He may have been pandering to his children but if there’s one thing Senator Barack Obama will learn, there’s no going back on commitments when kids and puppies are involved.

I’m sure many of you already know, the junior senator from Illinois promised his kids they would be able to get a dog if he is voted into the White House in November of this year.

This has dog lovers around the globe intently watching the race for the next President of the United States just to see what type of dog the kids are going to get. I’ll put dollars to donuts that he’s still going to be getting the kids a fuzzy little ball of fun even if he loses.

I think this is one of those great teaching moments that come along every once in a great while. What if the Obamas were to go to a local shelter to pick out their dog or opt for a dog rescue organization to select their dog of choice? What a great message that would send.

That’s why when I found out what the Best Friends Animal Society was doing to promote this very thing I got so excited. They’ve set up a website www.ObamaFamilyDog.com to petition the Senator to go down the rescue path rather than the purchasing one. The website has great information on why adoption is such a great choice and you’ll be amazed at the wonderful things this organization is doing to create “a better world through kindness to animals”.

The ObamaFamilyDog.com site was created as a response to The American Kennel Club which quickly identified a list of five possible “pure” breeds that the Obamas could buy from a pet store or breeder.

Best Friends’ has a different thought…

“With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, they’re proposing that the Obamas NOT buy a dog – instead, that they adopt their next dog from a shelter or rescue group.”

Anyone who’s looked into how pet stores get their dogs is appalled when they find out about the realities of puppy mills and backyard breeders. This is not directed at ethical breeders, but at those who breed their dogs without thought to the welfare of the animal, the offspring and the future owners. It truly disgusts me.

Ted has previously written about the little known world of puppy mills and backyard breeders that were exposed by Oprah on her show. In that piece he makes a great point.

“..if people simply knew about puppy mills and backyard breeders, we could kill all their business.”

He’s right. If someone were to watch the Oprah show on puppy mills, I guarantee they will be adopting their next best friend.

As a Dogster member, chances are you more aware of this problem than the average person, or dog owner. I urge to take this opportunity to influence the education of the world on dog rescues by helping the Obamas make the right choice. Go sign the petition now.

Thanks to the Dogster member who sent in this plea for support. If you live in Pennsylvania, please act now. If you don’t but know people who do, please alert them.

House Bill 2525 is now out of Committee and is on its way to the House floor for vote. This is the puppy mill law, and it is CRITICAL that you call your PA state Representative (not federal). Calling carries more weight than email.

If you don’t know your representative, go to this site and (top right corner) enter your 5-digit zip code plus the 4-digit extension. Ask them to support HB 2525.

This is the bill we’ve been waiting for to help reduce the number of dogs in puppy mills and end suffering.

Additionally, ask your Representative to support HB 2532 (the de-barking and birthing bill). The puppy millers stick steel pipes down dogs’ throats to destroy their vocal cords so they don’t have to hear the dogs barking, and it keeps them quiet so the public isn’t aware of where these mills are located. This bill “should” end this action. I say “should” only because we should expect that some will continue this horrible practice. Currently puppy millers are also cutting open the stomachs of dogs during birthing without anesthesia.

From The Humane Society:

The HSUS Commends the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee for Passing Important Anti-Cruelty Legislation
HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 24, 2008)

The Humane Society of the United States commends the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee for approving a bill addressing some of the cruelest practices employed by puppy mills today.

The legislation now advances to the full House of Representatives. Introduced by Rep. Thomas Caltagirone (D-Berks), HB 2532 seeks to outlaw abusive practices employed by breeders in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills, including debarking, performing surgery on pregnant dogs to remove the puppies, and tail docking.

Under current law, it is completely legal for commercial breeders in Pennsylvania to perform surgical births by slicing open the stomachs of pregnant dogs, removing the puppies, and sewing the dogs back up. There is not any requirement that the breeders have any veterinary training, use anesthesia, or conduct the operations in sterile conditions. Breeders may also perform painful debarking by ramming a metal pipe or other object down a dog’s throat to rupture the vocal cords and render the dog mute, again without anesthesia and while the dog is fully conscious.

The provisions of HB 2532 are common sense to anyone. Only licensed veterinarians should be authorized to perform surgery on these dogs, says Sarah Speed, The HSUS’ Pennsylvania state director. “For too long, commercial breeders have abused the laxity in the law to maximize profit at the expense of the well-being of the dogs and the unwitting consumer.”

