(500) Days of Summer

Today Natsumi seemed like a different dog ... I don't know what  happened.    The past week or so she's been kind of a loner and acting fairly skittish.    Today, though, she pulled a towel off the doorknob in the bathroom and proceeded to play with it!   Then she curled up with me for at least half of the movie "(500) Days of Summer" (FANTASTIC BTW)  acting like a total cuddled bug.     She also discovered her personal piece of Heaven and that's a Busy Bone.  ;)     I don't know if she's feeling better after having had her spay over a week ago or maybe those eye drops are helping too? 

I have decided Natsumi probably came from a backyard breeder (BYB).    These are people who have set ups in their back  yards that are similar to the conditions of a puppy mills, but on a much smaller scale.    These animals are a money making scheme and usually treated very poorly.     There are a number of reasons that I've decided this is what her past life entailed and they are as follows:

• How her fur was cut:  When I picked her up from animal control, she had a very uneven "shave" cut.    Puppy millers and BYBers generally do this kind of cut at the last minute to get rid of the evidence of matted, filthy hair.     She also stank like crazy when I got her - requiring multiple baths to remove the smell.
• Her Age:   6 years and on is generally when a breeder female becomes "unprofitable."   Their number of litters determine their value and she's probably not producing as they wanted her to.
• The condition of her tummy:   She was definitely not spayed and her belly also has this dark almost dirty look that some females get after having multiple litters.   Her belly was also saggy" and  her teats were overly large and tough.   
• Her eyes:   She received absolutely no medical care for her glaucoma.   Most owners would at least try eye drops.
• Immediate Request to have her PTS:   That shows me the "owner" who turned her in really didn't have any attachment or feelings for her.
• Name:    She was turned in without a name.    That's generally a pretty good indication she was considered a commodity so there was no need to waste a name on her.

These are just my instincts because Natsumi can't whisper in my ear how she's spent the last 6 years of her life.    The way she's spending her present days with me, though, shows me how appreciative she is with her new circumstances.   

There's a different attitude with rescue dogs, I see it time and time again.   So many of them have seen so much sadness and grief and didn't know the joy of a loving home.    When they find their furever home, or their temporary foster home, they appreciate every single soft stroke to the head, every single meal they don't have to fight for, and having a warm comfy bed to sleep in, especially if it's occupied by their new human.