My name is Sammy!

MEET SAMMY. He is one of 20 dogs rescued by UYR recently from a horrendous puppy mill in Southern Georgia. Sammy is 5 years old and weighs a skinny 6 lbs. He is being fostered in Tallahassee, FL

UPDATED BIO 04/01/2019: Sweet Sammy is learning what life is outside of the horrible puppy mill where he spent his entire life. Since this property was operating as a puppy mill, inhumanely breeding dogs to sell for profit, many of these dogs were highly sought-after small breeds, and there were a hundred or so yorkshire terriers, maltese and yorkie/maltese mixes, in addition to many other small breed dogs.

Sammy is now sleeping in a soft bed in his foster home and has learned that his food and water come in a bowl and not thrown into the bottom of a wire crate. Sammy has had all his vaccinations, a dental where he lost two deciduous teeth and two other teeth due to neglect, and has been neutered. He was also heartworm negative, thank goodness. Sammy is very playful and loves having the freedom of running for the first time in his life. Keep in mind that Sammy was not socialized to be a companion animal until he came into UYR, so it will take continued patience and understanding - and lots of love - to let him know that he is going to be okay and that the humans he will meet for the rest of his life will only touch him with loving hands and kind hearts. Sammy is a survivor for sure and is running around the puppy play yard and enjoying his newfound life. This speaks of the amazing resilience and true grit he possesses. View a short video of Sammy and his buddy Georgie (also from the puppy mill bust) playing outdoors – they are having a ball! Click here: https://youtu.be/csJsu6IEYWQ

Sammy is just now starting to be interested in doggie toys, but is unsure what he is supposed to be doing with them. He watches intently when the 13 year old tripod resident yorkie runs after the toys and enjoys bringing them back so they can be thrown again. Leash-training has been started and is going well, but he will need to be reminded how to behave on a leash when on a walk. Sammy is very in tune with his foster parents and enjoys their company and wants to be in their presence all the time.

Since Sammy and Georgie have been in the same foster home for 3+ weeks, they have become very bonded. Sammy can be independent, but Georgie is lost without Sammy and looks to him to "show him the ropes". They sleep together and Georgie is always following Sammy around the house. It is hoped that these sweet boys can be adopted into the same home so that these two little buddies will be together always. If that is not possible, Sammy would like to have a home where there is another dog close to his age and size for a companion.

VERY IMPORTANT - Sammy has let his Foster Parents know that because he spent so much time in solitary confinement in a tiny crate in the puppy mill, he needs to have an adoptive family who has at least one stay-at-home parent so he won't ever have to spend hours alone again – or be kept in a crate ever again. Sammy is NOT HOUSE-TRAINED and would also benefit from the continuation of consistent house-training and this is another reason he needs a home where he isn't left alone for longer than 2-3 hours at a time. If house-training is an issue for you, please take a look at our other foster dogs that are ready for their forever homes.

UPDATED BIO 03/12/2019: Sweet Sammy is learning what life is outside of the horrible puppy mill where he spent his entire life. Since this property was operating as a puppy mill, inhumanely breeding dogs to sell for profit, many of these dogs were highly sought-after small breeds, and there were a hundred or so yorkshire terriers, maltese and yorkie/maltese mixes, in addition to many other small breed dogs.

Sammy is now sleeping in a soft bed in his foster home and has learned that his food and water come in a bowl and not thrown into the bottom of a wire crate. He saw the vet yesterday and had all his vaccinations. He was also heartworm negative, thank goodness. Sammy still needs to be neutered and have a dental before going to his forever home, He is very playful and loves having the freedom of running for the first time in his life. Keep in mind that Sammy is not socialized to be a companion animal, so it will take patience and understanding and lots of love to let him know that he is going to be okay and that the humans he will meet for the rest of his life will only touch him with loving hands and kind hearts. Sammy is a survivor for sure and is running around the puppy play yard trying to engage the other dogs in play. This speaks of the amazing resilience and true grit he possesses. View a short video of Sammy and his buddy Georgie (also from the puppy mill bust) playing outdoors – they are having a ball! Click here: https://youtu.be/csJsu6IEYWQ

The UYR members that pulled Sammy were shocked and saddened at the inhumane conditions in which these dogs were living. The property had more than 700 dogs being housed in a warehouse in too-small crates – with more than one dog per crate, and stacked one on top of the other. A majority of the dogs pulled were suffering from malnourishment, sores and abrasions, severe dental disease, matted hair, infections, severe eye injuries, congenital diseases and general severe neglect. The smell alone of the poor dogs was enough to cause a person to be nauseous and these dogs lived 24/7 365 days a year in this environment.

Please watch for updated postings on all 20 dogs from the puppy mill that came into UYR and who are being fostered in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. This was a huge endeavor that took a lot of supportive members who all volunteered their time and without our amazing fostering members, we would not have been able to save so many. UYR is very proud and humbled to have participated in bringing happiness and new lives and love to 20 little doggies. The vetting expenses on these little dogs will be huge, so if you have been moved by Sammy’s story and the stories of the other 19 dogs who are journeying toward wellness and love, please consider making a donation to help UYR continue to participate in rescues of this magnitude.