#16

It's official. Ranger was #16 in the mill. I was looking in Ranger's ears today to see if they needed to be cleaned. As I pulled back the fur in his ears, I noticed bright blue dotted markings and realized it was a tattoo from when he was in the puppymill. From the best I can tell, it's #16. My stomach sank. He was once just a number. A number used by a greedy miller in the vicious cycle of greed.

Photo: nixgab flickr

This #16 is now Ranger Alexander (yes, we have middle names for all our fur-kids!). He's a happy boy - happy to be free from the prison on earth where he spent the first 7 1/2 years of his life. Next time you think about buying a dog from a petstore, or from a backyard breeder, please think of #16. Think of Ranger. Think of the hundreds of thousands of dogs who are living the life of misery in puppymills. Adopt, Don't Shop!