This is Christy. No, she's not playing there in that corner. Look more closely. Look into those eyes. Can you see the fear there?

     Her rescuer tells us: "She had a cesarean scar from a previous delivery. Doc said there was a lot of scar tissue inside of her - uterus, bladder, the horns attached to each other, mometum (fatty tissue) were all attached to abdominal wall. Vet said her insides were 'a mess' and that she was probably sold because she wouldn't get pregnant again...ever."

     Christy is two years old. Terriers at two are meant to be active, playful, happy-go-lucky balls of energy, bright-eyed and eager for the attention of their People.

     Christy, however, is so "shut down" -- terrified of humans -- that she runs to a "secure" corner and hugs the wall as if she is trying to become a part of it. She doesn't know what a toy is for, and she hasn't played since being separated from her littermates at all-too-early an age. She has probably NEVER before known a kind word or soft voice.

     Her physical problems -- that "home" c-section, matted coat, and badly decayed teeth -- pretty much fade into insignificance next to the fact that she won't let anybody get close to her -- either physically or emotionally.

     Someday, Christy will know how lucky she is. Insted of being passed from miller to miller then probably finally killed for being "unproductive," Christy went into a safe, secure foster home with somone who has had a lot of experience working with puppymill survivors.

     She may never learn to play with her toys, but at least she will have some, along with plenty of good food, a cozy place to sleep, and lots of love. She is no longer just a breeding machine.

     Read more about this dog and follow her progress in Christy/Josie's Diary.

     For more information on rehabilitating puppy mill survivors, please see: Puppy Mill Survivors: A Guide to Caring for Unsocialized Mill Dogs .