I did was have puppies, one litter after another after another, after another, well you get the picture. One day my person took me to an auction, I don't really know why. These people kept bidding and they got me. They told me I would never have to have any more puppies. They took my picture at the vet's office but I was not very pretty to look at. I was dirty, my hair was matted and they kept calling me BillieJo. Who in the heck is BillieJo. I have a number, I think it is ten. It's tattooed in my ear. The lady that works with the vet came and told me that I was going to have a Mommy. Imagine that, someone wanted me even with my dirty coat and all the mats. Well the Vet took care of me and the vet tech was great. She told me that my new mommy was calling just about every day to see how I was doing and when was she going to get me. Then one day I took a long ride in the big bird like thing. I flew from Tulsa to Houston, and then from Houston to Omaha. There was a lady waiting there, She cried when she saw me and told me I was beautiful. This lady, she says ssshe is my Mommy, took me home with her. She already had one of us there. He was a boy and he sure had a lot of energy. My Mom said I would never have to work at anything again. She give me treats, I get toast with butter every morning, and plenty to eat. My Mom says if I want to be lazy I have eaarned the right. My Mom likes to pick me up and hug and kiss me. I wasn't too sure about this at first but I like it and let her know when I want to be hugged and kissed. She lets me sleep anywhere I want to and if I have an accident she doesn't yell or get upset. I try not to have too many of these. I've learned to walk on grass, it kind of tickles your feet, I know that I will always have plenty to eat and lots of love. Then wonder of wonders my Mom got two more of us and thank heavens one of them was another young one to play with the other young one and and older one who likes to play sometimes, like me, but mostly wants to lay around. Wow what a great time we are having. Mom says she wouldn't trade any of us for a million bucks (I think that is money) but she smiles when she says it. Our Dad calls us the crew and Mom calls us her babies. I lov3e my new life and I am so glad that those people from Small Paws® came and got me. I am living the good life now and I think the others are too. This is my story and hope it will make you smile to know that you are the reason I have this great life and without you and the rest of the people at Small Paws® I would still be having baabies or maybe I wouldn't even be alive any more. I just know I am one HAPPY HAPPY girl. Oh, my Mom named me Nellie and I think it is the prettiest name in the whole world.

Varina and the Nebraska Cheerful Foursome

Duddley, Nell, Mugsy, and Holly

Ralphie

Subj: Re: Hi
Date: 1/25/2003 8:48:21 AM Central Standard Time
From: BICHONE 3@aol.com
To: Pup3

Dear Robin,

I check our adoptable kids often to see how they are doing and who has found homes. And I am so happy when I see "adopted" over their names especially our puppymill babies. I pray someone takes the chance on them especially Beth. She has the fear look Ralphie had when I got him and even though it has taken him a long time to learn to trust me (girls are smatter than boys..)) she will come around. This little Ralph boy is right here by me as I am typing this and for him that is a miracle. He gets into all the playing now with the others. Barking, blitzing, yes blitzing from the kitchen to the bedroom and back and smiling. When I sit on the couch plastered under 4 bichon's and a shih tzu, he walks back and forth tail wagging checking the situation out. It will take time with him but eventually he will look to come up there with them and then I will be plastered to the couch with 5 bichon's and a shih tzu..:)) when that day comes you will hear me sing all the way to Tulsa, OK..:)).

Love,
Phyllis

Powder

Powder Heart Murmur Baby
Date: 1/28/2003 12:02:16 PM Central Standard Time
From: debbie@knothole.net (Debbie)
To: Pup3@aol.com



I'm sending new pictures of him today. He is having me send a donation in
for him as a thanks for the happy puppy he is now.
This is from My own Puppy mill baby. I an the adoptive Moma of Powder. We
still fondly call him "Baby Powder". He was bought from the puppy mill by
SPR and given a new life. Maybe even given life. He is a Heart Murmur baby
and albino.  SPR saved him from the mill and then had his little heart fixed at Texas
A&M. Powder flew to us and on the way home from the air port I held and
hugged him,(he did not understand) He was afraid of people. Part way home
he could take no more and wiggled from my arms and cowered on the floor in
the back seat of the car. When we got home things got better, there were
other dogs, he liked other dogs. He felt safer. Day by day he followed the
other dogs and saw that they felt safe and happy and he started feeling
safer too. I'm sending pictures for Powder Happy now and with his two
brothers who run and play together all day. Maybe you could put the one of
Powder Smiling Now with his original on the Heart Pages as a before and after.
PS. Thanks for the Prayers for my friend in ICU she is improving and
yesterday they did a tracheotomy and she can now start communicating with
her family.
It's still a long way but she is making progress. please keep her on the
Prayer list. (Merrily Davis)
Thank you
Debbie, Wayne, Milo, Boselli, Frosty(SPR), Powder(Heart Murmur)(SPR) and
Thomas(SPR).

Debbie Windham
Knot Hole Enterprises, Inc.
4845 French St
Jacksonville, FL 32205-5003