"I was "Tag #19", also known as "Mariah Hope." I was one of thousands of former puppy mill breeders and I, along with many others, have a story to tell. The life of a puppy mill dog is not a glamorous one, by any means. Why are there such places? It’s all about the good old American dollar and keeping pet stores supplied with those expensive, cute, sad little puppies." There are puppy and kitten mills, all with the same conditions. They are all over the country, some disguised as other businesses.

She spent years as a puppy mill breeding mommy in Eastern Oklahoma. Her owners had permanently marked her head with a hot branding iron, inserted metal cow tags in her ears, forced her to wear her rusty metal chain with her breeding number as a collar. Today, she is crippled in her senior years. Mariah never knew a human’s touch other than to be thrown in another cage to breed. This girl was bred so many times that only SHE knews the number of puppies she produced. Because her last litter was born blind, she became worthless to the breeders.  She was lucky enough to be rescued from her horror. Sometimes these animals end up at auctions only to be sent to another miller or to be bought by experimental labs or dog fighters to be used as bait.

Imagine spending your entire life in a 5’ X 5’ cage made entirely of wire, with 5-7 other people every day. If you are too tall, or too overweight, nobody cares. If you can't move because it's so crowded, nobody cares. During every heat cycle, you are forced to breed. You have limited food, if any at all. There is no heat nor air, When you are sick you never see a doctor and you suffer. You live in your own waste, drink filthy water, if any. You have never been loved or comforted. This was Mariah Hope's life when she was "Tag 19".

Sadly, Mariah Hope joined her brothers and sisters who had also been rescued from puppy mills at
the Rainbow Bridge in May 2007 at the young age of 21.
Rest in Peace my little angel. Your legacy lives on through me.