My 8 lb shih poo Taz and I had been searching petfinder for a new companion when we saw the picture of Gizmo and fell in love.
On an unusually sunny November day Taz and I drove the four hours to pick Gizmo up after months of communication with his "rescue group". We arrived to find a drastically underweight and very sick little chocolate ball of fear.
Gizmo was a puppy mill stud dog. His skin was raw, red, infected with patches of hair missing. His eyes and nose were running with thick mucus and his sneezing was violent. The place was filty and smelled badly of feces and dirt.
Normally my little Princess Taz is an adventurer, but today she begged to be picked up and cuddled. I found six fleas crawling across her belly.
The "foster mom" grabbed Gizmo by the neck and dragged him out of the crate dropping him on the floor where he ran into an open crate.
She said $300 - cash only.
I numbly handed her the money and called Gizmo: "come on baby. It's time to go home." His teary face emerged from the crate and he slunk over to sit at my feet.
It rained on the drive home and I cried.
Gizmo now weights a whopping 9.5 lbs and is madly in love with his Princess Taz. Gizmo can't bark due to an untreated throat infection and has life long health problems, but he has shown how to love even after years of pain.
Gizmo inspired his new family to help rescue dogs by becoming a foster family, so he spends his days helping other rescue dogs learn what it is to be a dog again. Gizmo is a member of the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue in Ontario.
Stevensville, Canada
