all Life Animal Rescue News
The story of Coconut Polka-dots. Formerly known only as #47....
02/16/2015 - This is the story of my journey.
It was cold and dark and I was scared. The hands that were handling me were rough and unforgiving, while the only thing I could hear was the howling and barking of hundred’s of dogs. I was hungry and couldn't control the shaking of my fragile little body. I was pushed into a wire box and the cage was shut behind me. I could hear something above and below me that sounded like other dogs. I hid in the corner and couldn't get myself to move. As the days and nights went by I needed to get the courage to walk to my food. I knew if I didn't eat I would eventually die. I cautiously rose up but my paws were so tiny they went through the chicken wire in the bottom of my house. Over time I learned to walk on the wires but occasionally my legs would fall through and I would feel pain. I was told I fractured my leg but it was left to heal on its own. My tale is crooked from someone slamming it in the cage and I will never forget one of the monsters breaking my jaw with no medical attention to follow. The wire box I lived in had a bottle that hung on the side, I later found out it was a water bottle made for a rabbit. Most of the time it was empty. As time passed, the dehydration, poor nutrition and bacteria caused infections in my mouth, gums and teeth and it was painful to eat.
Eventually the curiosity got the best of me and I needed to look outside of my cage. I quietly walked toward the edge and peaked through the wires and could see dogs everywhere. There were dogs in cages all around me, I noticed the big ones couldn't even turn around and others looked different, they were missing their jaws and some were missing eyes. I could see feces covering them and noticed most of them were tired, sick and cold. Just like I was.
Weeks had gone by and I could hear a monsters voice calling out numbers, I finally understood that the tag around my neck was my name. I heard my name called, I was number 47, a five pound female Italian greyhound.
9 weeks from this day I was put into that metal cage as a puppy myself, I understood why they called this a puppy mill. I was bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters. I thought things would get easier with time but the monsters kept coming to take my babies. It was the only time I was actually ever warm and felt love. I dreamed at night about my puppies and often wondered what became of them. My dreams began to slowly fade. I understood the neglect and abuse would finally run its course. Seven long years had passed and I watched the lifeless bodies of my friends tossed behind barns or out into the field. Their bodies would be eaten by other animals and eventually turn into bones. Females, who were physically depleted and could no longer reproduce, were inhumanely killed. I could only imagine and hope that they were running across sunny grass filled fields with their puppies and finally at peace.
It was November 2013 and I was awoken by a lot of commotion. A large tent was being set up and I noticed the monsters were spraying down the cages and cement with hoses. They were trying to hide the disgusting filth we lived in from something. Hours must have passed when I noticed some monsters that I didn't recognize, starting to walk by my cage starring at me. They had paperwork in their hands and walked past very slowly. After their visual examinations they all disappeared into the tent, I could see my friends being taken out of their cages and lined up to enter the tent. Before I knew it, my cage opened and I was pulled out and put in line. I could hear a man on a microphone and I shook from the sound of his voice, my teeth chattered and I couldn't believe my eyes. The monsters were everywhere, sitting in lawn chairs and on bleachers holding up numbers, I was being auctioned off to breeders. My friends were lined up on tables being held up to show off their pregnant bellies which seemed to be a selling point. I was next, I dug my nails into the plastic table, and crouched down low with my tail tucked between my legs and looked away trying to disappear. The auctioneer said I was a pure bred Italian greyhound and I was in healthy condition. My starting bid was twenty dollars and I noticed a young monster accept the bid, others were bidding but every time my bid went up she raised her auction number. I heard the dreaded words, sold to the young lady in the top row. The auctioneer told her “congratulations you got a great healthy dog”. He even recommended she could sell me now to make a few hundred dollars and I had lots of babies left to make.
I was taken back to my cage and awaited the young lady. She returned to my cage with paperwork and gently lifted me up. She held me close to her and slowly walked me down a hill and put me into a truck and then disappeared. She came back with two more dogs and loaded them up and off we went. I only could imagine my life was worthless and I feared I would be stuck in this crate forever, just moved to another location to make more babies that would be stolen from me after a few short nights with them.
After a short drive, the truck stopped and the young lady took me out of my cage, picked me up and pressed her lips against my tiny face and said “you’re free now”. She placed a little leash around my neck and set me on the grass. It felt funny, I kind of stood there trying to hold up as many paws as I could without falling over. I could only imagine for seven years what this would feel like and I wondered if I was dreaming. After hours of driving, I arrived at a house and was given a warm bath and some wet dog food. I was put into a giant crate with my very first fluffy bed and blanket, I fell right asleep.
The next day I was put back into the truck and taken to the animal hospital where the young lady worked. They did some tests and I had to have surgery 5 days later. I had a tumor removed from my belly and 16 of my teeth were removed from my mouth and gums being so rotten. They removed my uterus and mentioned it looked like an 80 year old woman.
