He Deserves the Best

Submitted by Kacey Z. 

In November 2024 I rescued my best friend, Franklin, from a local rescue in Pennsylvania. When the rescue took him in from a puppy mill, he was 8 years old and weighed 9 pounds. He had to have all his teeth removed because they were so badly infected, and his hair was all matted and dirty. 

Prior to being saved, Frankie lived his eight years in a cruel breeding facility where he was kept inside a barn without any human interaction. To say he was scared would be an understatement. He didn't know how to use steps, didn't know that peeing was not meant to be done inside of the house and didn't even lie down for the majority of his first night in my bed because he had no idea what a bed even was. He ran away from any and everyone but very quickly warmed up to our other dogs. 

The first month was hard, trying to find food that didn't give him diarrhea 24/7, and we learned at his first vet checkup that he was in the early stages of heart failure, a condition that is often hereditary and may have been passed to the puppies he fathered at the breeding facility. 

He very slowly warmed up to me over the past year, although he is still shy and timid. Just last week he FINALLY cuddled next to me in the bed, but I think it might have been a fluke because he hasn't done it again since! 

He really has come so far over the year, and I just try to give him the best life possible. He is the sweetest boy, but you can tell he struggles with fear and anxiety on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we just learned that his heart condition has gotten worse, and at best, he only has about another year if we are lucky. With that being said, he became the best friend I never knew I needed in a short period of time, and I am grateful to have given him a life that he never even knew existed. He deserves the best, and I will make sure that's what he gets until his time with me comes to an end. 

Too many dogs like Franklin are held captive in cruel breeding facilities, also known as puppy mills. They are crowded in filthy conditions without clean food or water, they don’t receive adequate veterinary care, and they are bred and sold for profit with no regard for their health or safety.

Take action and demand change today! Join the ASPCA’s Puppy Mill Action Team. We’ll send you the latest news and ways you can help end puppy mill cruelty.