It’s a journey that almost didn’t get started.

In November of 2009, 97 huskies were rescued from horrible conditions. With little food or water, the dogs lived in filth and inhumane conditions. They inevitably had to feed off their fallen brothers and the young to survive. No animal should live like that.

Of the 97 that were rescued, all of them were saved. And since that day in early November, 127 puppies have been born into welcoming arms. As of mid-January, all the puppies that were old enough have found loving families. It’s a sad story with a happy ending.

The owner of the huskies was once a respected breeder who was recommended by the local SPCA. He had 12 huskies that he took excellent care of. It’s unclear what happened, but most newspaper articles go out of their way not to criticize him. This suggests that he may have fallen ill or for whatever reason, was not able to care for them.

If he were a puppy-mill operator, his hide would have been pasted to the barn door and we would have known what he had for breakfast by the end of the day. The public hates puppy mills. Even worse, they hate the people who operate them.

So why does it happen so often in Quebec? The answer is simple: anyone can call themselves a breeder. There are no rules and regulations saying that you must provide this or limit your dogs to that or house them in this type of structure. No, in Quebec, anyone can buy a couple of animals and start breeding them.

Of course puppy mills wouldn’t exist without the many pet shops who grab up the healthy dogs. There are no regulations for pet shops either. Most of them turn a blind eye to the ways the animals might have been treated because they just see the healthy ones that are offered to them. But they know what goes on behind the scenes.

So in the end, the 97 huskies were rescued and all will find a home. And 13 of them already made their way to the suburbs of Ottawa in late November. Plenty of people with big hearts have stepped forward to open their homes and their hearts.

And as for the 127 newborn puppies, they are off to an excellent start.

Denton Fowler wrote this article for petpellbeing.com which offers prevention and treatment products for cancer in cats and Cushings Disease in dogs.

To learn more about the Huskies still available for adoption through BARK rescue, visit their website.

Bella + 9 from Claire B on Vimeo.

Puppies make me smile – no matter what breed or size, they make me smile. This video is a compilation of photographs taken by the amazing pet photographer, Rouxby. She spent 8 wonderful weeks with a family who let her come into their lives to document Bella’s new family, 9 happy little bouncing puppies. The photos tell such a beautiful story.

An introduction by the photographer:

The other part of this process that totally blew me away was how the puppies go from being hamster-like blobs to actual individuals in the span of just a couple weeks. I know there’s evidence on both sides of the age-old nature versus nurture argument, but holy cow these little dogs each had their own distinct personalities as soon as they were coordinated enough to exhibit them.

So here’s a comprehensive slideshow of Bella + her babies. It is 5 minutes, 18 seconds long. I know that far surpasses the 30 second attention span most people have for watching slideshows online, but I couldn’t slim it down any more than this. Eight weeks of puppies is hard to turn into 5 minutes.

Re-posted with permission from Rouxby Photography.

If you remember before the holidays there were a whole bunch of Huskies rescued and many of them were pregnant. The puppies have all been born and now they are ready to go home!

BARK Rescue has many husky puppies available so if you have room in your family for one more (cute) member, give them a call!

I know it’s sort of cheesy, but the puppies are so cute I couldn’t resist!!

According to the Canada Safety Council, studies show that the in 71 percent of dog bite cases the victim knew the dog and 25 percent lived with the dog. Out of those, 64 percent of dog bite injuries were children under the age of 10. Parents can take a large “bite” out of these high incidence rates simply by learning some basic guidelines that will help their children avoid getting bitten by their own dogs as well as educating their children to be safe around other dogs.

Tips for parents:

• Never leave a child or baby alone with a dog.
• When visiting friends or relatives, who have a dog, don’t allow your child to play in the yard unsupervised.
• Do not allow your child to feed a dog unsupervised, as some dogs can be very protective of food and never allow your dog to snatch food from your child.
• Do not allow your child to pull on the dog’s collar to lead it outside the house – it could bite them.
• Children without adult supervision should not be allowed to walk a dog. A child could unwittingly be dragged into a fight with another dog.
• Never let children discipline a dog.
• Your child should always precede your dog through a door or gate.
• Never buy a dog as a toy substitute. Dogs are living, breathing creatures with feelings.

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Who doesn’t love watching puppies play on a Friday morning?! Just wait until the puppies meet the resident cat – too cute!