Blonde By Nature

“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals”

-Immanuel Kant, German Philosopher.

Bill Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue spends his days pleading with puppy mill owners to surrender dogs that they don’t want anymore. Main Line then takes the dogs, heals, rehabilitates and places them into good homes. They also spent $10,000 on a billboard that Bill says was “the best money [they've] ever spent” for it got the attention of Harpo Studios.

The show is centered around the reporter Lisa Ling who investigates a-day-in-the-life-of-Bill and goes from puppy mill to mill filming the conditions of the facilities, the state of the dogs and asking those really tough questions. I really have to commend Lisa, she held it together on camera quite well (that couldn’t have been easy). They start their day by selecting a pet store that “never deals with unsavory businesses” and randomly does a background check on a puppy from the store. The investigation leads them to their first mill and many mills thereafter.

Their descriptions of these “cash crops” are as follows:

• The dogs have never been outside or touched grass (they sit shivering under heat lamps in their own feces) and those who are outside freeze to death in their feces. Either way, they sit in their feces all day, everyday.
• Females are forced breed every single heat cycle. A female cocker spaniel that they rescued was 7 years old and gave birth to an estimated 140 puppies. Often the females they rescued have infected or cyst-filled teats.
• Puppies are only there for 8 weeks but breeding animals live their entire lives in sheds with 30-40 dogs in bunny cages, stacked to the ceiling and walking on chicken wire.
• One mill had the dogs exercising on gerbil-like wheels, old, pregnant, injured and young alike.
• Mill owners jam pipes down the dogs throats to damage their vocal cords to prevent them from barking.

If you haven’t felt the impact of these descriptions, watch for yourself - consider this my warning, this video is not for the faint hearted - Indiana Amish puppy mill video. According to Bill, Amish mills are quite common as they see dogs as agriculture, similar to corn.

IMAGINE never having enough room to stand or walk. Never tasting real food or fresh water. Never feeling grass between your toes or the warmth of sunlight. Never being exposed to a healing touch. Never having a bath. Never getting a hug or being kissed. Imagine never knowing love.

99% of puppies being sold in pet stores or online are from mills and there are currently 10,000 puppy mills operating in the US today. In Canada, 400 puppy mills are operating in Ontario although Quebec is said to have the most in the country. On that note, here is an interesting demonstration of mill owners lack of brains Puppy millers: How CLUELESS can you be? posted by Pet Connection Blog.

Please…

Buy from a reputable breeder (registered with the Canadian Kennel Club or American Kennel Club) or a rescue center; check out Oprah’s Animal Adoption Resources for the US for a complete list.

GREAT CANADIAN SOURCES:

1. Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
2. No Puppy Mills Canada
3. Better Dog Network and Humane Society
4. Canada’s Guide to Dogs
5. Canadian Kennel Clubs response to the Oprah show on puppy mills
6. Canadian Kennel Clubs recommendation on how to Finding a Reputable Breeder

Give a fantastic gift to an animal and pet lover and donate to your local spca.

SPECIAL THANKS TO BILL SMITH, LISA LING AND OPRAH WINFREY FOR GETTING THE WORD OUT THERE!!

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