What One Person Did to End Puppy Mills
Last week Oprah re-ran an amazing show on puppy mills. She had investigative journalist Lisa Ling showing all the heartbreaking undercover footage of what puppy mills are really like, such that anyone who saw it will never consider buying a dog again. She showed amazing rescue people doing amazing things to deal with the swelling number of unhomed pets, and she interviewed the Fort Worth Animal Shelter which has no choice but to euthanize 17,000 dogs a year, almost 3 times as many as they are able to rehome. =(((( She had her vet on and the head of the HSUS who both said “spay and neuter.” She shared links to how people can get politically involved in abolishing puppy mills.
When the show re-ran she read a letter from the Governor of Pennsylvania pushing legislation for monitoring and oversight to mills. She made thousands of people cry and she made thousands of people commit themselves to fixing this awful problem. Oprah cried. Oprah publicly stated she will only get new dogs from shelters and never “buy” again.
But Oprah is not the one person I’m writing this entry about who did so much to raise awareness on puppy mills and add strength to the abolish movement. The person I want to talk about is Bill Smith, the founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, the leader of an amazing organization. He and Main Line put up a billboard just off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago that read, “Oprah-please do a show on puppy mills; the dogs need you.”
As much as we all hate puppy mills the hard reality is that most people don’t even know what they are or even that they exist. Most dog lovers don’t even know about them. Oprah said she was confused when she saw the billboard because she didn’t know what a puppy mill was.
So a 21-woof salute from Dogster to Bill Smith and the Main Line Animal Rescue. We’ve always thought if people simply knew about puppy mills and backyard breeders we could kill all their business, but haven’t done a good job voicing that to people BEFORE they get a dog. We’re re-emboldened to do all we can do.
Thanks Bill Smith! Thanks Main Line Animal Rescue! Hopefully others will follow your lead and continue to raise awareness that will put serious pressure on these puppy factories that will force them out of business.
I’m SO glad they put up that billboard! I passed it for months on the Kennedy hoping that Oprah would see it and do a show. As the proud mama of a Puppymill rescue, THANK YOU Bill for all you do!!
I read somewhere yesterday - but can’t remember where - that two Ohio legislators (one Republican and one Democrat) are putting forth a bill to more strictly regulate kennels and boarding facilities and that it would impact breeding facilities also. Apparently a Republican legislator rescued a dog from a puppy mill situation and is leading the charge. It often takes that personal involvement to get someone to MOVE FORWARD. Let’s go the other 49 states!
Here on the Main Line (suburban Philadelphia) we are very familiar with Bill Smith and his good works. He is passionate and tireless in his life’s work to help animals.
When you work in rescue you assume everyone knows about puppy mills because its so much a part of your consciousness. But it’s amazing how many people really don’t know where pet store puppies come from. So it really is important to talk to people. Tell your friends, your family who are thinking about getting a dog or a puppy just where those cute little puppies come from. What their parents go through. The atrocities that are part of the puppy mill industry. Not all breeders are bad, but all puppy mills are. And until all of them are gone, we have to keep telling as many people as we can and we can’t assum everyone knows. And I do thank Bill Smith and Oprah for finding out what they are and doing the show. Because she reached a lot of people, more than most of us can.
Thank you Bill and Main Line! Now I have a great new brother! He was a “breeder reject” from a puppy mill in Pa. A beautiful happy miniature goldendoodle surrendered to a local rescue because he is bowlegged. We’re the best of buds.
I hope Opraah keeps on doing shows and addresses each state. Please write your state legislatures. Please pass out flyers to your neighbors,co-workers or put in mailboxes.You can order any information from HSUS. Please spread the word every day. I’ve seen the show twice and as a dog lover and owner I am ready to go to each one and open all cages!
This has opened a lot more of the publics eyes to puppy mills. As a animal shelter and dog rescue group volunteer I know all too well the tragedy caused by puppy mills and overbreeding. I educate everyone I can that the dog you want is out there at a rescue, it just involves some research. I will never, ever buy a dog from a breeder or a pet store and I hope I can convince others to do the same. I am the happy momma of 2 rescue dogs, and I will continue to advocate for animals like them.
I am a member of United Against Puppy Mills in Lancaster, PA. We cannot thank Oprah and Bill from Main Line enough for the truth and opening people’s eyes on this horrible thing happening all around the US but in Lancaster, PA as well.
We can never thank Oprah and Bill enough for opening the eyes of people that dont know the horror of puppie mills. My two Boxers came from a puppy mill in Lancaster now shut down. They where in chicken wire coops,with so many other puppies you couldnt count them all. Fecus and urnine smell everywhere so gross!!!! Skinny and bow legged.This should never happen….. But now my babies are happy healthy and will loved every day!!!!!! I now try to educate people and let them know what goes on and to go to rescues or repabtale breeders.
I believe there needs to be a law of 1 litter per year per breeder/per female. Also females only ages 2-5 to be bred. There are so many dogs out there that we’ll never find homes for all of them. Also Adoption agencies are charging the same price as a breeder $150-$300 so some people figure they may as well buy a puppy from a breeder instead of some one elses “problem dog or rejected dog” They up the license fee on pets and complain when people don’t want to come to the shelters to adopt them-instead they have to be euthanized. Lower the fees, help the ones who want to give these pets homes, not all of us are millionaires like Oprah but we do have open hearts and loving arms and homes.
