In Middlesex, England, a passerby was stunned to see a van window open — and a small black pug tossed onto the street. Horrified, the witness rushed to scoop up the frightened dog and carried her into a nearby shop for safety before contacting the RSPCA.
The little pug, later named Peggy, was taken straight to a veterinarian. Miraculously, she hadn’t been injured in the fall, but her condition told a different story. She was painfully thin, missing patches of fur, and bore the unmistakable signs of being forced to breed litter after litter until her body gave out.
“Mentally you could see she was scarred too — the sadness was in her eyes,” said Liz Wood, deputy manager at the RSPCA’s Millbrook Animal Center. “I suspect she’d been kept as a breeding machine. And once she could no longer produce puppies, she was discarded like rubbish. It’s utterly despicable.”
Recognizing how fragile Peggy was, Wood decided to foster her personally. At first, Peggy was timid and unsure, but with gentle care — and encouragement from her foster sibling — she began to heal. Now, she joins Wood at the shelter each day and returns home with her each night, slowly learning that people can be kind.
“We’re starting to see her cheeky side,” Wood said. “She barks when she wants food, makes funny little grunts when she’s happy, and her whole body wags when she greets you. She’s such a sweet soul and will make a wonderful companion.”
Peggy is still recovering, but soon she’ll be ready to find the forever home she’s always deserved. Meanwhile, the RSPCA continues to investigate who abandoned her and is fighting to end the cruel practices of puppy farming and backyard breeding.
“This is why we need stronger regulations around breeding and selling dogs,” Wood said. “And it’s why we urge people to adopt, not shop. There are thousands of dogs like Peggy waiting for a second chance.”
To support dogs like Peggy, you can donate to the RSPCA.
