This is Nellie. She’s a beloved Animals Australia team member, bin-raider, couch-dweller and teddy bear. Hers is a world where puppy factories don’t exist – but that wasn’t always the case.
Every morning, Nellie wakes up in her bed and stretches before trotting happily to the car. She’ll return from her first of three daily beach walks to be greeted by a warm breakfast, followed by a nap and usually playtime with her canine ‘brother’, Buddy. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, this cheeky, sparkly-eyed dog didn’t even know how to wag her tail.
Nellie spent five long years in a puppy factory. She was kept tied up, and forced to produce litter after litter of puppies who were all taken from her to be sold into the pet supply chain. Like most ‘breeder dogs’, she never knew what ‘walkies’ meant. Nobody took her to the park to play, let her rest her head on their lap, or told her what a good girl she was.
But unlike so many breeding mums just like her, Nellie was freed.
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Nellie in the shelter, moments before being adopted
The puppy factory where she had been imprisoned for so long was raided, and along with 11 other dogs, Nellie was seized and taken to a shelter. It was then that the only world she knew ceased to exist – and a whole new one opened up. When we dream of a world without puppy factories, all we need do is to imagine it through Nellie’s big brown eyes. And this is what she sees…
The Sunshine.
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And it feels as good as it looks.
Toys.
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What's Buddy's is Nellie's and what's Nellie's is ... Nellie's.
Pampering… and lots of it.
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It takes a lot of work to look this good.
Treats.
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Nellie is learning that life outside the puppy factory is not only wonderful ... but delicious!
Sticks.
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The giant ones that are super awkward to carry taste the best.
The inside of her eyelids.
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Nellie makes very good use of her two inside beds, her outside bed, the couch … and her mum’s bed. And yes, she snores.
The camera.
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With a face this irresistible, is it any wonder she has hundreds of followers on Instagram?
The car.
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Making up for lost time in a puppy factory = LOTS of adventures in the car = this face.
The Animals Australia office.
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In between beach walks, Nellie generously donates her time to assist the Animals Australia team and is a particularly useful lap-warmer/cuddler during meetings.
The beach.
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There is nothing that says “freedom" more than a happy dog tearing through the sand and sea. The ears say it all …
Her lifelong friend.
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Above all else, there is one thing in this world that Nellie never tires of seeing every day — the person who took her from the pound, and into her home.
A world that all dogs deserve to live in.
Here at Animals Australia, we like to dream big. And our dream is that every dog knows the freedom, the devotion, and the love that Nellie now enjoys.
Our dream is for a world where puppy factories cease to exist.
The world through Nellie’s big brown eyes is already puppy factory free — and we don’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. Help make her world a reality for all dogs, by pledging to adopt your next best friend – and free dogs like Nellie.
