The van drove down a street in Middlesex, England, and just as it passed by some pedestrians, the window opened, and a small object was launched out of the moving vehicle. One of the shocked passers-by ran over to the little black pug who had just been thrown into the road. After determining that the pug was not in critical danger, the compassionate person called the RSPCA's Millbrook Animal Centre for help.
The tiny pug, named Peggy, was immediately rushed to a veterinarian. Although Peggy didn't suffer significant damage from being tossed out of the van, her previous owner had treated her poorly. She was underweight, missing patches of fur, and evidently had been used as a breeding dog in a puppy mill. Peggy had given birth to multiple litters until she couldn't breed anymore. That was probably why she had been thrown away.
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“Mentally you could see she was scarred too, you could see the sadness in her eyes — God knows what she’d been through for most of her little life,” said Liz Wood, deputy manager at the RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Center. “I suspect she’d been kept as a breeding machine to produce puppies which could be sold ... for large numbers. Then, when she came to the end of her shelf life, they discarded her like rubbish. It’s heartbreaking and utterly despicable to treat a dog like a disposable object.”
To let Peggy rest and regain her trust in people again, Wood offered to take her home and foster her. It took Peggy some time to adjust, but with the help of Wood and Wood's other dog, the little pug soon found that there are good things to enjoy in life.
“We’re starting to see her cheeky side now,” Wood said. “She barks when she wants food and she makes funny little grunting noises when she is pleased to see you — her whole body wags, it’s adorable! She’s such a sweet dog and will make a wonderful companion for someone.”
Peggy will continue to heal and recover under Wood's care. At some point in the future, when she is ready, Peggy will be placed in a forever home. Until then, she will be living it up with Woods. As for Woods, she and the RSPCA will continue to fight puppy mills.
“This is why we need tougher regulations around the breeding and selling of dogs and we hope proposals by the government to bring in licensing and new regulations will help,” Wood said. “We’re also urging the public to consider rescuing a dog, like Peggy, instead of buying a puppy. The RSPCA has thousands of wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes, with different stories and backgrounds, waiting for their forever home.”
Peggy has a bright future ahead of her thanks to the kindness of the people at the RSPCA. Watch Peggy's video below, and then share her story with your friends and family on Facebook.
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