Hope Springs Eternal!

Written by a CP Intakes Coordinator

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
“An Essay on Man,” by Alexander Pope


People always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. I think puppy mill kids do, too. CP's newest additions spent their days in an Amish mill, facing adversity every minute. They hoped for better, for freedom, for love. They finally are getting those better days. They are now clean, dry, well fed and watered. They are getting loving, gentle attention. Better days are here!

Please help me welcome:

Mr. Salty - wheaten boy, estimated to be 6 years old. His name was donated by Mary N., In Memory of Sandy T's boy Salty.



Cokie - black brindle girl, estimated to be 2.5 years old. Her name was donated by dear friends of Maureen H. in Honor of her Aunt Fran; Cokie was her childhood family nickname.



Welcome, enjoy your freedom!

Would you like to honor a loved one and help a puppy mill dog at the same time? Check out our "Name a Mill Cairn" program by clicking the following link: Name a Mill Cairn

Set Your DVRs!

Puppies 'Viewed as Livestock' in Amish Community, Says Rescue Advocate
Exclusive Access: Cutting-Edge Facilities or Puppy Factories?

By SHARYN ALFONSI and TED GERSTEINMarch 27, 2009

The Amish are widely viewed as plain, peaceful people. Reclusive and private, most people only catch glimpses of them as they make their way through the hills of Pennsylvania's Dutch County in buggies. But some of their perfectly manicured farms are home to a secret world. Lancaster County has been called the puppy mill capital of the U.S., and the trade is largely dominated by the Amish.

Watch the story tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. ET

For more information please click the following link:
Nightline: Puppies Viewed as Livestock

Three Fates are in Col. Potter!

Written by CP's VP of Intakes

Puppy millers control every aspect of a dog's very being; conception, birth, life and finally, death. These dogs are at the mercy of the millers. Their life and future are constantly in peril and their fate is always in question. They don't know love, kindness, comfort or care. They exist for one purpose and one purpose only; to produce income for the miller.

Greek mythology tells of the white-robed Moirae (the Three Fates). They were the personification of destiny and controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death (and beyond). Millers portray their own Moirae when it comes to the innocent and helpless animals they possess. On some level, I would like to think the tables are turned and the animals are now the Moirae and control the life and destiny of the millers, especially in the beyond.

Three little girls had their destiny drastically change this weekend when they were released from an Amish PM in PA. The weather was raging and their journey was cut short, but they made it to freedom and have found a whole new life with Col. Potter.

Meet the Three Fates:

Clotho ("spinner") spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. Our Clotho is an 11 pound female, who is pretty scared and frightened, but will now be able to spin a whole new life for herself.



Lachesis ("alotter") measured the thread of life with her rod. CP's Lachesis is a very thin and tiny 8 pound female, whose nails are so long they cause her to limp, but will now have a long and happy thread of life ahead of her.



Atropos ("inexorable") was the cutter of the thread of life. This Atropos weighs 13 pounds and is a female who has been able to cut the thread of her life in the PM.



My thanks to Deborah, the Rescue Angel who continues to get the dogs out of the Amish Puppy Mills, Jeanine D. for stepping in to get the Three Fates picked up when they couldn't reach their intended destination and for finding a vet locally to board and vet them.

Please help more PM kids achieve a positive destiny. Please consider donating to Name a PM Kid, sponsoring one of them as a Guardian Angel or as a Grandparent. The expenses associated with rescuing PM kids continues to rise and makes it more and more difficult for CP to say yes to these furkids. They deserve a chance to realize what their Three Fates could and should have been, to have a happily ever after in their destiny, but we are having to say NO to some because we don't currently have the resources. I know times are tough and the Fates have not been kind to all of us, but what you think is tough, is nothing compared to what these PM kids endure day in and day out. Right now it is well below zero in many areas of the country without factoring in the wind chill. My heart breaks thinking about any PM kid surviving in these conditions right now. PLEASE see if there isn't some way you can help to change the Fate of a PM kid by helping to support them monetarily. I know doing so will help the Fates look down kindly on you ...

Tip a Glass to the CP Holiday Beverages!

Written by CP's VP of Intakes

I received a message at home last Thursday from a shelter in Missouri when I arrived home from work. It was too late to call then, so I called Friday morning. They had three young male Cairns that had been surrendered by a local miller that they needed help with as quickly as possible. Things always seem to happen for a reason and timing is everything. Had this shelter called a few weeks or even a few days earlier, the outcome for these three little boys may have been very different ... as we had been away on vacation for almost three weeks and had just gotten home the night before. We would not have gotten the message to help them if they had called any sooner. Fate, maybe; lucky, most definitely!!! What better way to celebrate their freedom, especially at this time of the season, than to raise a glass with your favorite holiday beverage and toast their good fortune to find their way into the loving arms of Col. Potter!

Please help me welcome the Holiday Beverages:

Wassail, grey brindle, 13 pounds - reported to be heartworm positive, but we will be retesting to verify - named after a British Isles holiday punch

Coquito, wheaten, 12.7 pounds - named after a Puerto Rican tropical version of eggnog

Champurrado, wheaten with black, 11.6 pounds - named after a Mexican hot chocolate holiday treat

My thanks to Betsy B., who responded to my urgent plea to get these boys pulled from the shelter before they closed at 5:00 PM on Friday and Kathy & Barney H. for picking them up from Betsy Friday evening and getting them to our vet for their boarding and vetting. Once again, thanks to wonderful volunteers who responded with assistance quickly and without question these adorable little boys found their way to safety and freedom.