The next day I got to go home with my foster parents and things were different from that day forward. I didn't know what was happening but I was being kissed, rubbed all over, picked up constantly, carried around, hugged and told how pretty and soft I was. I even sleep in their bed at night and have 20 different dog beds and toys with my very own soft and fuzzy Jennifer Lopez blanket. I love to play and run and I’m very curious. I love dog treats and my mom and dad get down on their hands and knees and we chase each other around. My mom gives me massages everyday and did I mention they kiss me like one thousand times per day?! They call me Coconut-Polka-dots. I like that much better then number 47.
I soon found out that the girl that saved me….well she is something special and I am forever grateful to her for saving my life and finding me my very own heaven on earth. Her name is Taylor Cosgrove and she started doing charity work when she was 10 years old. She would make her grandpa take her to the animal clinic to help with adoptions and cleaning. When she turned 16 she had the department of agriculture come to her house so she could rescue more dogs and cats and keep them at her house. She is a junior now at the University of Illinois and wants to be a veterinarian. She drives home on the weekends to work at the Oswego Animal Clinic while still trying to use her own time to save as many animals as possible.
She has brought me to the University a couple times to do lectures to help bring knowledge to the public about the place where I lived and was neglected for all of those years in hope that we can stop these puppy mills around the country and the world. She has made multiple trips to these terrible places to rescue dogs and has placed well over 200 animals with new forever families. In 2011 Taylor started a small company named Tay’s Strays and in November of 2014 she was introduced to Lisa Zarkin McHugh. Lisa’s vast business experience, charity and community work are exceptional. Lisa Zarkin McHugh and Taylor Cosgrove have the same mission and passion for animals and together they will be able to make their dreams come true.
In December of 2014 All Life Animal Rescue was born. All Life Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization. A number of animals have already been rescued and with your help All Life Animal Rescue will be able to build their first Animal Facility for all breeds and types of animals in need.
To donate or sponsor an All Life Animal please click here.
All Life Animal Rescue
Spokes Animal
Coconut-Polka dots
Alllifeanimalrescue@gmail.com
1-630-433-8528
1-630-730-7161
02/16/2015 - This is the story of my journey.
It was cold and dark and I was scared. The hands that were handling me were rough and unforgiving, while the only thing I could hear was the howling and barking of hundred’s of dogs. I was hungry and couldn't control the shaking of my fragile little body. I was pushed into a wire box and the cage was shut behind me. I could hear something above and below me that sounded like other dogs. I hid in the corner and couldn't get myself to move. As the days and nights went by I needed to get the courage to walk to my food. I knew if I didn't eat I would eventually die. I cautiously rose up but my paws were so tiny they went through the chicken wire in the bottom of my house. Over time I learned to walk on the wires but occasionally my legs would fall through and I would feel pain. I was told I fractured my leg but it was left to heal on its own. My tale is crooked from someone slamming it in the cage and I will never forget one of the monsters breaking my jaw with no medical attention to follow. The wire box I lived in had a bottle that hung on the side, I later found out it was a water bottle made for a rabbit. Most of the time it was empty. As time passed, the dehydration, poor nutrition and bacteria caused infections in my mouth, gums and teeth and it was painful to eat.
Eventually the curiosity got the best of me and I needed to look outside of my cage. I quietly walked toward the edge and peaked through the wires and could see dogs everywhere. There were dogs in cages all around me, I noticed the big ones couldn't even turn around and others looked different, they were missing their jaws and some were missing eyes. I could see feces covering them and noticed most of them were tired, sick and cold. Just like I was.
Weeks had gone by and I could hear a monsters voice calling out numbers, I finally understood that the tag around my neck was my name. I heard my name called, I was number 47, a five pound female Italian greyhound.
9 weeks from this day I was put into that metal cage as a puppy myself, I understood why they called this a puppy mill. I was bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters. I thought things would get easier with time but the monsters kept coming to take my babies. It was the only time I was actually ever warm and felt love. I dreamed at night about my puppies and often wondered what became of them. My dreams began to slowly fade. I understood the neglect and abuse would finally run its course. Seven long years had passed and I watched the lifeless bodies of my friends tossed behind barns or out into the field. Their bodies would be eaten by other animals and eventually turn into bones. Females, who were physically depleted and could no longer reproduce, were inhumanely killed. I could only imagine and hope that they were running across sunny grass filled fields with their puppies and finally at peace.
