On September 20th, animal welfare advocates, volunteers, animal-lovers and pet charities alike are supporting organizers from the state of Ohio who are partaking in a very important national event: Puppy Mill Awareness Day.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day makes it easy and fun to help raise awareness with downloadable flyers, lawn signs, sample letters to newspaper editors, t-shirts, buttons and more! On PMAD, you can meet up with event organizers and volunteers to hand out flyers and information to people who need to know the truth about puppy mills and the pet trade. You’ll give out information about pet adoption options (so people don’t go to the pet store!) and basic information about puppy mills. (All the materials are positive and educational.)

The PMAD website also recommends the following activities leading up to Puppy Mill Awareness Day:

- Join a meetup group in your area (or start one). Meet and join others who want to educate the community about puppy mills by handing out flyers, tabling at PetSmart, PetCo and other animal-friendly businesses that don’t sell puppies. If you live in Ohio and want to join the campaign, click here. Visit the PMAD website for a list of currently participating cities.

- Send a Letter to the Editor at your local newspaper about Puppy Mill Awareness Day. You can download a guide and sample letter, as I said above, on the PMAD website.

- Hang a flyer at work, the grocery store, the dog park, veterinarian’s office, groomer etc. There are flyers available for download on the PMAD website.

- Organize a pet store protest in your area. Click here to learn how.

For all kinds of other information and more details, visit the Puppy Mill Awareness Day website.

This is directly from an emailed press release from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:

“The ASPCA® today applauded the indictment in the case of Tennessee’s largest-ever puppy mill raid of more than 700 dogs earlier this summer. A grand jury formally indicted Patricia Adkisson yesterday on 24 felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty, nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, and more than a dozen other misdemeanors. Arraignment has been scheduled for September.

“We are honored to have assisted in the investigation of this case and are extremely satisfied with the indictment,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “While it does not erase the horrible neglect and inhumane treatment these animals suffered through, we know our work continues to shine the spotlight on animal cruelty in this country as well as the importance of fighting against it.”

The ASPCA assisted in the June raid by lending a special forensic cruelty investigation team that includes two forensic veterinarians, as well as the ASPCA’s Mobile Animal Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit. The ASPCA team was deployed at the request of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which led the raid, to assist in the collection of evidence for the prosecution of the criminal case. The team included the ASPCA’s Dr. Melinda Merck, the nation’s premier forensic veterinarian and “animal CSI,” and the ASPCA’s Disaster Response Team.

The 747 animals discovered in the raid were housed in various enclosures among the property’s 92 acres of hilly and rocky terrain known as Pine Bluff Kennels in Lyles, Tennessee. More than a dozen animals were found dead. According to Dr. Merck, the majority of the animals were dogs, including more than 200 puppies, suffering from a general lack of husbandry, such as little to no food or water, lack of proper ventilation in enclosed areas, and feces encrusted pens. Conditions such as matting, sores, broken limbs, hernias, abscesses, and a host of other medical conditions were also prevalent. Other animals discovered on the property included horses, burros, miniature horses, chickens, goats, parrots and purebred cats.

Animals in critical condition were examined immediately on the ASPCA’s Mobile Animal CSI Unit, which operates under the leadership of Dr. Merck and brings both state-of-the-art forensics tools and unmatched expertise to crime scenes. The specially designed vehicle is also outfitted with medical equipment tailored for animal patients.

At the time of the raid, animals seized from the facility were placed into the official custody of the HSUS and transported to a nearby emergency shelter, eventually in the hopes of being placed in shelters and adopted into loving homes. Many of the other animals, including livestock, were in temporary foster care.

For more information about puppy mills and the ASPCA’s fight against animal cruelty, visit www.aspca.org.”

Thank God for organizations like the ASPCA and the HSUS working together on this. Hundreds of animals were saved from this living Hell on Earth thanks to the efforts of those groups. Puppy mills like this are a HUGE problem in this nation right now, particularly in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Until lawmakers get serious about prosecuting them and taking measures to prevent them, the problem will persist.

I hope this Patricia Adkisson (poor excuse for a human being) gets prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

To sign a petition to boycott Amish puppy millers (a large portion of puppy mills are Amish-run), read this post.

Did you know that April is designated Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)? The month is designated to increasing awareness and prevention of cruelty to all types of animals.

Last week we celebrated ASPCA Day (April 10) by wearing orange. This week, I’m announcing some ideas of things you can do all year round in support of the prevention of animal cruelty.

