COUSIN SOPHIE

Meet my cousin Sophie.

Sophie was one of 61 pugs rescued from a puppy factory in Missouri. Growing up at the factory, she lived in a cage all the time. She had no human of her own. No dog friends. No parks to play in. No nothing. She just made puppies. And when the puppy factory decided to stop making puppies, Sophie and all the other pugs were going to be put to sleep...FOREVER!

Luckily, a rescue group called ForgottenK9s stepped in. They drove alllll the way from Georgia to Missouri, saved the pugs, then drove through the night to an adoption fair in New Jersey (I've never been any of these places, but my human says that's a whole lot of driving). All the adoptable pugs found homes right away - including Sophie. Lots of the pugs had medical problems and needed some serious TLC; ForgottenK9s gave them temporary homes and took care of them all.

I'm trying not to spend so much time "up on my soapbox" (as my human calls it whenever I start ranting about stuff) but a lot of people don't realize how many dogs there are in rescues & shelters. Most end up there because of *human* circumstances, through no fault of their own and are absolutely perfect. Rescues are especially full right now because of the economy (this goes for ALL dog breeds, not just the puggies). So if you're thinking about adding a dog to your life, consider adoption! If a new dog isn't in your future, maybe give some thought to fostering for a local rescue?

Anyway. It's been three months since her rescue and Sophie is totally digging her new & improved life. She loves hanging out in the garden and snuggling on the couch with her human. Oh, and she's really grateful for little things too - like having a soft bed and clean food bowl.

According to Sophie's human, life has gotten better for everyone. "Both our lives are happier now that we have each other."