Dog Rescues

My love for dogs started when my father's household acquired two dogs about three years ago. They are the sweetest little Cocker Spaniels you have ever met.

Freckles, a beige freckled pup, was a year old when we got him. Since that December, he has filled out and grown into a lovable family dog, who loves a good belly rub and eagerly defends his home against invading squirrels and rabbits. He likes any excuse to go for a car ride, even if the vehicle is parked.

Dutchess is a perky, almost reddish streaked dog who was only about 8 months old when we picked her up from an event in Evanston. She was more excitable than Freckles due to her younger age. Her name was changed from Precious to Dutchess because my Dad thought it was less feminine. Okay. She doesn't quite realize that she is smaller than Freckles, and still manages to walk around like she owns the place. She is definitely the "princess" of the family.

Rescue. We went to a rescue agency in Harvard, Illinois called Illinois Cocker Rescue. It is a rescue led by Ally Posner, who was once a businesswoman in the Chicago Stock Exchange. She traded her life to saving dogs from puppy mills.

Puppy mills. Many of her rescues are terrified. They have lived a horrible life, locked in a crate, never touches the ground. They just breed these dogs over and over again until they can no longer successfully reproduce and then they kill them.

Doggie Rehab. Ally rescues these rejected dogs and rehabilitates them back to health. She then adopts out these desperate dogs to homes that she trusts. The adoption process is long and extensive to make sure that these dogs, who have already gone through so much pain, get a good home. It costs about $500 to adopt, more depending on how much medical attention they required.

Adoptees. It takes a special person to adopt a dog who really needs extra work. Most people who look into purchasing a pet often go to pet stores and pick the cutest puppy they can find. These pet owners are dedicated to dog rights. They promise to take care of the pups in the way they should have been cared for from the beginning.


Luckily, my father adopted two dogs who were merely lost for too long. Stray dogs often find their way to Ally's ranch because she hears about the dogs who are going to be euthanized by local shelters. Freckles and Dutchess have great personalities partially because they were never abused at puppy mills.

Many people have organized against puppy mills, including the Humane Society.

Chicago locations that support pet adoptions from abandoned dogs are:
Chicago PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving), a no-kill animal shelter
Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society, one of the largest humane societies in the country
Chicago Animal Care and Control, a city department that adopts out animals and will often have your lost pet waiting for you

All of these places offer a variety of pets of all ages that need a good home. I recently adopted Cloe, a 6 month old flat coated retriever mix, who made the trip to the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society from Tennessee after spending the beginning of her life waiting in a pet store where she wasn't sold and was going to be put down. I feel so honored to have rescued her life. She is a great dog and I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting her.