Fun

These Pups Started in a Puppy Mill– You’ll Never Guess Where They Ended Up

Written by: Stacie Grissom

January 30, 2014

When the ROMP Italian Greyhound Rescue in Chicago picked up Kai from a puppy mill in May of 2013, they never could have guessed the turn of events that would happen next.

Kai on her first day at ROMP.
Kai on her first day at ROMP.

A few weeks into Kai’s stay at ROMP, the humans realized she had a bit of a surprise for them… She was pregnant!

Rescued puppy mill momma, this is your last litter. <3
Rescued puppy mill momma, this is your last litter. <3

On June 28th, 2013, Kai gave birth to four bumbling babeh puppehs. They were born on the day of the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup parade, so the ROMP volunteers thought it was only fitting to name them all after the players. 🙂
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In contrast to what their lives would have been in the puppy mill, the four little dudes had a warm bed, lots of ruv, and plenty of time with their momma.
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And the four little guys grew up to be strong, healthy, and ridiculously adorable.
Sarpie Taser Hossa

And then something special happened.

ROMP rescue sent a video of the four little guys playing in the grass to the good folks at Animal Planet…
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… AND TWO PUPPIES WERE PICKED TO COMPETE IN THE PUPPY BOWL!!!

Taser and Sharpie, Puppy Bowl superstars.
Taser and Sharpie, Puppy Bowl superstars.

To film the Puppy Bowl, Taser and Sharpie got to take a big trip to NYC.

The Southwest Airlines employees with Taser and Sharpie. :)
The Southwest Airlines employees with Taser and Sharpie. 🙂

Central Park, Bryant Park, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, Times Square– those boys got to go everywhere.

Taser in Central Park. <3
Taser in Central Park. <3

And getting treated like rock stars made the pups behave like rock stars… For a moment. When the ROMP volunteers went out to grab a quick bite of dinner, they left the pups in the hotel room… And came back to this: 😉

Seems like these pups took a lesson from Keith Moon in trashing hotels...
Seems like these pups took a lesson from Keith Moon on trashing hotels…

But they recovered and the next day they competed in the 10th Puppy Bowl!
Be sure to watch the Puppy Bowl during the Super Bowl to see how they did! <3

It was an intense time playing in the Puppy Bowl, but the boys were up to the pressure.

And after the Puppy Bowl game, Taser and Sharpie’s bout with fame wasn’t even close to being over. They went back home to Chicago and were in a local parade for ROMP Rescue. <3
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And they even got to take photos with the NHL Stanley Cup! It was only fitting since they were named after Blackhawks players, after all. 🙂
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But the best part of all? Sharpie, Taser, their mom, and their brothers all got adopted and are living happy, spoiled lives.
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Just goes to show that no matter where you come from, no matter how small, skinny, or young you are– with enough hard work you can do anything! <3
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Catch Taser and Sharpie in Puppy Bowl X on Sunday on Animal Planet at 3pm ET and PT. Best thing about the Puppy Bowl besides the puppies? If you’re not wearing clothes, you can’t have any wardrobe malfunctions. 😉
MAin

All images courtesy of the wonderful folks at ROMP and Animal Planet. <3

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Written by: Stacie Grissom

January 30, 2014

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INNOVATIVE DOG STUFF, EVERY MONTH.

A themed collection of BARK-designed toys, treats, and chews.

INNOVATIVE DOG STUFF, EVERY MONTH.

A themed collection of BARK-designed toys, treats, and chews.