Make a donation

Donations to the ASPCA will help to alleviate the needless fear, pain and suffering in animals’ lives. There are a variety of giving options available on the ASPCA website. If you don’t donate to the organization, why not donate to a local shelter? You don’t even need to offer financial assistance. Most shelters welcome donations of pet food, cat litter, dog toys, towels and other supplies.

Volunteer at a shelter

Volunteer at any shelter, in any town across the country. Whether it be a local no-kill shelter or a county Humane Society, give in-kind by offering your time or any other assistance the shelter may need.

Foster animals

If you have the space and the time, fostering animals is a great way to help out. Contact your local animal shelter or a local chapter of a specific breed rescue to see if you can help.

Contact Your Legislators

Write letters to your Congressman and local officials to urge them to vote for harsher penalties for animal abusers. Research your state’s laws in the House and/or Senate at this time. Laws range from regulations to punishments for issues like puppy mills, horse slaughter, breed-specific legislation and dog fighting.

PLEASE CROSS POST!

This is perhaps one of the most important petitions we can all sign. It calls for a boycott of all Amish products until they stop their inhumane and disturbing practices of running puppy mills.

Thanks so much to Dogster’s For the Love of Dog Blog for this information.

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

“To: Amish & Mennonite puppy mills
I will boycott all Amish products until puppy mills are stopped. This is greed in its worst form and this is how consumers make their demands known. I simply will not buy Amish products while this practice continues.”

And before you start saying that boycotting Amish products will affect people who aren’t participating in puppy mills, think again. Amish communities are very closed to and extremely disinterested in what they call the “English.” That’s all of us, btw. Unless their leadership declares puppy mills are off limits, the Amish puppy millers will keep up their dirty work. The only way to convince these puppy millers to quit is to make the whole practice very expensive to the WHOLE community.

I received this email from Wayne Pacelle, author of A Humane Nation (the United States Humane Society (USHS) blog) and CEO of the USHS. Wayne distributed this informative email after Oprah Winfrey last week featured an expose on the horrible puppy mill industry (and problem) across the United States. Her broadcast reached millions across the country, undoubtedly encouraging thousands of people into action.

Wanye released this email to newsletter members on Seven Things You Can Do to Stop Puppy Mills after Oprah’s show aired.

Undercover footage showed dogs in filthy, overcrowded conditions, where they are confined for their entire lives, without human companionship or adequate veterinary care. These dogs are often killed once their reproductive capacity wanes.

The HSUS has been investigating and fighting against puppy mills for decades. With your help, we can advance our fight to stop puppy mills and the tragic consequences of pet overpopulation. You’ve already shown your commitment to help stop puppy mills by signing our Stop Puppy Mills pledge.

Here’s more that you can do right now:

	If you are thinking of bringing a new dog into the family, or know someone who is, request a free copy of our puppy buyer’s guide for information on how to find reputable breeders, shelters, and rescue groups.
	Ask your federal legislators to crack down on puppy mills.
	Get the word out about puppy mills: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Visit StopPuppyMills.org to educate yourself.
	Download one of our Stop Puppy Mills campaign badges or banners to your own MySpace or Facebook page, blog, or website.
	Did you adopt your canine companion from a rescue group or shelter? Then order our Proud to Adopt care package.
	Download Puppy Mill Cruelty flyers and post them or give them out at your neighborhood dog park, to engage fellow dog owners and help spread the word.
	Help us place advertisements and billboards to spread the word about puppy mill cruelty.

The puppy mill industry will thrive as long as consumers are kept in the dark about the “mass production” of purebred and designer dogs. With your help, we’ll shed light on the cruelty of puppy mills and put them out of business for good. We can’t do it without your help!

 

Thanks again to Wayne Pacelle for this information. Visit Wayne’s wonderful blog for all kinds of information, tips and updates on animals in the news and legislation for animal welfare.

As a Cleveland, Ohio native I like to keep abreast of animal welfare issues locally and regionally.

A friend of mine who owns/runs the Ohio chapter of Russell Rescue Inc. and her own Multiple Breed Rescue recently informed me that Ohio is the second-largest purveyor of puppy mills in the country.

Although sickened I was not surprised.

Wayne Pacelle, CEO of The Humane Society of the United States mentioned in his blog, A Humane Nation last November that Ohio is an “enclave”for puppy mills.  And heart4animals.com mentions that its been over 30 years since an actual amendment to the Federal Animal Welfare Act imposed standards on wholesale breeders. That leaves the door wide open for so-called “dog farmers” to continue the horrid and repeated abuse and neglect of dogs in mills.

