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.

Every now and then bad stories come out about dogs and children. That’s when I hear from young parents and new parents about how they fear having a dog in their home. For all those negative stories there must be a hundred or more stories like this where dogs make all the positive difference for kids.

Here’s big barks to all those wonderful dogs who make us and our world better!

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain News for this article.

At-risk children pair with rescued dogs in Pawsitive ways
By Julie Hutchinson, Special to the Rocky
Monday, May 26, 2008

Put any kid with any dog and you’ll see two happy faces.

And if that kid and that dog share histories of abuse and abandonment, you’ll see a bond develop that changes both of their lives.

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PLEASE CROSSPOST!!!!!

Nine dogs in Raleigh, NC need to be rescued immediately!

Thanks to Lynn for barking this in. Please pass it on to anyone who could make the difference for these furbabies.

Hi All,
Laboratory Animal Resources at the Vet School has 9 dogs available to be adopted out immediately. These dogs have been offered before, and we had no takers.

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Isn’t it time that Melbourne University join the rest of the civilized world and STOP using dogs for surgery practice?

Please be warned that this is a very upsetting article.

Thanks to LIVENEWS.com.au for this article.

Healthy dogs used for surgery training
Richard Maxton
13/04/2008

Veterinary students at Melbourne University are operating on healthy and sometimes pregnant dogs, then killing the animals.

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And now for some news about cats and adoption…

Thanks to The Associated Press for this article.

A personality test for your cat
By LINDA LOMBARDI
For The Associated Press
Wed May 14

It happens to all of us. You fall in love with someone’s looks… but then he’s not quite what you expected. Even, sometimes, if he’s a cat.

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Not only are Dogster’s great people and pawples, they’re talented too! Jackpot’s Tail: Lost in Las Vegas was written by one of our Dogsters (okay, she let her furmom get the credit). Not only that, but it’s really GOOD, too!

Are you looking for a well-written, fun book that helps kids understand what happens to dogs who go through the rescue systems? Have you recently adopted a furry family member and want to let your not-so-furry young ones know more about how their new furbrother or sister came to join your family? Then Jackpot’s Tail may be just the book for you!

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What are these big, bad hunters thinking? Thousands of pets across the US are being abandoned in shelters or left to suffer in abandoned homes and these guys want to wage a turf war.

May I suggest that if you or someone you know is a member of this group you let them know that you care more about the dogs and cats that are dying needlessly because of their petty behavior.

BTW, when I checked the U.S. Sportsmans’ Alliance Partner Link page I noticed that a number of breed clubs are shown as supporting this group. These breed clubs include the American Brittney Club, the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, and the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America. Inc. If I belonged to any of these groups I would let them know I don’t appreciate their support of the U.S. Sportsmans’ Alliance.

Hunting Industry Group Sets its Sights on Pets

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance takes aim at animals when they’re most vulnerable. Polar bears in the Arctic, as their ice floes are vanishing, body weights are declining, and populations are dwindling. Mourning doves in states where they’ve been protected for decades as backyard songbirds, still nursing their young during September target practice. Endangered antelope stocked in fenced pens for captive trophy hunts, where they have neither the opportunity nor the inclination to escape.

But now this Ohio-based trade association for weapons manufacturers has stooped to a new low. By firing with its blunderbuss, the group is going to wind up with dogs and cats in its trophy case—just when these abandoned pets need our help the most.

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Thanks to the L.A. Unleashed Blog for putting me onto this interesting new research at Ball State University.

New study could lead to improvement in placement of companion animals
(4/22/2008)

Pet owners often intuitively describe themselves as “cat people” or “dog people,” but a study from Ball State University confirms that success rates of animal adoptions could be greatly improved if personalities of both human and animal were better matched.

A study of dog and cat guardians found that it is the fit between owner needs and pet personality, rather than pet type, that best predicts companion animal attachment, said Lucinda Woodward, a professor of psychological sciences and personality researcher

.

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Thanks to the Daily Yomiuri Online for this article.

Abandoned dogs set to serve deaf
The Yomiuri Shimbun

A Tokyo-based nonprofit organization will open a facility Friday in Yokohama to train abandoned dogs to become service dogs for the deaf, and use socially isolated young people cocooned at home to become hearing dog trainers.

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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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