We’re going to play a little game today at the Uproxx News Headquarters of Awesomeness. I’m going to present three heartworm… er, heartwarming stories about puppies and we’ll all decide which one if the best. The winning puppy will have the satisfaction of knowing that people on the Internet like it the most. What, do these dogs need any other sort of prize? After all, they were all at Death’s door, which is what makes these stories so awesome…
Puppy #1 – Well, a bunch of puppies, actually
A puppy mill was busted up in Honolulu, Hawaii (as opposed to Georgia) and more than 150 dogs were rescued and taken for medical treatment due to terrible living conditions and overwhelming abuse against man’s best friends. Laws are being created across the United States to crack down on this unbelievably rampant practice of raising and selling sick and abused dogs with no permits. And the mill owners, like in Hawaii, are actually trying to fight back in court. Sounds like it’s time for a pooch jury.
Puppy #2 – “Britain’s Saddest Puppy” finds a home
Princess had been neglected and abused and was discovered on the doorstep of an animal shelter in Edenfield, Lancashire with a horrible case of mange and a debilitating skin condition that many feared made her cause hopeless. However, people in and around the community sent donations to the shelter to the tune of 5 figures to help pay for all of the medicines and treatments that Princess needed to lead a normal life. Two months later, princess has a full, healthy coat of hair and she has been adopted into a loving family. Which is good, because an unloving family might be counterproductive.
Puppy #3 – First he’s dead, now he’s not!
An animal shelter in Oklahoma received a litter of puppies recently and after examination the experts determined that the puppies were too sick to treat and keep in general population for adoption. Each puppy was put to sleep and they were all thrown in a dumpster out back. And while that part of the story sounds ridiculous and illegal, the trash wasn’t picked up that night. When the shelter’s management opened the next day, they found that one of the puppies was not only still alive but in perfect health. It was adopted almost immediately after the story went public. Meanwhile, your cat just pooped in a box and barfed hair.
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- Puppy mills across the country are being fed treats… OF JUSTICE! (Hawaii News Now)
- “Britain’s Saddest Dog” loses title, becomes “Awesomest Pooch in Europe”. (Daily Mail)
- A puppy was found alive and well after being put to sleep and thrown in a dumpster. [With video] (The Daily What)
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- A Nebraska boy claims that while undergoing surgery for a ruptured appendix that went untreated because of misdiagnosis, he visited Heaven and met relatives who weren’t even alive when he was born. Of course people don’t believe him, but Warrant did tell us that Heaven Isn’t Too Far Away. (WTKR Virginia)
- An Indianapolis police officer shot and killed a pit bull that escaped from its home and went on a neighborhood rampage. The dog reportedly bit one person and reached a fenced back yard, in which it charged at the officer, who yelled, “Stop!” Needless to say the dog didn’t. Cats win this round. (Indy Star)
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- More than 4 million dogs are bred in puppy mills in the U.S. each year. At the same time, more than 4 million dogs are being euthanized in animal shelters annually. It shouldn’t take a math major to figure out that correlation. (Puppy Mill Awareness Day)
- While people claim the reason they buy from puppy mills is to get a pure bred dog, the mills are still providing 99% of the dogs sold in pet stores so they can clear space and continue breeding. Meanwhile, at least 20% of the dogs in animal shelters are pure bred. (The Simon Foundation)
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