Puppy Mill Survivor

“Milo” - 1 1/2 years, Shiba Inu

I was rescued by Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue when I was turned over to them by a commercial breeder in October 2007.  They had expected 6 dogs, but somehow I managed to sneak in, so they gave me the name "Sly" (which was later changed to "Milo"). I was very skinny when I came into the rescue group's care, but had no obvious health issues.  I was happy to be around other dogs but was very nervous around people.  So when a foster family in Tulsa, OK took me in, I got along well with the other dogs in the house but kept my distance from the humans.  Not to be deterred, they gave me toys, cuddled with me and took good care of me until December when my new family adopted me.

 The adoption process was a little bit traumatic.  It involved a long car trip and several hand-offs to various transportation volunteers, but over the course of a rainy Saturday morning, I made my way from Tulsa, OK to Springfield, Missouri where my new owners picked me up.  I was afraid and nervous, but they put me on a leash and I met their other dog, "Kobi" and we spent a long time wandering around together.

Since then, I have been getting progressively more comfortable and I'm no longer the shaking nervous dog I once was.  I'm more social with people and less afraid of new things and new situations; however, I am still skittish and jumpy and it doesn't take much to frighten me.  It has taken months of patience and understanding but I'm becoming a well-adjusted dog after a difficult early life in the puppy mill.

Read more about other Puppy Mill Survivors and Missouri's Puppy Mill Problem.