Thanks to all of you who have signed the petition but now I need to ask you to help us again. Marjorie’s Kennel is non-compliant but she is still breeding and advertising puppies for sale. This must be stopped. Secondly, this is Puppy Mill Awareness month and we need to make more people aware of this puppy mill and the horrendous way the dogs are treated so that one women can make a very comfortable living off of them. We must stand together to stop her. We need at least 7500 signatures this month. This is easy if everyone who gets this email gets just one more person to sign. Share it on FB, share it to your email list, share it on Twitter. Also please continue to follow the progress of the 60 rescued to date on www.facebook.com/freethekees and www.keesrescue.com. I would love to share with you the story of Charlie, one of the dogs rescued last December. Hi my name is Charlie, affectionately referred to as Charlie Bear. My foster momma named me Charlie in memory of a wonderful Keeshond she met last year and fell in love with instantly. I am honoured to carry his name. I’m about 3 or 4 years old. I was rescued from a puppy mill in NY where there were lots of Keeshonden waiting to be rescued. I was one of the chosen lucky ones to get out and even better just before Christmas. I was taken to a vet office where I got shots and was neutered. They had to shave me because my coat was so matted. I was transported on December 18, 2013, along with 5 of my friends from that mill. It was a very long drive thru snowstorms. I was very scared but somehow I knew something big was happening. Myself and my friends smelled so bad my transporters had to drive with the windows open even though it was cold outside. I drove for many hours, changed vehicles a few times and finally at 2:00am on December 19, I arrived at my foster home in Ontario, Canada. I was terrified, it was first time I had ever been in a house. There were two other dogs living there so that was good. It made me feel a bit better but there was this strange human that made me really afraid. I stayed away from that human for a very long time. She kept smiling at me but I was too scared to let her come anywhere near me, I kept running away. She put a really long leash on me that I had to wear all the time both inside and outside. Even when she fed me my delicious dinners I couldn’t eat if she was anywhere near me. There was a crate set up just for me with the door open. I would go in there a lot, that’s where I felt safe. I got a bath and then another bath shortly after I arrived. It was scary but I sure did feel and smell a lot better. I was also given this medicine because I had intestinal worms, lots of them. My foster momma gave us all treats but I was too afraid to take them so she would put them way far away so I could eat them from a safe spot. The treats were really yummy, she baked them just for us dogs. As time went on I noticed the other dogs in the house seemed to really like my foster momma. They would go to her for petting and lots of hugs. I would stand back and watch them. I really wanted to be hugged and petted but could not find the courage. Over several weeks I became more and more confident until I was able to let my foster momma pet me. It was the best feeling ever. No one had ever petted me before. Now I go to her often and she always pets me and tells me how handsome I am and how much she loves me. I even whack her with my paw when I want attention. I love my foster mom and follow her everywhere now. My foster mom noticed I did not put my full weight on my right rear leg and I had a pretty bad limp at times. She was very concerned and took me to the family vet. He took Xrays and told my mom my knee was affixed to the inside of my leg. He said it was a severe luxation of my patella. He suggested I be taken to a specialist. The specialist said I only had a 50/50 chance of a successful surgery given the severity of the luxation. My rescue group was very disappointed and didn’t know what to do. A very special lady in the group suggested a specialist in Michigan. She told him all about me and he felt he could perform a successful surgery. I was transported by the special lady in March 2014 from Ontario to Michigan. I stayed at a foster home with a nice lady, her hubby and dogs. After I was there a couple of weeks the big day came for my surgery. It sure was an ordeal and I was in lots of pain but they gave No one had ever petted me before. Now I go to her often and she always pets me and tells me how handsome I am and how much she loves me. I even whack her with my paw when I want attention. I love my foster mom and follow her everywhere now. My foster mom noticed I did not put my full weight on my right rear leg and I had a pretty bad limp at times. She was very concerned and took me to the family vet. He took Xrays and told my mom my knee was affixed to the inside of my leg. He said it was a severe luxation of my patella. He suggested I be taken to a specialist. The specialist said I only had a 50/50 chance of a successful surgery given the severity of the luxation. My rescue group was very disappointed and didn’t know what to do. A very special lady in the group suggested a specialist in Michigan. She told him all about me and he felt he could perform a successful surgery. I was transported by the special lady in March 2014 from Ontario to Michigan. I stayed at a foster home with a nice lady, her hubby and dogs. After I was there a couple of weeks the big day came for my surgery. It sure was an ordeal and I was in lots of pain but they gave me medication to make me feel better. I had to go through extensive rehabilitation. Three weeks following my surgery I was transported from Michigan back to my original foster home in Ontario to complete my rehab. I think it was because my foster momma missed me. The rehab continued for several weeks. I was taken for longer and longer walks. It felt so nice to be out of pain and able to walk normally. After nine weeks of rehab I got the okay from the vet and was allowed to be off leash to run and even climb stairs. I was so happy the first time the leash was removed I ran and ran and ran. My foster mom cried she was so happy. I think that was the second best day of my life the first was when I was rescued. Once I was all better my foster mom enrolled me in clicker obedience school, boy was that scary going there the first time. I refused to go through the door my mom had to carry me in. As time went on I got braver and braver and now I really look forward to going to school. After six weeks I got a certificate showing I had passed. I was so proud. I met other people and dogs at school. I really like meeting other dogs but strangers can be scary but they do like to give me treats. Next to toys, treats are my favorite thing. My mom calls me a food pig. I am presently enrolled in my second set of classes and they are being held outdoors in a big park. I love the park even though there are lots of people and things going on. I get lots of treats from different people and now I go to the instructor on my own and she gives me special treats. I have learned how to sit, give a paw, down and wait. I walk nicely on a leash and I’m now learning how to spin to the right and then the left. It’s lots of fun. My foster mom says I’m ready for my forever home. She is looking really hard to find the right home for me where I can continue to grow, learn and enjoy the rest of my life in the loving care of a family chosen especially for me. I want to thank the many people involved in this rescue operation for making this possible. Love Charlie