When you think puppy, you think happy things, right? Puppies are soft, and playful, and adorable. Most of us would never think of anyone mistreating a puppy.
This 9 week old puppy has had a rough start in life. He has been rescued from an outdoor kennel in freezing, filthy conditions. His brothers and his parents have been sold by a profit motivated backyard breeder. Because of the tenacity of several rescue women, this puppy was saved and will be adopted to a wonderful forever home through Take Paws Rescue. I have seen evidence that his brothers are both in safe homes. Unfortunately, I have no idea where his parents ended up.
He is an Anatolian Shepherd, a large Turkish breed that protects livestock. I lived in Turkmenistan for 2 years and learned a few Turkish names. This boy, while he is with me, will be Naciye. In Turkish it means saved and being secured; saved from hell and deserving heaven. It is pronounced (NAH-jee-uh), but the last syllable is very slight, so NAH-jee. Naciye was happy to have a bath and got the bad smell off. He loves being bundled in warm, soft blankets.
At 9 weeks old and already 21lbs, this is going to be a really big dog! He could reach 130-150lbs easily.
I learned about Naciye from the woman that went to buy a puppy and discovered and documented the deplorable conditions that these dogs were living in. She (and many others) have called the authorities and reported this. As far as we have seen, nothing has been done. Shockingly, this is legal and within the owners rights because these dogs have been “provided shelter”. Look at this photo. This is legal. It makes me sick that this is the case.
It makes me feel really good to know that these particular puppies are safe and warm right now, but this is part of a much larger problem – backyard breeding.
If you are looking to add a dog to your family, rescue one, or at least research and check out the breeder thoroughly. Backyard breeding (anyone who deliberately breeds for profit, or has a litter by negligent accident and then gives away or sells the puppies), is the single greatest cause of the pet overpopulation. Backyard breeders, and people who buy dogs from backyard breeders, are perpetuating a crisis that is being cruelly “managed” through euthanization.
Although it is appalling to me that anyone would keep puppies, or any dogs, in these conditions, it is worse that because these dogs are poorly bred, unsocialized, and tend to require more medical care than most owners, shelters and rescues can afford, all too many of these dogs will be euthanized. These backyard breeders all too often end up with more dogs than they can properly care for, and then the authorities seize the dogs and take them to overcrowded shelters, or else, as with our recent foster-Lab, Maddie, the breeder dumps a large group of them at the shelter. If there isn’t space, if there aren’t adopters and fosters, they are put down.
Worse, most of the dogs being euthanized in the shelters day after day are are actually young and healthy, adoptable dogs. Even puppies are put to sleep. I’ve seen estimates that the majority of euthanized dogs are under 12 months old. The problem is simple. There are too many dogs and there are too few homes. The majority of killing could easily be prevented by spaying and neutering our pets.
Euthanasia is the single largest cause of death for dogs in the U.S. & the only way to stop the needless killing of dogs is to stop the needless breeding of them.
YOU CAN'T IGNORE HOW AVOIDABLE THIS IS. SPAY & NEUTER.
This puppy is happy to be safe, inside and warm, well fed, and dewormed. (He doesn’t understand that last one, but he sure feels better.) Naciye has several interested adopters. He will be neutered at 6 months old by people who love dogs and care enough to not be part of the problem.