Last fall I encountered one of these puppy mills and also found a separate mill dog chained to a garbage heap. Albeit a small one, the mill was for purebred German Shepherds. It was located in “apple country” across the street from an orchard that my sister and I sought out for fresh-from-the-tree apples. We were nostalgic about the apple orchard; it was a favorite Sunday activity when we were kids.

We were having a great time until we became disillusioned at the site of a massive garbage heap in the middle of the orchard. We immediately dumped the apples. The heap had been burned and was filled with old food cans, beer bottles, various metal scraps, burned pumpkins, trash, and paraphernalia that we couldn’t identify.

Our dogs, who were running free, sniffed around and were grossed out so they did a perimeter check. They would normally greet any other person or dog with open paws and wagging tails. When they first sniffed out poor Ruby (as her nametag suggested) on the heap, however, they came back around to us with tails between legs and droopy drawers faces. 

Against my better judgment I approached the dog. She seemed friendly enough and was itching for me to come to her. I was horrified to find her chafed and bloody neck from the choker chain confining her. Her ribs were poking out of her body. She was whimpering. I got the choker off her neck and it was like she hadn’t run free in years. She politely thanked me then took off running through the rows of trees panting away, ears blowing in the wind.

We asked the orchard owners and employees about the dog and they said they didn’t know what we were talking about and it must be a stray. Yeah right.

I immediately called the local chapter of the Animal Protective League (APL). In the meantime my sister and I repeatedly went back to try to take Ruby. We left TONS of food all over the place for her. She just wouldn’t come to us though.

The APL couldn’t get an officer out until two days later. I imagine they were quite busy with similar complaints and they are greatly understaffed in Ohio. The owner wouldn’t call the officer back at first.  The officer just went out there after a couple more days and the orchard owner denied having the dog. The officer persisted and the owner said it was his dog but that he had let her go months ago.

Let her go? More like chained her to the garbage in the middle of the orchard to die of starvation and hypothermia.

We found out the next day after the APL had made an effort to capture Ruby that the owner went out into the orchard and shot and killed her. Ruby, undoubtedly a product of one of the many surrounding mills, had just found freedom again. And he killed her rather than dealing with the consequences. He even showed the officer her body.

As for the German Shepherd “breeder” across the street? We lodged complaints with multiple local animal welfare agencies and groups and no one could do a thing. They are so understaffed and the problem is so rampant here that it’s hard to make a dent in the issue. Those shepherds were chained to a cement pad in the backyard, males separated from females. They howled when a car drove up. They paced around their cages. They had no water and no food. They looked pathetic. It w as obvious that they were either inbred or being used for breeding again and again and again. Why a person would buy a dog from there I cannot understand. Most likely those pups went to pet stores.

I think many animal fanatics subscribe to the theory that pet shops and puppy mills are close buddies. When one buys a pet from a pet shop, or even shops for pet supplies there they are (hopefully unknowingly) contributing to a heartless underground industry that forces dogs to spend their entire lives in small cages on cold cement floors. They are underfed and under-watered and are constantly bred to support “consumer demand” for puppies according to www.StopPuppyMills.com.

Do not be fooled by breeders and websites claiming the best of the best and showing green, lush surroundings and healthy looking animals. It’s usually quite another story if you go directly to a breeder after most of the dogs have been taken. Animals who don’t get adopted are sent to pet stores, left to die, or sometimes even sold to the black market trade for medical laboratory testing (which I will be writing an entirely separate post about soon).

And according to the Humane Society of the United States, websites “allow puppy millers to cut out the middlemen by selling directly to consumers. Not only is this more profitable, but in most states it allows the puppy mill to avoid being inspected by government agencies.”

There are tons of shelters and breed rescue groups that have dogs waiting for adoption. Contact the Humane Society of the United States Companion Animals staff at 202.452.1100 for help finding one. Or visit www.PuppyBuyersGuide.com for help finding a breeder who isn’t running a puppy mill.

If you live locally in Northern Ohio and want to support a local rescue organization, visit www.crazywfarm.com for Russell Rescue Inc. (for the cutest Jack Russell Terriers), and Multiple Breed Rescue, a shelter for all types of breeds. The shelter is clean with tons of open space, and the dogs are very well taken care of.

For more information on the Humane Society’s puppy mill undercover investigation efforts, visit Pacelle’s A Humane Nation, one of my favorite blogs.

Go to www.StopPuppyMills.com to sign a pledge to spread the word about deadly mills. Word-of-mouth is the best and most proven form of advertising and the more signatures the better.

One last thing – never stop at Miller Orchard in Amherst, Ohio for apples, cider or pumpkins.