Welcome, pups, to Westlake, U.S.A.

Shiloh, left, rescued from a meat market in China, is thriving with her new family in Westlake.

"From the moment we saw DaYi on YouTube arriving at the JFK Airport, we knew he was our dog," said Westlake residents Gary and Marie Blatter. "We named him Shiloh, which means tranquil, and that is his personality. The happiness he shows with his smiling face and the fun he has playing with our other dogs makes us so happy he came into our lives.”

Gary and Marie adopted Shiloh after he and other mistreated dogs were rescued from a Chinese meat market by Golden Treasures Rescue in Bath, Ohio, in partnership with a nonprofit organization called China Rescue Dogs.

"All of us have heard something about puppy mills," said a volunteer with Golden Treasures Rescue. "More and more rescues are taking in dogs from these horrid conditions and we are no exception! Puppy mill survivors are unique in so many ways and now is the time to share the reasoning behind our expectations for the homes they need. A securely fenced yard is extremely important, as a loose mill dog will most often result in its death. Keep in mind, they know nothing about the dangers of traffic, nothing about survival and they will not wander up to a neighbor for help. Your entire family must be totally committed to the safety and rehabilitation of your dog. This process takes time and our first rule of thumb is to always keep your dog in a secure environment."

Golden Treasures Rescue and other rescue organizations will be accepting another plane full of pets from China the end of this month to save them from the horrid meat market. They are vetted before they depart China and vetted again when they land in the U.S.A. Mill dogs live in miserable conditions and their purpose is to produce as many litters as possible. They are then often relinquished or purchased by rescue groups to save them. Sometimes the dogs are extremely injured.

According to a group called Sick of the Litters, "Currently in Ohio there’s is a pet store preemption law which makes it illegal to regulate where pet stores get their puppies from; this means that pet stores in Ohio are protected by law in order to sell puppy mill puppies. This keeps puppy mills in business and makes Ohio one of the biggest puppy mill states in the country. Please consider contacting your local representatives, asking them to reconsider this law; getting this changed is essential to improving Ohio’s massive puppy mill problem."

“People say we saved them but they saved us with such joy and unconditional love during this long, unwelcomed, overstayed pandemic," said Westlake residents Bill and Sue Veber. "We’re grateful to the people who started the  Golden Treasures Rescue and China Rescue Dogs allowing Lulu and Teddy to make our home their 'fur-ever home.'"

To learn more about how you can help rescue dogs, visit Golden Treasures Rescue online at goldentreasuresrescue.org.

Your donations of your time, talents and resources will save a life!

Nancy Brown

Nancy Brown

Owner, Hot Diggity Dog, Inc.

Blog writer for Ohio Pet Expert

Advocate for lost, stolen and injured pets

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Volume 13, Issue 6, Posted 10:27 AM, 03.16.2021