No this isn’t a pit bull, or a Rottweiler for that matter. It is a poodle though. A poodle I am calling Mugs.

Mugs was seized by Animal Humane Society from a Minnesota puppy mill.

The mill dogs have a special place in my heart. And when the call came for help I couldn’t say no. After all we have a cat on our available dogs page why not a poodle? Mugs was not at all what I expected he would be. Initially at AHS he shut down, would not be handled and was all whale eye.

I was fully expecting to put some work into Mugs with the hope he would eventually be adoptable. I thought six months was a realistic guess.The moppet was afraid that is for sure but he wanted my attention even though he was afraid, a really good sign. I brought him home and sequestered him in the living room fully prepared for a dog that possibly would want nothing to do with me.  Especially after I bathed him.

Mugs was foul. He was so matted there wasn’t an area with single hairs anywhere on his being. His rear end looked like 6 Brillo pads had been smashed and glued onto his back. Into the tub he went. I like to use lavender scented baby soap for the new stinky dogs that come into my home. What better way to wash the stank out?

This is what the bathtub looked like afterward. Those are mattes floating in the water. Keep in mind, Mugs is a 7 lb dog.

Mugs survived the bath. He actually didn’t mind it as long as I let him stand with his front paws on the side of the bathtub with his face in my chest. I was smitten immediately.

Once the little bugger dried he looked like this.

Once he was clean and the additional dog was removed from his body it became only too apparent that this was one HAPPY dog! Just a nut box. And, well, I love me some nut boxes. When they say that dogs don’t carry baggage there isn’t a dog who I have met that serves as a better example of that than Mugs. I wish all puppy mill survivors and rescues could be so lucky.

Mugs is two years old. The first two years of his life were spent in a puppy mill. Right from the git all Mugs has wanted to do was interact with me. He was all about this woman who brought him to this new place, tossed him into a bathtub of water, cut the mattes away from his body and massaged him with lavender soap while whispering sweet nothings into his ear. I guess a little slice of heaven in his frame of reference.

Mugs is curious. He is smart. He is sweet. Which is why dealing with the fact that he will piss and poo at will and doesn’t know what stairs are that much more bearable. It is fun working with Mugs because Mugs throws himself into all with gusto. Yes, that includes going outside into the cold and snow to potty even though he doesn’t know that outside is the only place potty belongs. Just coz you be little doesn’t mean you can’t potty outside, right Chi?

Let me tell you it does a body good. Chi, who like Mugs, spent the first two years of his life in a puppy mill, will never be curious. He will never let anyone but me see the quirky happy dog he has become since coming to live with me three years ago. It took Chi almost a week before he would even approach me. He would stare at me from inside his kennel intently. Waiting, ready to run if necessary.

And that is ok. Chi has taught me many valuable lessons, something all dogs can do if we stop long enough to listen.

The world is Mug’s oyster. And I feel lucky to be a part of this initial exploration of life beyond kennel bars.

Special thank you to Stacie and Micaela at Central Bark in Eden Prairie for donating their time and grooming services to Mugs.

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