Truck dramatizes animal abuse issue, WI
Source: GazetteExtra.com, July 6, 2009
Jim Long has never considered himself an animal-rights activist.
But when he read about the conditions of dogs at so-called “puppy mills,” he wanted to take action.
“It’s not that I take a particular interest in animals,” he said. “I just don’t want to see them abused.”
Long of Sharon learned about puppy mills—large, commercial breeding facilities where puppies and mothers get inadequate care and little exercise or socialization—on the Internet. He started protesting pet stores that sell puppies because he believes that most puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills.
Pet store officials, including Mike Sardina, owner of Janesville’s Petland, deny that their puppies come from mills.
But Long wanted to do more.
“That’s when I came up with the idea of the truck, that it would really capture people’s attention and educate them,” he said.
Long certainly has succeeded on his first goal. He painted his pickup truck with anti-puppy mill slogans in April. The messages list the problems puppy-mill dogs face: “No exercise. No play. No vet care. Dirty food. Cage-wire injuries. Cruelty.”
But the most eye-catching part of Long’s truck is the cages stacked in back filled with fuzzy stuffed dogs. He wanted to show people how dogs in puppy mills are raised.
“I just couldn’t believe that it was legal to do that, that you could lock up a dog in a cage for its entire life and never let it out,” he said.
Passersby often give him angry looks before they realize the puppies aren’t real. Then some give him thumbs-up or messages of support, he said.
He tries to drive the truck as often as possible, often taking it to Janesville to run errands or parking it in areas he knows many people will pass.
Long knows there are many reputable breeders out there, he said. But he wants to let people know about the bad ones, he said.
500 Dogs Taken from ‘Puppy Mill’, TX
Source: MyF0x.com, July 8, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas – More than 500 dogs and puppies have been taken from what officials call a large puppy mill in Montague County .
According to the North Texas Humane Society, more than 50 volunteers worked through the holiday weekend to prepare for the arrival of the animals on Tuesday.
The canines will be temporarily housed at a warehouse donated by Chesapeake Energy.
Other companies have donated services, including connecting plumbing, electricity and air conditioning in the warehouse, officials said.
Additionally, PetSmart donated food and supplies for the animals.
To donate money and for adoption information, contact the Humane Society of North Texas at 817-332-4768 or log onto www.hsnt.org .
Pasco Petland owner denies puppy mill allegations, WA
Source: TheNewsTribune.com, June 30, 2009
Owners of the Pasco Petland store on Monday denied charges the store gets its puppies from mills and brokers who mistreat animals that they crank out for profit.
“I never would’ve opened this (store) if there were shady things going on,” said co-owner Dan Miner. “I mean, there’s too much money at stake to do things like that.”
Miner’s comments were in response to a report the Humane Society of the United States released Monday that claimed more than 95 percent of Petland stores have bought dogs from large-scale brokers or directly from puppy mills in the past few months.
The Humane Society, a national animal protection organization separate from the Benton-Franklin Humane Society that operates a shelter in Kennewick, used public documents to trace shipments of more than 15,000 puppies from commercial brokers to Petland stores.
The Humane Society said the Pasco Petland — the only Petland store in Washington — gets its puppies from Mid-America Pet Broker LLC of Neosho, Mo.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year cited the broker for buying from breeders without verifying that they were licensed, for using expired and incorrect medications and for using cages that were too small, the Humane Society reported.
Miner acknowledged the Pasco Petland gets the majority of its puppies from Mid-America, but he said the broker hasn’t mistreated animals as the Humane Society portrays.
“Absolutely not,” Miner said. “I would stake my building on it. I wouldn’t do business with them if that was the case.”
Miner said he wasn’t concerned with Mid-America’s past citations, saying just because a driver gets a traffic citation doesn’t mean they shouldn’t drive anymore. If anything, the citations showed the USDA was doing its job, he said.
He also showed a March 2 inspection record of Mid-America that reported no violations at the time.
All puppies sold at Pasco’s Petland receive three parvovirus shots before the store even gets the animals, and they receive physical exams from Coleman Animal Health Center before they are made available for sale.
Of the 700 puppies that have gone through the store since it opened last July, only three were found to have parvo, Miner said.
Nevertheless, the Humane Society recommended consumers not buy puppies from pet stores or internet sites, but instead buy from an animal shelter or a breeder’s facility that they can inspect in person.
Puppy mill dogs typically receive little to no medical care, live in squalid conditions with no exercise, socialization or human interaction and are confined inside cramped wire cages for life, the Humane Society said.
Dog tether law goes into effect July 1 in Raleigh, NC
Source: News14.com, June 30, 2009
Starting July 1st, Raleigh will be keeping a closer eye on tied up dogs.
A new ordinance will only allow dogs to be tethered for three hours within a 24-hour period. The ordinance also requires the tethers to be at least 10 feet long, and it should be attached with some type of buckle or body harness. The law is meant to prevent the strangulation or injury of a dog. It’s also aiming to keep dogs out of harsh weather conditions without access to shelter, food or water.
“We will be watching homes if we think somebody is keeping them out more than three hours a day,” animal control specialist Erin Jenks said. “We’ll be going periodically during the day to that particular home and making spot checks on that animal.”
