Small dog shares big message on Capitol Hill

A little dog with a big message traveled to Washington, D.C. to bring awareness to puppy mills.

Harley the Chihuahua survived 10 years in a puppy mill, but lost his eye due to the breeders using a power washer to clean his cage.

“Dear Mr. President, I had to ask my mom to read this letter, because I am only a dog,” said Harley’s handler in a video. “I am a puppy mill survivor. I spent ten years living in a small, filthy wire cage in a puppy mill.”

Puppy mills are a multi-billion dollar industry – something Harley shared with Congress on Wednesday.

“The reality here is this isn’t really about Harley. It’s about puppy mills dogs. It’s about millions and millions of puppy mill dogs,” said Rudi Taylor, Harley’s owner.

When not in Washington, D.C., Harley spends his time advocating for National Mill Dog Rescue, which in May, rescued its 10,000 th dog.

“People need to know where pet store puppies come from. And he is going to tell that story, and he’s going to tell it well and big,” said Theresa Strader, the founder of National Mill Dog Rescue.