I watched the show, and was so glad someone finally addresses this topic. I am a dog owner and have ALWAYS gotten my dogs from shelters. I think it is inhuman to run these mills. How could you have a soul and look into those poor animals eyes and claim there is nothing wrong with breeding animals this way? I personally think it is crimanal. Thanks Bill we need more people like you. Thank you from all animal lovers and the animals.
First of all let me say I’m a dog owner…times three! Second, kudos to Oprah and others who are out to slam the door forever on puppy mills. But not one single word about our feline friends? Either here on Dogster (yeah, I get it that it’s a dog website and my own Sheltie is a “member”) or on Oprah? Cats outnumber dogs in this country. I’m a volunteer at our county animal shelter that receives 10–40 animals PER DAY. Most are dogs and cats. The euthanization rate of adoptable dogs in 2006 was about 25%. However, if you’re a cat in the shelter, and you’re perfectly healthy and adoptable, you have only about a 23% chance of either adoption or your owner claiming you. That’s right; 77% euthanization rate and I can personally attest everything is done to keep cats as long as possible. They’re showcased on local news and on cable TV. Many shelter cats are discarded/old, lost, or feral cats. The latter group presents a huge problem. The HSUS estimates that a pair of breeding cats and their offspring can exponentially produce over 400,000 cats in 7 years. Spay and neuter, anyone? Definitely! Let’s KO the puppy mills, but let’s not overlook our feline friends. P.S. We have been fostering kittens for the past couple of years—we lost count; probably 50 or so—and just recently found one we couldn’t send back. He’s one who won’t be a statistic.
I loved that Oprah ran this show even once. She is an amazing person & sad to say this issue needs someone like her to get the message out!
What I would like to make a point of is the fact that the Governor of PA where most of the filming was done, is not only a dog lover BUT a Dog Adopter. He has adopted Golden Retrievers from DVGRR & has & will fight very hard for dogs rights.
PS
Ken you are so very right! I adopted a feral cat, loved her her whole life.
the shelter I got my Sami had cages upon cages of cats waiting. Lucky for them at the time, they were a no kill shelter & cats are so easy to care for. They have since been shut down because they kept too many cats.
To Ken P.: You made an excellent point, and thank you for speaking up for the felines. We here at Dogster/Catster agree with you entirely and are making the same efforts to save cats as dogs. Check out our Cat Adoption Center. Interestingly, we are running a poll on both sites that reveals more of our member cats are from shelters or rescues (over 50%) as opposed to dogs (less than 40%). I would be very interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on that topic.
Bill Smith and MLAR…You are totally awesome! You took that extra (big) step and put up that billboard to bring some very needed attention to the matter of puppymills. I hope kitten mills are next to get some attention. You made a major impact on the entire nation with you efforts. Bless you! Oh and Thank you Oprah!
Last year my spouse and myself was looking for a small
dog for a pet. My friend, Robyn introduced me to a whole new world named ARNI. Two ladies named Nicole & Kim opened this rescue care for all kinds of animals.They get them medical care, spay or neuter the ones that need it,
and then find new homes for them. NONE of them are put to sleep. If you’re unable to keep your pet for any reason, they request that you bring them back to ARNI’s. And they’ll readopt them to another loving family.If they’re sick and unable to be adopted out, the girls place them out on their property and keep them as healthy as they can until their
time comes to go to heaven. These ladies do a great job and once you meet them, you will love them for aall the goodness in their hearts. Hopefully this September, they’ll have their new facilities open in Daytona Beach, Fl.
ARNIFoundation.org
I would like to THANK these ladies for all their hard work and love of animals!
Great informative article. I have a Pet Adoption Rescue website that discusses all aspects of pet adoption including how pet adoption helps decrease the existence of puppy mills. Please feel free to drop by any time.
I am so glad to see this kind of information being disseminated by someone as popular as Oprah. I hope this movement extends to the midwest where the problem of puppy mills (and abandoned dogs) is so bad! Our wonderful dog family members have always come from rescue facilities.
Anyone in Connecticut? I have recently moved away from CT., but can tell you that CT. has done a wonderful job with rescue. The major CT humane societies are all NO-KILL facilities. CT. has also partnered with North Carolina and goes down regularly to pick up dogs to be rehomed in CT.
If we could only shut down ALL the Pet stores, that would help. How? I don’t know. Anyone have suggestions? They are in an area, like a large Mall, where there are lots of people and kids that see these cute little puppies in the windows. They are more accessible to the public rather than the public going to a shelter or their local Humane Society. Being an animal lover, I too, hope that Oprah’s show will make a difference.
I applaud Bill Smith and his rescue group!! My question is how to get something done in some of these rural areas where the shelter I have worked with for years to do something? We have fought for a humane officer and get turned down at every corner. The county has one, but they have no idea of the humane laws and aren’t allowed to go to a place even to check unless getting the ok from the sherriffs dept who have less of an idea on all. I know we are not the only shelter in this area that have stood on our heads to try and stop the Puppy Mills and animal cruelty and shedd tears on the whole thing. We survive on donations and no building and about 150 animals in foster care in private homes. Not always that easy when we are no kill and thank the stars when it is just an animal that was lost and we were able to return it home. Pam
[...] has previously written about the little known world of puppy mills and backyard breeders that were exposed by Oprah on her show. [...]
[...] has previously written about the little known world of puppy mills and backyard breeders that were exposed by Oprah on her show. [...]