“A human being is a part of the whole called by us ‘universe,’

Yet he experiences himself as something separated from the rest,

A kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

Restricting us to our personal desires,

 And to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison

By widening our circle of compassion

To embrace all living creatures,

And the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Albert Einstein

Tiny Jake lost an eye

And his hair is falling out

His medical condition is poor

His was a life of abuse no doubt

He spent nine years as a stud dog

In a very large dog breeding operation

And what this canine was forced to endure

Should not bring anyone any joy or elation

Luckily for this tiny dog he was finally rescued

He’s now a spokesman for the Humane Society

Jake’s story typifies a modern cruelty we all allow

But needed changes may occur through his celebrity

To me this dog and his rescuer

Truly prove the age old adage

One or two can make a difference

In making our world far less savage

One old and ugly abused dog

One very kind hearted human soul

Now working together to make changes

Changes our callous world desperately needs so

Old Jake has thyroid and autoimmune disorders that cause his hair to fall out. He has heart problems and luxation of the patella, a disorder that causes his knees to dislocate. During his time at the puppy mill, Jake lost an eye and sustained a severe injury under his chin, leaving a large scar.

His rescuer, J.J. Scheele, believes that Jake’s injuries are due to dog bites that went untreated at the puppy mill.  In addition, when Jake initially came to live with Scheele, he had very few social skills.

Jake is not the perfect dog that modern puppy mills claim to produce—but he's a perfect example of exactly the kinds of problems that puppy mill dogs have.

Luckily for Jake, he was rescued and adopted by this kind hearted woman instead of being killed, which is how most ‘breeder bitches and breeder studs’ at puppy mills are typically disposed of once they are no longer needed.

"I wouldn't trade Jake and all his issues for anything in the world, but it's so sad he has had to suffer the way that he has," says Scheele.

"This ugly dog brings joy, happiness, and wisdom to my life every day—but he is also a reminder of the terrible suffering that we humans allow every day."

Please adopt your next pet from an animal shelter; don’t buy it from a very callous puppy mill.  And please help spread the word about the terrible animal cruelty that occurs each and every day in our far too callous modern world.

Old Jake will truly thank you, and so will my once abused little Chihuahua, Chica Blanca.

And to learn more about Jake, these horrendous puppy mills, and what you can do to help stop them, please visit the Humane Society website linked below.

We all can make changes for the better in this world, in so many different ways - if only we are brave enough to try.