Trooper

Trooper was our first rescue dog. A pure white mini that was rescued from a puppy mill operation. He was about six years old and was a stud at the puppy mill. It became obvious to us that he had not had human interaction or exposure to anything outside of his cage.
On top of his social neglect, his health had also suffered. His eyes were infected to the point they would crust over completely and his teeth needed serious help.

He was a lot of work for our whole family and it was an eye opening experience to the neglect, torture and pain some dogs live through. It broke our heart to see a dog who had never walked on grass before, been pet, hand fed and hundreds of over things.

Our whole family pitched in with him over a four week period. Trooper learned how to relax when being touched, how to eat a treat from our hand (which was harder than it sounds), potty trained and walkable. It also took some time for him to be comfortable and relax around other dogs. Luckily, during this time we were dog sitting my parents schnauzer Nikki and this helped the process. The picture below is the first time that Trooper finally relaxed and rested with other dogs around. It was a little victory we all celebrated.

Dr. Hudman and AZ Schnauzer Rescue were invaluable in helping us with our first foster dog. Dr. Hudman cleaned his teeth and rid Trooper of his eye infections. Unfortunately, due to the length of the infection, his tear ducts had been ruined and no longer produced fluid and Trooper will require daily eye drops for the rest of his life.

AZ Schnauzer Rescue found a perfect home for Trooper and he was adopted by a couple with another mini. They have kept excellent care of him and recently sent a picture of him with a proper schnauzer hair cut.
It was sad to see him go, but rewarding for us to facilitate the life changing process in Trooper's life. Trooper was gentle, cautious and kind; we will always remember him fondly as our first foster dog.