SD Puppy Mill Update

Dakota
We just love Dakota! Her favorite place is the beach. She doesn’t like the water but loves to sniff the sand.

She has also been to PA, NC and VT and loves to travel and meet new people.

Her favorite activity is cuddling on the couch or relaxing in front of the fire. We are very grateful to GSP Rescue of NJ for saving our wonderful girl!

Bono
Here is a picture of Bono (named after the U2 band lead singer) with 2 of our 4 cats.  These 2 are the recently adopted kittens to join the family of 4 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 horses.  Bono is a very happy, dumb-bunny dog.  He is the goofiest pet I have ever had, in my entire animal-loving life.

He is not the sharpest tool in the shed, that’s for sure, but that’s what makes him our special boy.  When he stretches out on the couch, he goes from one end to the other.  He has kept his “lankiness” over the years, so he is very tall and lanky, just like the day we got him.

His hunting instinct comes thru when he is tracking out in the fenced-in backyard, as he is very hard to get to come back in once he is on a scent.  You can’t even break his concentration by calling him or clapping or blowing a whistle.  We have to physically go outside and break that concentration by jumping in front of him to catch his attention.  Unfortunately, he has caught a rabbit and a bird here and there, but that’s his breed and we understand.

Chloe
Chloe is doing well. She enjoys long walks, hikes through the woods, and a car ride to anywhere; but she especially enjoys naps on the couch—a typical GSP.

I’m sure her life now is much different than her South Dakota puppy mill days.  Chloe has three cat brothers and one cat sister, as well as a guinea pig.  And she’s polite and kind to them all, even taking naps with them.  Probably not so typical GSP!

Big Momma aka Jillie
I know you all think your dog is the best, but our Jillie really is the best!!! We wouldn’t take a million dollars for her! She has turned out to be more than we ever thought a dog could be. She has come a long way!

I remember our first walk with her and she was actually afraid of blowing leaves. She would cower when company came, run upstairs, just shy away from everyone.  But that was then and this is now.  She’s a totally different dog. The only thing that she can’t seem to get over is the garden hose, she absolutely hates it.
Who knows what happened at the SD puppy mill.  We crated her once, she didn’t like it, so we took a chance (not smart, I know) let her have the run of the house and she was fine.

We really feel like she appreciates her home and what she’s got.  I know we appreciate her and what we’ve got, that’s for sure. She goes to the dog park just about everyday; she loves it; everyone knows her.

Jillie is just so loyal, a big lap dog. We’re lucky, she’s great off leash, no counter surfing, let’s out a bark or two when someone is at the door and loves to ride in the car—she goes just about everywhere with us.

We just rescued another sweet GSP, Emmie, and Jillie is so good with her, it made us love her even more. We will be forever appreciative and grateful to NJ GSP for getting us the perfect dog!

Molly
Molly is doing great.

She is so active and catches many birds.

She protects our chickens and is a best friend with the goats.

She is just so much fun.

We love her very much.

Also, she goes everywhere with us and loves to travel in the car.

Ned
We met and were instantly charmed by his good looks and gentle personality.

Since then, he has become an important member of the family and we can’t imagine life without him.

Ned is a huge coach potato, and loves to sleep on his favorite armchair all day. He also loves cheese more than anything else in the world, including us.

We had a baby and Ned is very patient and lovely with her.

Sadie
What can I say—Sadie has turned out to be the best of the best—she has really settled in and hopefully has no bad memories of SD. Although she is quite attached at the hip, she is very happy. She is best of friends with my daughter’s pup and I would say that all the early baby years has made her very accepting of all dogs.

She now goes on long walks in the woods with a group of dogs (2 Dobies), a long cry from when we first got her and she was afraid of the trees, wind and anything that moved in the woods. She even crosses the stream in the woods now.

She has turned out to be a great walking buddy for Mike.

Thanks to GSP Rescue for the opportunity to share in Sadie’s life. We really love her.

Stella
Stella has brought such great joy to us and we could not imagine our lives without her (or her Vizsla sister, Nacha). It was clear from the start the she was not used of a lot of close human contact, but she is very much a pack animal and within a matter of hours she was sleeping on Nacha.

It took about six months to a year for her to relax and let her true wonderful GSP personality shine through. She is at her happiest sitting on the back porch protecting the yard while conserving her energy. Okay, I admit it she’s lazy but the unsuspecting critters that wander into the yard might disagree (if they survived).

Who would have thought there were so many small wild animals in South Orange. Oh, and yes she likes to bring her critters back to her Mom or at the least to her bed where she hoards her toys.

That’s the other thing about Stella, she’s a hoarder; she will gather her toys and bones from all over the house and bring them to her bed. She’s not possessive over them; she just likes to be surrounded by them (like they’re her puppies).

Such a change from when we fist got her when she didn’t know how to play with toys and when every bone had to be buried without enjoying them. Life is good for Stella now, as it should be. Not a day goes by without Stella looking deep into my eyes as if to say “thanks mom!”