The HSUS

Jackee Jackson with her new dog, Penny, who was rescued from a mass-breeding facility in Va.

By Nancy Lawson

Juan Lopez ticked off a litany of problems that had plagued the pug-beagle mix munching on a towel in the back kennels of Maryland's Montgomery County Humane Society.

She cowered when approached, said the shelter's director of rescue operations. She refused to move forward on a leash. She hoarded her food and threatened other dogs who came near it.

But that was then, shortly after her rescue in early November from a mass-breeding facility in Hillsville, Va. And this was now, when T.J. Jackson and his daughter, Jackee, were set to take home the dog they'd adopted and named Penny.

Amazing Improvement

In the care of shelter employees, "there's been amazing improvement," Lopez said before passing along the 3-month-old puppy to her new family. "She has really come out of her shell."
 
Jackee, who'd been "begging for a dog her whole life," couldn’t have agreed more: "Oh my gosh, she's perfect!"

Penny is one of hundreds of puppy mill dogs taken in by East Coast shelters following an HSUS investigation of Virginia breeding facilities—and one of 25 who ended up at MCHS.

Though the Jacksons had long wanted a puppy, they'd heard "horror stories" about pet store animals. A TV broadcast prompted them to adopt instead. "No dog should be living like that," said T.J. of Penny's former life in a cramped cage. "It's like being locked up yourself. She didn't have any freedom to run."

Back Where They Belong

Thanks to generous people like the Jacksons, many mistreated animals went home for the first time this holiday season. "We want to give her all the love and support that we can," said Francesca Daniele of the shih tzu her family was adopting the same day.

"I'm excited about changing her life, giving her a second chance," said Daniele's husband, Jeff Dement, between conversations with his 9-year-old daughter, who'd phoned from school to declare the moment "the greatest day of her life."

Find out how you can give a dog a loving home by adopting.