They are looking for foster homes and will be ready to travel to start their new lives next Saturday, 12/27. If you are interested in fostering for Col. Potter, please check out our Foster Facts, fill out a Foster Home Agreement or email Col. Potter's Director of Foster Homes at CPCRNFosterHomes@gmail.com.

Welcome Santa's Gifts!

Written by a CP Intakes Coordinator

We have been lucky to bring into Col. Potter EIGHT of Santa's Gifts!

These kids are some of the group from the MO Puppy Mill closure. As you know, when a Mill is shut down by the government, it surely is the worst of the worst. Our contact only received eight of the thirty Cairns. Due to the very generous outpouring of offers for fostering, we were able to easily say yes to the eight that needed our help. We did not have to turn any away! When dealing with millers and government, you just don't know what you are going to actually get, and in this case, we were ready. You can all be proud!

These kids will be spending their Christmas inside, warm, dry, fed, watered, and loved - a true gift for each one of them.

They are estimated to be between 4 and 6 years old. They are heading to their foster homes, thanks to many very devoted CP volunteers.

Please help me welcome:

Yatzee - female

Parcheesi- female


Checkers - male


Chess - male


Mancala- female


Dominos - male


Pente - female


Mahjong- female

MERRY CHRISTMAS LITTLE ONES!!!

CP's Chorus Singing a New Tune - Written by CP's VP of Intakes

Last week four little Cairns were singing the Blues, stuck in a horrible puppy mill in Oklahoma. They were horribly matted with dreadlocks, covered in ticks and fleas; their skin was literally burning up from the heat and was full of sores and scabs. Thanks to the help of a local person involved in rescue who contacted Col. Potter about these Cairns' plight and their need for help, they are now singing a completely different tune!! It literally took our wonderful vet's staff a full day to bathe, clip, clean, bathe again, clip more, medicate and bathe again these four furkids to get them clean, free of parasites, their skin cooled off and looking healthier and pink instead of red and inflamed. They said you could literally see them singing a happy tune as they felt so much better with everything that was done to them.

Please join me in singing with CP's Chorus and welcoming them:

Contralto - Female, wheaten, 13 pounds
Soprano - Female, wheaten, 8.6 pounds
Tenor - Male, 15 pounds
Alto - Female, 12.6 pounds

One member of CP's Chorus will also be singing lullabies soon as she is pregnant, VERY pregnant! Contralto, by our vet's best estimate, is due to whelp within the next week. We think there are 4, possibly 5 puppies.

Please join me in singing “Celebrate” with CP's Chorus and then get ready to practice those lullabies!

Introducing The "A" List Cairns! - Written by a CP Volunteer

These seven cairns were part of 180 dogs confiscated when the State of Kansas shut down a puppy mill for violations. None of these kids are large cairns and most have decently harsh coats which will no doubt improve with proper grooming. They all got baths Saturday morning, but I believe they had also been bathed at the temporary intake shelter as none were truly filthy and I could see where some mats had been cut out. The intake shelter also trimmed their nails a little. Most seem moderately social. We know what ages they are supposed to be, but the ages were not matched to the dog, so we are awaiting some verification and guesstimates when the exams are done. None are overweight and they may be slightly underweight.

Abilene - wheaten female with dark ears

Almena - wheaten female, her tail is very short, whether by accident or design is unknown.

Andover - male wheaten with dark ears

Assaria is the lone dark one. She has the most gorgeous coat. Her tail is also short, but her coat is so lush that it will not be very obvious. She appears to be the largest, but that may again be the coat. She objected the most to her bath, not in fear, but indignity - apparently she has already had her annual bath.

Aubry - reddish wheaten female, she was giving tail wags and kisses by the time her bath was over.

Augusta - red wheaten female with darkish ears

Axtell - male, red wheaten, he has dropped ears and seems to have an ear infection

Please join me in welcoming the “A List” Cairns to the freedom and safety of Col. Potter!

The Music Continues With Our Latin Dancers - Written by CP's VP of Intakes

Three little Cairns were lucky enough to dance their way into the loving arms of Col. Potter this past weekend from an Amish puppy mill in PA. One of our rescue contacts was picking up dogs from several Amish PMs and she was just about to leave when he offered her the two females. He was originally going to keep the male and use him to breed CairPoos. After our rescue contact pointed out the feisty temperament of Cairns, she was dancing out the door with the male as well. This puppy mill no longer has any Cairns!

Let the music begin, as our Latin Dancers take to the dance floor:

Bolero - Male, 3-4 years old, missing the tip of his left ear (probably from frostbite)
The Bolero originated in the late 18th century in Spain. The dance traveled to Cuba and eventually spread to other Latin American countries. It has been called the "most popular lyric tradition in Latin America".

Mambo - Female, 3-4 years old, sister to Tango
The Mambo originated in the late 1940's of Cuban origin and is rhythmically similar to the slower Bolero. Mambo is at the roots of the Salsa dance and is a part of the American Rhythm group of American Style ballroom dances.

Tango - Female, 3-4 years old, sister to Mambo
The Tango originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay in the 1850's and soon spread to the rest of the world. Today there are many Tango dance styles.

I know these furkids all have some pretty fancy dance moves they are just waiting to show off on the dance floors of their foster homes until they dance right into their forever homes. Please join the beat of the Latin Dancers and put your hands together to welcome them to the CP Ballroom!

CPCRN needs Foster Homes! If you are interested in becoming a CP foster home, check out our foster facts. If you are unable to foster but would like to help our puppy mill dogs, and possibly win a great gift, check out our New Leash On Life XII!