Vegas
Jackpot!
It takes a very special person to adopt a puppy mill survivor, but Amber Beasley—proud pet parent of Vegas, a terrier and former breeding female at a mill in Nevada—would probably argue that she's the one who got lucky.
For over two years, Vegas lived in a small wire cage without adequate veterinary care, food, water or socialization. She was also kept continuously pregnant, producing three litters in a short period of time. After a number of complaints about the puppy mill, Vegas and other severely neglected dogs were confiscated.
Several days later, after being taken to a local shelter, Vegas found herself in the loving, protective arms of her new mom. At first, Vegas was terrified of everything, but she eventually settled in to her new life. "While she is still shy and scares easily around strangers," Beasley tells us, "she has really become comfortable with her new family. She gets along great with my sister's dogs and spends her time happy and running around. We say she is having her second childhood!"
While in the mill, Vegas didn't have toys or bones or any of the other treats we typically give our pampered companions. But that has all changed! "Vegas is spoiled rotten with tons of toys and a closet full of clothes, which she loves to wear," says Beasley. "She is my little fashionista!"
But this girl is more than just a pretty face—she's a smart cookie, too. "It's difficult to train a dog who has lived in nothing but a cage her whole life," says Beasley, "but Vegas has gone to a beginner training class and excelled at everything she learned." Lucky for Vegas, Beasley is a school teacher and has summers off to work with her favorite pupil!