Okay so my friend Joan (over at the dog blog Lab Tails) has a Yellow Lab who just had nine puppies. I have been vigorously following her blog to watch the progress of the pups and they are simply adorable. They are absolutely irresistable. I could never breed dogs because I would never want to give up the puppies! They are too cute and snuggly! (Plus, there are so many homeless animals out there who need homes but that’s a whole different post and I must note here before posting these that Joan is a responsible, professional, reputable breeder.)

So here are some of my favorite puppy pictures thus far… (today is their six-weeks birthday!)

I would love nothing more than to be smack dab in the middle of this wonderfully yellow puppy pile. I can think of no better place!

This little guy has a little froggy leg hanging out (that’s what we call it when our Golden Retrievers do this…)

To see more adorable yellow lab puppy pictures, and to follow the progress of the puppies before they get adopted, visit the LabTails blog.

Great news (from the ASPCA website)…

“Trying to shed its reputation as “The Puppy Mill Capital of the East,” the Pennsylvania Legislature on Wednesday night passed HB 2525, a bill that will improve the lives of tens of thousands of dogs living in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills.

Introduced in May, HB 2525 doubles the cage space required for dogs in Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding facilities, prohibits wire flooring and the stacking of cages, mandates exercise and twice-yearly veterinary exams for all dogs, and requires that animals be humanely euthanized by licensed veterinarians.

The ASPCA has been working with the Governor’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for over three years to increase enforcement and standards of care for dogs in the state’s commercial kennels. We lobbied for passage of HB 2525 by activating the Pennsylvania members of the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade and by spending much of the past several months in Harrisburg, the state capital, promoting the bill to legislators. Governor Ed Rendell signed HB 2525 into law the day after it was passed.”

The ASPCA website goes on to say this: “Although we are not pleased with some of the amendments that were added to the final bill…This legislation will have an enormously positive impact on the lives of tens of thousands of dogs in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills.”

The Humane Society of the United States also worked hard in getting this bill passed in PA. According to them, “Raids of puppy mills during the last few months – including one last week that is reputedly the largest in state history − have shown how critical this legislation is for the well-being of dogs in less-reputable kennels. Pennsylvania is considered one of the worst puppy mill states in the nation.”

This is a HUGE step towards accepting the reality of and existence of puppy mills, which so many local and state governments avoid touching. If PA can do it, so can Ohio, Missouri and other puppy mill-heavy states.

What do you think about this legislation? Do you think other states will follow suit? Do you think it’s enough to combat the problem of puppy mills?

Puppy Mill Awareness Day is tomorrow, September 20th! Spread the word!

Animal welfare advocates, volunteers, animal-lovers and pet charities alike are supporting organizers from the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania who are partaking in this 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.

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.

I just read the cutest children’s book: it’s called Crash!

Written by Mayra Calvani, Crash! tells the story of a young boy who receives a Golden Retriever puppy for his 5th birthday. After living with the puppy for several days, the little boy still can’t figure out what to name his new best friend. He eventually figures it out after observing the puppy’s antics and silly behavior…

Crash! is a great read and a fun children’s book for any kid who loves dogs and puppies. It’s worth adding to the children’s book collection!