Sadie Update by Angela Rieck

Sadie wrote a column some weeks ago, here is an update on how she is doing. To recap, Sadie is a 7-pound poodle mix that came from a puppy mill in Blairstown, NJ. The breeder retired and left the dogs to fend for themselves. A couple of rescue groups got involved and I adopted her from one of these groups.

When I adopted her, I knew she was not a normal dog. She was a puppy mill mom, who, despite her terrible life, kept her friendliness. Because Sadie came from a puppy mill, she lived in a crate in a barn without electricity. She never saw outside her crate, so she had no exposure to the outdoors, a home, or connection with a human. When it was time, she mated and produced puppies that went on to live wonderful lives, while she lived in squalor, barely fed, and when she got too dirty, she was hosed down no matter the weather. Her only contact with humans was when she was fed low-quality food (mostly boiled potatoes) and put in another crate to mate and raise her puppies.

But that was the past. Now Sadie is doing well adjusting to the life of a normal dog. She is no longer afraid of the outdoors, and loves chasing squirrels and bunnies. She is still afraid of the dark, which is surprising because she lived in a cage in a barn without electricity, but nevertheless, she refuses to venture out at night. Rain is another frightening prospect; she can’t figure out why she gets wet when she goes outside.

We are working on cause and effect. We haven’t made a lot of progress, yet; my other dog Annie, who had much worse treatment at her puppy mill never learned it; so it may be something that is imprinted at an early age. But we will keep trying. In the puppy mill, she learned that it didn’t matter what she did, she still got the same inhumane treatment.

Learning how to live in a house is coming along nicely. She is working very hard on her house training, but it is spotty (literally). Whenever it rains and wipes away the scent of her urine from the lawn, we have to start over. But it took me 6 years to train Annie, and Annie is now flawless, so I am hoping that Sadie will master it sooner, but with equally good results.

Sadie is eating well now, before she was finicky and slow. Now she gobbles up her food and loves her treats.

She is still very affectionate. She is leaning into the joys of a home…sleeping on furniture, sleeping with her mates and me on the bed (yes, it is a little crowded), and treats, lots of treats. She was able to keep her personality despite horrific circumstances and now she gets to live the life of a dog.

And she is still very brave.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.