Puppy Mills Exposed on Oprah!

I am 100% sure all of you either watched or heard about the show Oprah aired on Friday afternoon about puppy mills. I just want to talk to you about it today and highlight some of the key points she talked about on her show. I think Oprah airing that episode will make a huge difference in how puppy mills are viewed and steps need to be taken by us to make puppy mills disappear!

Oprah had her own investigative reporter, Lisa Ling go to several puppy mills in Pennsylvania. What she found and captured on tape was absolutely horrible. I had known about puppy mills and their connection to pet stores for quite some time - (this is why I am such a HUGE advocate of adopting from a humane society or shelter) and to see it brought to light and discussed by Oprah is a big step in stopping puppy mills. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 99% of puppies bought from pet stores are obtained through puppy mills. Lisa Ling was told by one pet store owner that he visits the puppy mill once a week and would never sell puppies that come from a bad puppy mill.

When she visited the puppy mill, she was witness to the horrors these puppies go through every day of their lives. Puppies at all of the mills shown on the episode had never been outside of their cages or hutches. They had never walked on grass or anything other than the chicken wire that served as the floor to their cages. One of the most heartbreaking things I saw on the show was a dog who had no idea how to walk on the floor. His feet were incredibly swollen and although it was an adult dog, he had no clue how to walk at all - he was so used to walking on chicken wire, that anything else was foreign to him.

Lisa Ling rode along with a man from Main Line Animal Rescue who has developed relationships with the breeders and he will visit their puppy mills to take the dogs they no longer have a use for. They usually pick up older females (they are unable to reproduce) and young males (only 2 males are needed for every 20 females) who otherwise would have been shot or destroyed by other means.

Living conditions for the puppies and dogs at the mills is disgusting. They walk in their own urine and feces and at one mill the dogs were forced to run in huge wheels - they looked exactly like hamster exercise wheels. The owner of the puppy mill said the exercise is good for them. The dogs are exposed to the elements, rain, snow, you name it. Older females often develop tumors due to the extreme number of litters they have given birth to. The list of health problems goes on and on.

Animal rescue groups such as Main Line are a great thing to have in this country, although it may seem like they are only making a small dent in the number of puppies at puppy mills, they are making a difference. Each dog they rescue gets veterinary attention, they go to the groomer’s (many for the first time), and are prepped for adoption. They are a no-kill shelter and can rescue anywhere from 1-35 dogs, cats, and/or rabbits in a single day.

Also shown on the episode was a behind-the-scenes look at an animal control shelter (also referred to as a pound) in Los Angeles. This pound only has room for so many animals, when new animals are brought in, others must be put down to make room. Dogs in this situation are usually given 5 days to be claimed by their owner or be adopted. If dogs are not adopted or claimed by the 5th day, they are euthanized.

It was sad to hear the officer talk about what it is like choosing which dogs are going to be put down. There are different reasons for it, such as health reasons, or simply not enough room. The day the camera crews were there, they euthanized over 40 animals. The officer says he tries to show the animals the same compassion he would as if he were putting one of his own down. It is hard for me to think of dogs and how alone and scared they must be in their final moments. They will never know the joy of being in a family, being loved, playing fetch, and just being free.

How silly and absurd that we as a nation allow this kind of brutality to continue. Pet owners across the country need to have their pets spayed and neutered the overpopulation of pets is making it difficult for shelters to take any more in. People have misconceptions about shelter animals and they are completely unfounded. If you have a certain breed in mind and do not want a mixed breed, you need to find out where a breed rescue group is near you - the dogs will be purebred and you will find them to be incredibly loving.

The President of the Humane Society was on Oprah Friday and he said that as a country, we are better than this. We are more humane than puppy mills.

What do you think about puppy mills? Do you think there is any way to stop them? Currently there are more than 10,000 puppy mills operating in the United States, please leave me your comments on this subject. I know it is a hard thing to hear about, but your comments and your actions can make a difference in this world.

Thanks for reading! As always your participation in comments and discussions are encouraged and greatly appreciated!!

**DON’T FORGET, MY CONTEST TO WIN A FREE DOGGY TUG CHEW TOY ENDS ON FRIDAY!! SEND IN YOUR ENTRIES TODAY!!**