Puppy Mill Owners Tried to Kill This Dog’s Spirit – But Now She’s a Beautiful, Rescued Butterfly

If you’ve ever walked past a pet store in the mall, chances are you stopped to say, “Aww! Look at the puppy!” But sadly, most of these dogs come from puppy mills, an industry that is anything but adorable.

Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding facilities, typically run on a “factory farm” model. In these places, the welfare and happiness of the dogs tend to be a far lower priority for the owner than the aim of simply turning a profit. Dogs are usually held in small, crowded wire cages and provided with the bare minimum of care required to keep them alive. Lack of space, inadequate nutrition, poor hygiene, and rampant overbreeding are commonplace in puppy mills, leaving the dogs with a host of health issues ranging from dental problems, severely matted fur, eye, ear, and throat infections, and severe genetic deformities.

Sadly, Butterfly came from a puppy mill. But one look at Butterfly today and you’d never guess she had such a horrific beginning.

Animal lover Jane Wickler rescued Butterfly last year. Jane traveled 1,900 miles in 23 hours to get Butterfly from Tennessee and bring her back home. Just look at that snaggletooth!

Butterfly is paralyzed, she has some crushed vertebrae, and her stomach is dislodged. Jane thinks she is paralyzed from a strong kick to her back end when she was sitting down. But despite the abuse she might have endured, this little Butterfly is still determined to fly.

Butterfly now spends three to four days a week at the Petsmart in Dubuque, Iowa, greeting customers (both of the human and canine species) and getting all the treats she wants. 

“There is so much personality now. She was like a 12-year-old dog. She was just tired and blah. Oh, now she is a sassy girl” Jane said.

Jane also noted, “People absolutely love her. Some will shop just when she’s here just to see her. It’s been absolutely phenomenal. She brings more to this place than some perfectly able bodied dog does.” Go Butterfly, Go! 

We love seeing these adorable photos of animals thriving in their forever homes. If you’re thinking of adding a furry best friend to your household but don’t want to Support the cruel puppy mill industry, please always adopt and never shop!

Image Source: Butterfly, The Wheelie-Legged Bulldog/Facebook