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I love animals and I do care about animal’s welfare. I have a 13 year old dog and a 3 year old dog.
I take our dogs for walk everyday since my 13 year old dog was a puppy. When I walked neighbourhood, I see some other dog owners walking with their dogs. I have seen Marie and her Golden Retriever, Bella walking last 10 years. We sometimes had a brief conversation with Marie when we saw Marie and Bella at our afternoon walk. From our conversation, I knew Bella has had multiple health issues and cost Marie fortune. I thought that Bella was a lucky dog to have such a loving human mother like Marie.
When I became to be a photographer, I wanted to take photographs of Marie and Bella. I knew that Bella is getting older and Marie loved her so much. I asked her if she is interested in a portrait session with me and she said yes.
At pre consultation, I found out more detailed story about Bella and I met Marie’s daughter Melissa who is a hair and makeup artist. Melissa did Marie’s hair and makeup. (Melissa’s Hair and Makeup Facebook page)
Marie found out where Bella was born at a puppy farm, and she wants to share the story about Bella and wishing to stop Puppy Farms.
Bella, a Puppy Farm Survivor and Her Family Portrait from Sumico Photography on Vimeo.
BELLA’S STORY
Bella was born on the 19th July 2008 in NSW in a puppy farm. Her mother was not even 12 mths old as she gave birth to her first litter she was born in a shed in the cold, the litter was taken from the mother from quite a young age as far as we know as she was only 9 weeks old when we purchased her from a Pet Store ( at this stage I was unaware that if I purchased a puppy from a pet store that they were all from puppy farms). Bella was on-sold from the original puppy farmer to another puppy farmer at goodness knows what age she was then sent on to Queensland to a pet store where she and 3 others from her litter were placed in the shop window ( I cringe at the thought of all of that )
We fell in love with the last puppy alone in the window with her back to the window she looked sad I HAD to take her home with me I just could not leave her there all alone we took her home with us on the 21st September 2008. She was still under age to be away from her mother unbeknownst to me! she seemed very timid that day I guess she didn’t know where she was.
Bella suffered some kind of weird seizure the next day we didn’t understand what that was she recovered with no further issues, until a year later she began to limp. After x rays, we were told she had very bad hip dysplasia and began medication to help. A couple of years later she was to undergo crutiot ligament operations, first one back leg then 3 months later the other back leg. We got her on good supplements to help with any pain and she has recovered quite well which I believe to be the supplement she is on helping her immensely.
Last year we were to discover that she has glaucoma in both eyes and had to have an inoculation ( removal of one eye) due to the pain being so severe and she had gone blind in that eye. There is no cure for glaucoma, we are currently administering medication to the remaining eye every 8 hours round the clock we can not miss any of the drops or she would go blind within an hour or so.
There have been numerous health issues with Bella stomach ( she has pancreatitis and on vet prescription diet ) skin, ears perhaps too many visits to the vet to mention .
Bella is our beautiful girl who has brought so much sunshine into our family we would not be without her regardless of the cost of operations and medical bills however I urge everyone to NOT SUPPORT PUPPY FARMS please do not ever buy a puppy from pet stores. Doing so, you are lining the pockets horrid puppy farmers who treat the dogs as puppy machines. They have no regard for their life, they are kept in absolute horrid conditions, chained up in the cold never feeling free or love cold dirty conditions to horrible to explain.
I believe Bella’s health issues throughout her life have all come down to bad breeding, bad conditions, poor health of the mother /father, bad circumstances of being born on a puppy farm.
– Marie
Bella is the face of a campaign being run by the Animal Justice Party NSW (AJP NSW). Members of the AJP NSW have been fighting alongside Bella’s family for nearly a decade for justice for Bella and many puppies and dogs, like Bella. This AJP NSW campaign coincides with the introduction of a NSW Puppy Factory bill by the Animal Justice Party, Member of the NSW Legislative Council, Mark Pearson.
Funds raised will go towards promoting this important campaign to ensure better outcomes for all puppies and dogs caught up in the Puppy Factory trade. If anyone wishes to donate to go to the animal justice party NSW, here is their link http://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/
And if you like to get beautiful portraits with your pets, please contact Sumico Photography.
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