September 28, 1:11 PM
by Sharon Seltzer, Pet Rescue Examiner



Scrabble(left) & Opie were rescued from a puppymill.


Just in case you missed The Oprah Winfrey Show last week, she aired an update to her show on puppy mills. That show propelled enough people into action that she decided to air an update to share some of the good news.

Bill Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue was once again by her side letting viewers know the new status of puppy mills in the country. Earlier this year, Smith’s organization sponsored a billboard in Chicago pleading with Oprah to look into the problem.

For anyone who is unclear, puppy mills or puppy farms are large scale purebred dog breeding facilities. The female dogs are generally housed in small inhumane cages and bred to have one litter after another until their bodies wear out. Their owners view them as little breeding machines that make a profit. Most puppies are sold to pet stores and on the internet.

Unlike reputable breeders, these owners are not concerned about the quality or health of the dogs and because of this; new illnesses and weaknesses have developed. My own dog, Bear, was a victim. He was a purebred German shepherd who had been shuffled off by three separate families by the time my family adopted him. (But that’s another story.) During his lifetime he developed serious skin allergies, had constant ear infections, a spinal defect and lost his sight. Each veterinary specialist attributed his illnesses to poor breeding.

Oprah’s show reported a lot of good news in the industry. The following is a list of some of the changes along with news from my own research:

• 2008 - The sale of puppies at pet stores is at an all time low.

• July 2008- In Los Angeles a new program called, Puppy-Store-Free-LA has been launched by Best Friends and Last Chance for Animals. The awareness campaign will educate people about the source of most pet store puppies and is asking for stricter laws.

• June 2008 -A raid on a puppy mill in Tennessee saved the lives of 747 dogs and its owner was charged with animal cruelty. The tip came in from the public to the Humane Society.

• July 2008 - A large puppy mill operator in Wisconsin retired. The Wisconsin Humane Society bought the 1,200 dog kennel rather than have it sold to another breeder.

• July 2008 - Undercover investigators were able to shut down a puppy mill in Pennsylvania after it sold a sick puppy. The owner lost his license and is banned from breeding.

• August 2008 -1,000 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill in West Virginia.

• September 2008- 89 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill in Missouri.

• September 2008 - The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill to increase the size of cages in puppy mills and require veterinary care. It also makes it illegal to shoot the dogs in the mills. The bill will soon be voted on by the Pennsylvania Senate.

• September 2008 -The Chicago city council has drafted a new ordinance (not formally introduced at this date) that would require pet stores to inform new owners about the full cost of having a cat or dog. The intent is to stop impulse adoptions. It would require pet stores to disclose: the expected weight of the animal, expected lifespan, annual cost for food, grooming, supplies and veterinary care. It would also list health information about each pet and disclose hereditary conditions of the mother and father along with the name of the breeder and the number of litters the business produces each year.

Bill Smith concluded his update explaining that there is a lot more to be done to clean up the puppy mill industry, but I was pleased with what has been accomplished in the short amount of time from the first show last April. It just goes to show that if people are made aware of a problem, it can be fixed.