“We’ll take the sad one that looks like a mop.”

We spotted a sad, dirty dog who’d only had a number, until the shelter staff named her “Jenny.”

In the fall of 2020, we lost our 15-year old yellow lab, Bree, whom I’d raised from a puppy. She lived an amazingly long life, full of mischief. The void she left at home was exacerbated by the pandemic, so we began looking for another dog. We wanted to adopt a senior, in need of a good home.

Ty and I both work for local television stations in Phoenix, so we’ve come to know the staff at the various shelters in the area through their appearances on our newscasts. We put out feelers, letting them know we were looking for an older dog.

On a visit to the Arizona Animal Welfare League, we saw a group of different terrier breeds who’d just been unloaded from a truck. They were rescued from a puppy mill in another state, and looked rough.

“Jenny’s” glamour shot from the shelter website.

We walked a few to the yard, and most seemed happy to be exploring the grass and new surroundings.

Then, we saw a dirty, greyish-brown dog, with matted hair so thick, she couldn’t possibly see through it, or move comfortably.

She was timid, and backed up against the concrete block wall of the shelter.

Ty, trying to coax “Jenny” to the gate

Still, “Jenny,” as they’d named her, walked on a leash with us out to the yard. She wasn’t happy like the rest, and lacked a “spark,” but we figured- we’d definitely be able to draw it out of her.

We took her home later that day, and named her “Myrtle,” having no idea what we were in for.

Because she was used for breeding purposes, she actually came with papers. Myrtle is a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, who was about to turn seven years old.

The AAWL wouldn’t tell us where the dogs were rescued from. I think it’s part of a deal they make when a separate group goes in to seize the dogs. They often come from operations in Missouri or Pennsylvania, and we tried hard to figure out “Jenny’s” case, but had no luck.

Details of the rescue are unclear, but sometimes groups will pay the people who run the puppy mill to take the older dogs (nearing the end of their breeding lives) away. It’s a controversial practice, because it doesn’t put an end to the abusive breeding program. It does, however, save the older dogs from certain death.

Checking “Jenny” out in the yard at the shelter

It was clear- she’d spent little, if any time, in a yard or on grass. She had no idea what to do outside the cage.

Bree, who passed away in 2020, at the age of 15

If you are interested in my travel adventures, check out my travel blog Jared’s Detours.