We wanted a companion for our first adopted Westie, Reilly. So we contacted Westie rescue to see if they had any female dogs. They had just rescued 14 dogs from a Georgia puppy mill. On 12/24/04, we drove to Annapolis, MD, to pick up Gracie. She came to us with a broken body and a broken spirit. She was just a money-making breeding machine to her owners. They had shown no consideration for her health or well-being. She had lived in a cage with 3-4 other dogs, and they were only fed and watered once a day. The cage she had lived in had a red clay bottom, so her fur--which should have been white--was orange. She had delivered 7 litters of Westie puppies, one each year of her life. When she came to us, she had been recently spayed, had polyps removed, had 7 rotten teeth pulled, had infections in both ears, and had been diagnosed with Westie lung disease, a progressive disease that will only worsten with time. She looked so pitiful that day, and she shook the whole way home. It took months before she started to act like a normal dog. She now walks with her tail in the air; she loves to chew on bones, plays regularly with Reilly, and is the most lovable dog I have ever known. She still has the cough associated with the lung disease and cannot walk far without tiring. They told us she would live less than 18 months, and we have had her for almost 5 years. Gracie might have never received the love she deserves or family of her own. But I am grateful she got a second chance, and she can live out the rest of her days in comfort, finally knowing happiness and being loved.

Kim Mayers
Front Royal, VA