So glad they have been found and are now safe.
Operah doing a show on puppymills
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Just a reminder to set your tape players so you can watch the Oprah show
on fri.
I am hopeful it will inform the public on the puppymills in this country. -
Oprah takes aim at Pa. puppy mills
April 3, 2008
By Amy Worden
Inquirer Staff WriterA billboard put up near Oprah Winfrey's studios in Chicago by a local puppy-mill activist. She's now doing a show on the issue. Chase Fancher / For The Inquirer
When Bill Smith puts up a billboard, people notice.
His biting ads lambasting the puppy mills of Lancaster County - one features a beagle in a dishwasher to show how small the legal cage size is - have been fixtures on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for three years.
Frustrated that conditions for thousands of breeding dogs in the state's commercial kennels had not improved despite Gov. Rendell's 2006 pledge to clean up substandard kennels, Smith, the Chester Springs animal welfare advocate, brought his campaign to Chicago, to the doorstep of Oprah Winfrey."I thought, 'Who could reach more people than any other person on the planet?' " said Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. His shelter takes in about 500 puppy-mill castoffs a year: the breeding dogs, often riddled with health and behavioral problems, and the puppies that are too old or too sick to sell.
In February the billboard, with a plaintive puppy face and a polite request to Winfrey to do a show on puppy mills, was posted on bustling Kennedy Boulevard, four blocks from Winfrey's Harpo Studios. Main Line board member Marsha Perelman donated $10,000 to rent the billboard space for a month.
They didn't need a month to convince the nation's number-one talk show host and a dog lover herself. A week later, Smith said, producers called and told him they were planning to devote a show to abuses in puppy mills.
"I was grateful," said Smith after receiving the call. "I knew if she did a show on this it would help a lot of animals."
The show, which airs tomorrow (4 p.m., 6ABC), includes graphic undercover footage of Lancaster County kennels, along with related segments on dog auctions and the high rates of euthanasia in shelters. Smith is the featured guest.
Smith spent two days last month with Oprah correspondent Lisa Ling traveling to kennels and pet shops in Southeastern Pennsylvania to show the relationship between the puppies sold in pet stores and, as Ling said, "the horrific conditions" in many large kennels.
"People will see the connection between pet stores and they will meet the puppies' mothers in their rabbit hutches," said Smith. "It's really upsetting."
They toured a number of mills and saw cages stacked to the ceiling in sheds. They saw 15 or 20 small dogs stuffed in rabbit hutches. They watched kennel operators dragging dogs by their front legs. They left with 19 dogs, suffering from severe dental disease, and a very sick puppy, which later died in a veterinary hospital.
Rendell, who has adopted puppy-mill dogs, beefed up inspections in the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement and hired additional dog wardens, but his effort to toughen regulations stalled last year over opposition from breeders, farmers and sportsmen.
Rendell's spokesman, Chuck Ardo, said the governor would introduce a revamped legislative package in the next few weeks. "The governor's affection toward dogs is well-known," said Ardo. "He will be visible in promoting this legislation."
Smith said the show has the potential to have greater impact than any legislative or regulatory changes.
"It still comes down to consumers buying puppies from pet stores," he said.
Meanwhile, Smith already has one new convert.
"I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it," Winfrey said in a statement released yesterday. "I am a changed woman after seeing this show."
She is dedicating the show to her cocker spaniel Sophie, who died last month.
Contact staff writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews.com
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I set my TiVo to record it
I hope she shows just how poorly the pups in those mills are treated & directly links it to the petstore puppies. -
While it is great that they are doing this show… the fact that it is NOT balanced with responsible breeders, IMO is a shame.....
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While it is great that they are doing this show… the fact that it is NOT balanced with responsible breeders, IMO is a shame.....
I agree. I think it is wrong to say that if people want a dog they should only ever go to a shelter & it seems that may kind of be what they say on the show. I guess we'll all have to watch & see.
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This is so Awesome!!! Go Oprah! Education is the key.
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Maybe, if the show isn't balanced re responsible breeders, vs puppymill or byb then we all should share our views.
Having more than one show would be good, imo. -
Maybe, if the show isn't balanced re responsible breeders, vs puppymill or byb then we all should share our views.
Having more than one show would be good, imo.People should write in and request a show with responsible breeders… heck... get "UNO"... the Westminster Beagle with David... they will talk about responsible breeders!
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I am all for it. The more discussion we can do re responsible breeding the better.
I am shocked at in this day and age, folks think its ok to "breed" just any old dog…why, because they have one and they CAN!
But back to Oprah...
I am distressed however that even tho the show hasn't aired, folks are going off on it not being balanced.
I mean, it very well could be slanted with anyone breeding painted as a villian.