HB 2532 will also close a loophole in the law that allows commercial breeders to escape prosecution for animal cruelty. Under the current law, only a Humane Society Police Officer has the ability to cite a breeder for animal cruelty. In counties where there is no such officer, a breeder may escape citation. Currently there are three counties in Pennsylvania that do not have a Humane Society Police Officer. HB 2532 will close this loophole by allowing Dog Law Wardens in the counties without officers to issue citations for animal cruelty within the limited scope of performance of their inspection duties.

The Humane Society of the United States is working in conjunction with The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Pennsylvania Legislative Animal Network to pursue this important legislative effort in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to our friends at The Humane Society for barking this in.

We thought Dogsters might want to know about the rescue happening now of nearly 700 dogs from a puppy mill in Tennessee. You can see more about the rescue on the blog of Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States—the group leading the operation. Yesterday Wayne posted a first-hand report from the leader of the rescue team, along with a really moving video from the scene.

And for Dogsters who want to fight back against puppy mills, The HSUS has posted five ways to take action.

Day One Video (Click the arrow in the lower left-hand corner to play.)

Day Two Video

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.

It looks like puppy mills finally have an opponant they can’t shake off — Oprah!

Thanks to Mary O. of BanOhiodogAuctions for barking in this article. The first article is about Oprah’s show tomorrow where she is expected to call for passage of the Pennsylvania legislation that cracks down on puppy mills.

Thanks to Philly.com for this article.

Oprah to push Pa. dog law
By Amy Worden
INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU

HARRISBURG - Talk about a lobbyist with clout.

Oprah Winfrey - the woman with the power to send authors to the top of the New York Times best-seller list - is planning to appeal to viewers tomorrow to back a crackdown on puppy mills in Pennsylvania.

Winfrey is expected to read excerpts from a letter Gov. Rendell sent to her last month seeking support for legislation to overhaul the state’s dog law, according to participants in a Monday conference call with producers of The Oprah Show.

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Welcome to Dogster, Hannah!

You may have read about Hannah’s case. She was held by a Georgia canine cop under the pretense that she was being used for police work. Instead, the man was breeding her while barely keeping her alive. Shameful!

But there’s a happy ending here. Hannah was rescued and now lives with a loving family who has let her join Dogster where she has met many caring dogs and cats who want to see her abuser brought to justice.

Dogster Lena Malik barked in this information and wants to encourage us all to sign Hannah’s petition.

Lena Malik wrote:

Dear Joy,

My sweet and brave pup pal Hannah joined
dogster about a month ago.

Unfortunately, she had a tragic start in life but is currently learning how to simply be a beloved family member. Her case is still under investigation and we are getting either the runaround or invalid excuses from authorities. This is concerning because she was involved in unethical breeding purposes (this topic along with puppy mills was recently in the national media thanks to Oprah).

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Thanks to Charlotte C. for barking in this invitation to see the Oprah puppymill video at Pomrescue.com.

Anyone who missed the Oprah show on puppymills can see it here at pomrescue.com. I’ve already seen the effects of it in the applications I’ve got for my foster Pug, from people saying they will never buy another dog as long as they live. It’s worth seeing.

PLEASE CROSSPOST!

Now this is a petition I can REALLY get behind! It seems the only way to get the message across to Amish communities that puppy mills are evil is to hit them economically.

Thanks to Karen S. for barking in this petition. It only takes a moment to sign and all our signatures are important.

Here’s more information from the Boycott Amish products until puppy mills are discontinued petition.

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Thanks to Mary O. with BanOhioDogAuctions for barking in this announcement.

Please join us in supporting Safe Haven Center and OK Animal Alliance in their efforts to help raise awareness of puppy mills and dog auctions. For more information on this campaign, I encourage you to visit okpuppymilltruth.

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Are you wondering what the puppy millers are up to? Here’s an update on what’s happening at the next Buckeye Dog Auction and the dates for the rest of year.

Thanks to Mary O. of BanOhioDogAuctions for this update and her group’s excellent efforts to get these horrible events stopped.

February 23, 2008 Buckeye (”Back to the Kennel”) Dog Auction. Below is a summary of the 316 companions (includes dogs between the ages of eight weeks - 18 months) expected to be placed on the auction block beginning at 9:30 AM (109 males, 207 females):

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