Back in 2007 I stumbled across a plea for donations on the internet for a rescue dog that had some MAJOR illnesses that needed treatment, what I never anticipated was the effect her story would have on me and how Darcy helped pave the way for me to help with puppy mill/irresponsible backyard breeder survivors...here is Darcy's story and the legacy she left with me                                                                                                                              
Darcy was a 12 year old Dalmatian that was a backyard breeder dog somewhere in the Phoenix area, when her owners realized her health was failing, and she probely was not churning out enough puppies (due to her age) to make the money they wanted her to make they decided to dump her behind a strip mall in Phoenix and left her to die                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Darcy was found by a passerby very sick and unable to stand/walk on her own, this wonderful person loaded Darcy into his car and took her to the nearest animal hospital to see if they could help her.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
When she arrived at the hospital they thought the best thing for Darcy was to put her down, but thanks to one of the vet techs prompt action a local rescue took custody of Darcy so she wouldn't have to be put down.                                                                      
Darcy had a lot of initial medical issues due to both age/neglect/and over breeding, and would develop many more in her 1 year in rescue.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
After about a month I contacted the rescue and asked if I could foster Darcy, little did I know how this girl would affect my life, she was an old worn out girl, health wise she was a train wreck of a dog...she had neurological issues in her hind area due to confinement in a cage/crate, her bottom teeth were worn down to the gum and the vet said it looked like she was continually trying to chew out of her metal cage, she had an untreated abscess in one of her teeth that literally caused a hole in her face that drained all the time and wouldn't heal, even after the tooth was extracted, she was covered in fleas and ticks, was underweight, didn't see or hear well due to her age.                                                                                                                                                              
After a couple months of trips back and forth to the vet and lots of medications and a good diet and lots of love and caring she was starting to feel stronger and it looked like things were on the way up for her.                                                                                       
Then she started getting acid reflux which caused her to throw up and unfortunately she aspirated some of her throw up and within days developed severe Pneumonia and had to be taken to the emergency room, she was dehydrated and gravely ill, but the rescue could not afford to have her kept under care at the hospital, so I took her home and the next day she was at her regular doctor for care.                                                                                   
I had a quick coarse in giving Darcy I.V. fluids and medications at home and I was by her side administering care and love, the vet was going to give her 3 days, if she wasn't better we agreed that we would put her down, so 3 days later I'm driving her out for her decision making doctors appointment, and that was the longest drive of my life, at sunset time, watching the sun go down behind the mountains and realizing this might be my last day with her, it was surreal.                                                                                                                                                                                                           
The doctor listened to her lungs and turned and looked at me and said "what have you done to this dog" and I said nothing, just loving and caring for her, then she said her pneumonia is gone I don't hear any noise in her lungs, and I can actually hear her heartbeat, which she couldn't do in prior visits because her lung noise was so loud, then she said take her home...Darcy has faced euthanization TWICE and beat it.                                                                                                                                                                       
As Darcy became better health wise, she became worse emotionally, she was starting to snap and bite at my dogs, and attacked one of my newest little foster dogs quite violently, Lucky was ok, but Darcy was becoming a danger to the other dogs, so I contacted the rescue and said I could no longer keep her in my home, and that just broke my heart because I knew with all her health issues including incontinence, and now the aggression that finding a foster home let alone a permanent home for her was a real shot in the dark,and I felt as though I let her down as I had come to really love her, and still to this day I cry when I think about her life and our short journey together.                                                                                                                                 
She was put in a boarding facility, and was placed in a cage (again) with a cold cement floor and watched over by the kennel staff and cared for by a wonderful rescue angel named Dee.                                                                                                                                            
In the months Darcy spent at the kennel I visited her a couple times and took her for walks, and checked up on her with her caretaker.  Dee cared for her for months  but Darcy's physical and emotional health declined fast, her hind legs were not working well, sometimes she would drop and couldn't walk, she became very depressed and angry, so Dee and I talked about Darcy's future and with no positive results in finding her a sanctuary rescue (because of her aggression) along with the directors blessing we decided to compassionalty help Darcy over the Rainbow Bridge.                                                                                                                                                                                                            
On Sept 14th 2008 I spent the afternoon with her out in the grass, eating carrots (her fav snack) and ice cubes and we took a drive to McDonalds and ate lunch., and she was very happy that day which we saw as an indicator that she was ok with our decision, I really believe that animals know when things are going to happen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Then on Sept 15th my husband and I and Dee and her husband returned to be with Darcy when she was put down, we held her close and she acted like she was ready to go by taking a deep cleansing breath and as she was going down I told her I loved her and I would never let her voice die, that I would try to educate as many people as I could on the subject of irresponsible backyard breeding and commercial breeding of animals for profit in puppy mills as I could.                                           
A lot of good things have happened in my journey being a voice for puppy mill/backyard breeder dogs and I really believe Darcy is helping me from above, and she keeps me focused and on track when I feel like tossing in the towel                                                                                                                                                                        
Darcy was the poster dog of bad backyard breeding, at the time of her death she had mammory gland tumors (dog version of breast cancer) acid refux, nurological issues, a open/draining wound on her face from continuous dental infections, teeth worn down to the gums from trying to chew her way to freedom, deminished sight and hearing, incontinance, beginning kidney disease , and worst of all because of little to no socialization and aggression issues with other dogs, especially males.                                                                                                                   
This is what happens to dogs  (especially the females) that are bred every cycle for years  in confinement, with no vet care/ human contact and love and it happens in puppy mills where there are hundreds to thousands of dogs, or just one lonely old Dalmation girl named Darcy                                                                                             
REST IN PEACE DARCY GIRL 1996-2008