But until we see it...well, it does seem to be a bit premature.. -
I am all for it. The more discussion we can do re responsible breeding the better.
I am shocked at in this day and age, folks think its ok to "breed" just any old dog…why, because they have one and they CAN!
But back to Oprah...
I am distressed however that even tho the show hasn't aired, folks are going off on it not being balanced.
I mean, it very well could be slanted with anyone breeding painted as a villian.
But until we see it...well, it does seem to be a bit premature..That is true, however, she is already being quoted as saying that she will never "buy" another dog… and that is a direct hit to responsible breeders.. making a blanket statement
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If that is the case, then it is something that SHOULD be addressed.
IMO, if it wasn't for responsible breeders doing all they could to get our b's to be of good temperment..
and now working on the health angle to get them to be as longed lived as they could be..
Well, I wouldn't be able to enjoy my 2 beloved dogs.
While other rescue groups have breeders who bring the breed down IMO german shepards, who can't even walk! again IMO
My breed is one that has folks who are looking to the future for the dogs and the families they place the dogs into.
Yea, I know, sounds like I am sucking up..and some folks have said that to me.
BUT really…without good breeders...where would our dogs be??? -
It's on today. I saw previews of it yesterday while watching Oprah (the preganant man :rolleyes:) and honestly I don't think I can sit through it
Just watching the clips I was already in tears. DH took the remote & told me…who are you kidding? You can't handle that 
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Okay seriously…that one guy had wheels for his dogs to "get exercise". They are dogs not gerbils!!! OMG I was balling while watching those poor puppies/dogs dying to get out of those tiny little cages.
The one thing so far that I don't like about this episode is how they keep calling the puppy mill owners "breeders". I don't think that goes over well for individuals who decide to go buy a dog since they are now relating puppymills to breeders. Although they did have that AKC statement about responsible breeders...
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I think the show did a GREAT job getting the point across that buying a puppy from a pet store or online is buying a puppy from a puppy mill/supporting puppy mills…and thought it was great that the message was repeated over and over again. The segment on the shelter euthanizing animals was brutal to watch but soooo important that they showed it. I was really surprised that the Amish are heavily into the puppy mills, I didn't know that.
I really was impressed and think the show was done REALLY well. I was impressed about the discussion about responsible breeders and I loved how Oprah said she was interviewed about what kind of home she would provide for her dogs. While it would have been good to have more time spent on that subject, I liked that the Humane Society people were saying they weren't concerned about the responsible breeders, because they take their animals back if something doesn't work.
The whole thing was very interesting and well done IMHO. Having someone of Oprah's influence do a show about it is only going to help things I think.
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I agree. I think it was a very positive show & I hope people now try to get better laws to govern puppy mills in their states after seeing the conditions that are actually legal!
I also agree, they touched on responsible breeders & mentioned that you should always go visit the breeders before buying a puppy to know the living conditions that the mom is kept in. All in all a great show that I hope sparks movement for better treatment of dogs being used for breeding!
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Oh I am just watching right now about a place that kills 40 animals PER DAY…just sickening. It was SO sad to watch, there was one dog just struggling to avoid being brought into the room, just heart-breaking. And you imagine the guy that has the job of condeming all the dogs the night before, can you imagine how you must feel going home from work day after day knowing what you did all day long...its gotta be awful. I just tuned in right now, so I am not sure what else was shown, but it makes me want to go grab Tosca and just cuddle her up!
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And actually if you go to Oprah.com and look at the section about the show today, there is a link on there that talks about responsible breeders as well.
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I have worked in the killing room at the shelter and it is just heartbreaking.
Most of us go into rescue to help dogs and killing dogs is awful, tho is does happen very quickly for the dog, and if your calm, a lot of stress on the dog is avoided…
but having this shown on Oprah helps because maybe it will wake up those who think its ok to breed "just because they have an intact dog". Ie puppymillers or bybs.
Also, those of you who have seen this dog being killed will understand when I "go off" of folks who don't want to spay/neuter pets.
Having done that, I can tell you, the idea of someone being "stupid on toast" is totally unacceptable. Hopefully, this show will help folks decide to get the pets fixed and get the dogs they love from responsible breeders.
I think its wonderful she did this, and hopefully, others will follow her lead! -
Too bad that they had on the person from HSUS. They are the biggest pushers of the mandatory spay/neuther laws that all the states are being pressed into passing. This doesn't address most of the biggest reasons that dogs wind up in shelters… and will NOT fix the problem... help it, of course... the right thing to do for people... YES!!!.. solution for the problem... NOT...
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Laws won't work, but Pat, we do need folks who have 2 dogs who are just pets to get them fixed.
Even if they are "purebred" pet quality, they need to do the right thing and have those animals fixed.
I did like the show.
I wished they had promoted quality breeders more, but all in all, it was a start.
