<p>Imagine spending your life not only in a cage but in a dark recess of someone&#8217;s basement. This was a reality for a poodle named B.B., who was rescued from a North Carolina <a type="internal">puppy mill</a> by animal workers with the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com/" type="external">Humane Society of the United States</a>. When she was found last September, B.B. was tiny and had clearly been impregnated over and over again.</p> 
<p>&#8220;She was very tiny, and she looked like this helpless creature,&#8221; said Jessica Lauginiger, animal crimes manager at HSUS.</p> 
<p>Upon being rescued, B.B. was transported to Cabarrus Animal Hospital along with the animals. However, she captured the attention of Brenda Tortoreo, the establishment&#8217;s receptionist. Tortoreo <a href="https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/puppy-mill-mother-rescued" type="external">told</a> The Dodo:</p> 
<q> <p>&#8220;B.B. was in a corner. She looked pitiful. She was scared to death&#8230; And I said, &#8216;That&#8217;s the one I&#8217;m going to take home.&#8217;&#8221;</p> </q> 
<p>Because B.B. spent her entire life in a tiny cage, she didn&#8217;t know what to make sense of <a type="internal">freedom</a> at first.</p> 
<q> <p>&#8220;I put B.B. down on the floor, and she kept going in circles &#8212; not running, but walking,&#8221; Tortoreo said. &#8220;I guess that&#8217;s all she knew to do. I put her in the living room, and to go into the hallway, she would not cross that border [between rooms]. I have two granddaughters who live with me, so I would put her in one of my granddaughters&#8217; rooms, and she was terrified of rugs. She just wanted off the rug.&#8221;</p> </q> 
<p>The puppy had never seen the sun, so that was new, as well.</p> 
<q> <p>&#8220;She never knew what sun was,&#8221; Tortoreo explained. &#8220;She didn&#8217;t know what grass was, and she was terrified of it.&#8221;</p> </q> 
<p>However, space, plenty of cuddles, and an excess of love have resulted in B.B. slowly understanding that her life before was anything but normal.</p> 
<q> <p>&#8220;She runs around the house,&#8221; said Tortoreo. &#8220;She&#8217;s eating like crazy &#8212; she was originally about 3 and a half pounds, but I think she&#8217;s maybe about 10 pounds now. She loves the grass now, and she loves playing with the other dogs in the backyard.&#8221;</p> <p>&#8220;About three weeks ago she started licking me &#8212; she&#8217;d never done that before,&#8221; Tortoreo added. &#8220;She&#8217;s really come out of her shell. She&#8217;s my little princess.&#8221;</p> </q> She had spent her entire life in a tiny cage, being impregnated repeatedly. &#8220;She was very tiny, and she looked like this helpless creature.&#8221; After being taken to Cabarrus Animal Hospital, B.B. was adopted by a receptionist named Brenda Tortoreo. &#8220;B.B. was in a corner&#8230; She looked pitiful. She was scared to death&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;And I said, &#8216;That&#8217;s the one I&#8217;m going to take home.&#8217;&#8221; However, because she spent her entire life in the dark and in a tiny cage, B.B. was confused. &#8220;I put B.B. down on the floor, and she kept going in circles &#8212; not running, but walking.&#8221; &#8220;I guess that&#8217;s all she knew to do.&#8221; &#8220;She never knew what sun was&#8230; She didn&#8217;t know what grass was, and she was terrified of it.&#8221; After receiving plenty of love and freedom, B.B. now runs around the house. &#8220;She&#8217;s really come out of her shell. She&#8217;s my little princess.&#8221; 
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This Dog Spent Her Entire Life Locked In A Basement. Now, She’s Finally Free