It was November 2013 and I was awoken by a lot of commotion. A large tent was being set up and I noticed the monsters were spraying down the cages and cement with hoses. They were trying to hide the disgusting filth we lived in from something. Hours must have passed when I noticed some monsters that I didn't recognize, starting to walk by my cage starring at me. They had paperwork in their hands and walked past very slowly. After their visual examinations they all disappeared into the tent, I could see my friends being taken out of their cages and lined up to enter the tent. Before I knew it, my cage opened and I was pulled out and put in line. I could hear a man on a microphone and I shook from the sound of his voice, my teeth chattered and I couldn't believe my eyes. The monsters were everywhere, sitting in lawn chairs and on bleachers holding up numbers, I was being auctioned off to breeders. My friends were lined up on tables being held up to show off their pregnant bellies which seemed to be a selling point. I was next, I dug my nails into the plastic table, and crouched down low with my tail tucked between my legs and looked away trying to disappear. The auctioneer said I was a pure bred Italian greyhound and I was in healthy condition. My starting bid was twenty dollars and I noticed a young monster accept the bid, others were bidding but every time my bid went up she raised her auction number. I heard the dreaded words, sold to the young lady in the top row. The auctioneer told her “congratulations you got a great healthy dog”. He even recommended she could sell me now to make a few hundred dollars and I had lots of babies left to make.
I was taken back to my cage and awaited the young lady. She returned to my cage with paperwork and gently lifted me up. She held me close to her and slowly walked me down a hill and put me into a truck and then disappeared. She came back with two more dogs and loaded them up and off we went. I only could imagine my life was worthless and I feared I would be stuck in this crate forever, just moved to another location to make more babies that would be stolen from me after a few short nights with them.
After a short drive, the truck stopped and the young lady took me out of my cage, picked me up and pressed her lips against my tiny face and said “you’re free now”. She placed a little leash around my neck and set me on the grass. It felt funny, I kind of stood there trying to hold up as many paws as I could without falling over. I could only imagine for seven years what this would feel like and I wondered if I was dreaming. After hours of driving, I arrived at a house and was given a warm bath and some wet dog food. I was put into a giant crate with my very first fluffy bed and blanket, I fell right asleep.
The next day I was put back into the truck and taken to the animal hospital where the young lady worked. They did some tests and I had to have surgery 5 days later. I had a tumor removed from my belly and 16 of my teeth were removed from my mouth and gums being so rotten. They removed my uterus and mentioned it looked like an 80 year old woman.
The next day I got to go home with my foster parents and things were different from that day forward. I didn't know what was happening but I was being kissed, rubbed all over, picked up constantly, carried around, hugged and told how pretty and soft I was. I even sleep in their bed at night and have 20 different dog beds and toys with my very own soft and fuzzy Jennifer Lopez blanket. I love to play and run and I’m very curious. I love dog treats and my mom and dad get down on their hands and knees and we chase each other around. My mom gives me massages everyday and did I mention they kiss me like one thousand times per day?! They call me Coconut-Polka-dots. I like that much better then number 47.
I soon found out that the girl that saved me….well she is something special and I am forever grateful to her for saving my life and finding me my very own heaven on earth. Her name is Taylor Cosgrove and she started doing charity work when she was 10 years old. She would make her grandpa take her to the animal clinic to help with adoptions and cleaning. When she turned 16 she had the department of agriculture come to her house so she could rescue more dogs and cats and keep them at her house. She is a junior now at the University of Illinois and wants to be a veterinarian. She drives home on the weekends to work at the Oswego Animal Clinic while still trying to use her own time to save as many animals as possible.
She has brought me to the University a couple times to do lectures to help bring knowledge to the public about the place where I lived and was neglected for all of those years in hope that we can stop these puppy mills around the country and the world. She has made multiple trips to these terrible places to rescue dogs and has placed well over 200 animals with new forever families. In 2011 Taylor started a small company named Tay’s Strays and in November of 2014 she was introduced to Lisa Zarkin McHugh. Lisa’s vast business experience, charity and community work are exceptional. Lisa Zarkin McHugh and Taylor Cosgrove have the same mission and passion for animals and together they will be able to make their dreams come true.
In December of 2014 All Life Animal Rescue was born. All Life Animal Rescue is a non-profit organization. A number of animals have already been rescued and with your help All Life Animal Rescue will be able to build their first Animal Facility for all breeds and types of animals in need.
To donate or sponsor an All Life Animal please click here.
All Life Animal Rescue
Spokes Animal
Coconut-Polka dots
Alllifeanimalrescue@gmail.com
1-630-433-8528
1-630-730-7161
Rescued at last!
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I look beautiful in my pink sweater.
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SO COZY!
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I love Christmas!
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Santa is bringing me something good this year!
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Trying to sneak on a trip with my parents.
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Dreaming about unlimited dog treats.
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relaxing with dad.
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Peek A boo!
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Glow sticks for Halloween.
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Enjoying my new blanket.
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Sleeping on my dads lap.
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Resting on the couch.
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Sleeping on the couch.
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This is my new sister she pays no attention to me.
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My new mom and me.
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Resting with my broken leg.
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The girls at Oswego Animal Clinic decorated my cast for me.
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Can you find me?
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Finally at peace. I love my life.
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More Blankets!
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My favorite blanket.