Dog owners like Keith Fogleman think the new law is a great idea.
“It’s just pure common sense, and I feel like it’ll certainly help the dogs,” he said. “I’m for it, absolutely.”
Fogleman prefers to keep his dog with him whenever possible and is not a fan of tethering dogs in general.
“It’s almost like being chained up all day to a tree,” he said. “You might have some water there, but I don’t know, it just seems cruel to me.”
Jenks said enforcing the new law will require the public’s help, so she encourages the public to call about possible violations. After all, tied up dogs are something she and her fellow officers see on a daily basis.
Violators can be fined up to $100 a day and be charged with a misdemeanor.
Dog in Calif. came from Saudi Arabia
Source: AP.com, June 23, 2009
CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — A “sweetheart” of a dog now in a California shelter may be really, really far from home. His microchip says the knee-high, light tan Saluki came from Saudi Arabia.
The neutered male dog brought to a Carlsbad animal shelter last week has an implanted microchip that was sold to the U.S. Military Training Mission, headquartered in Riyadh, said Lt. Dan DeSousa of San Diego County’s Animal Services Department.
The dog was found June 15 near Escondido, about 30 miles north of San Diego.
DeSousa said he believes someone in the military owns the dog and likely brought him from overseas. But they haven’t been able to track down the owner, even after speaking with veterinarians who work with the U.S. military in Saudi Arabia.
“In our hearts and minds, we know this dog belongs to someone in the military. For all they’ve done for us, it is only fair we try to get the dog reunited,” DeSousa said.
DeSousa said he doesn’t know the dog’s name but he wears a tag that reads “Pet Rejuvenizer.” Plenty of people have said they would take him but authorities hope the real owner will come forward.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions, and dogs can’t talk, so we’re kind of restricted as to what information we can get out of him,” DeSousa said, chuckling. “We’re trying to put the word out. He is a sweetheart of a dog.”
PETA adds to reward in dog-dragging case, NJ
Source: TheDailyJournal.com, June 24, 2009
PETA recently pitched in $2,500 to boost the local SPCA’s reward for information leading to an arrest in the case of Reese, the dog dragged behind a pickup truck earlier this month.
The Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offered $1,000 for information and PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, just increased the total to $3,500.
Reese, a mixed chocolate-brown dog, was seen being dragged behind a green pickup truck at 10 p.m. June 13 on South East Avenue near Elmer Road.
Reese suffered from road bruises, facial injuries, and severe damage to her front paw pads and nails, but authorities expect she will recover.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Cumberland County SPCA at (856) 691-1500.
Dog Training Website Offers $25,000 in Donations, Open to All Dog Rescues
Source: PRWeb.com, June 25, 2009
TrainPetDog.com, a website devoted to providing breed specific training information for dog owners, is offering donations to 500 needy dog rescues.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 25, 2009 — Finding funding for dog rescue shelters is difficult to do, especially in the current economic recession. That’s why TrainPetDog.com is offering a total of $25,000 donations to be distributed to 500 needy dog rescues. The donations can be in the form of either cash or dog supplies, depending on what the rescue needs.
“Our world has a serious dog overpopulation problem,” said Nipa Roy, spokesperson for TrainPetDog.com. “There are tons of rescues out there, making a noble effort to save and re-home dogs, but every day they struggle to get enough funding to stay open another day. Donations are an absolute necessity for these rescues.”
 Our world has a serious dog overpopulation problem  |
| With the current economy, many dog rescues are struggling to survive even if they were doing okay before |
| Someone has to try and help in whatever way they can and we’d like to do our part. |
“With the current economy, many dog rescues are struggling to survive even if they were doing okay before,” Roy said. “Fewer families can afford to care for their dogs, so more dogs are being surrendered and fewer are being adopted out. That is when we decided to donate a total sum of $25,000 for as many as 500 Dog Rescues. We hope that our donations will provide much needed food and supplies to the dogs in these rescues”. Roy continued, “Someone has to try and help in whatever way they can and we’d like to do our part.”
With more than 875,000 subscribers to their free dog training mini courses, TrainPetDog.com has always held a passion to help the canine community at large.
TrainPetDog.com will select 500 of the neediest dog rescues to receive donations. To be considered for the donation, a rescue must fill out the online form on TrainPetDog.com’s web site. The form requests contact information for the rescue, allows the rescue to choose whether they want the donation in cash or goods, and asks questions such as what dog breeds they rescue and why they should be chosen as one of the 500 to receive a donation.
To find out how your rescue organization can claim its donation, please visit www.trainpetdog.com/rescue-form.php.
In addition to their philanthropic activities, TrainPetDog.com provides dog breed specific information for owners who want to learn more about dog and puppy training. Rescues can link to the website to provide foster and adoptive owners with the information they need to train their dogs. Dogs that are well trained or receive good training are more likely to find a “forever home” with their new owners, keeping them out of rescues so the space can be saved for other needy canines.
More information on Dog and Puppy Training can be found on their website at www.trainpetdog.com.
About TrainPetDog.com
Founded 5 years ago by dog enthusiasts, TrainPetDog.com was created with the intention of providing a much-needed resource to help owners train their dogs and puppies, based on their natural breed instincts. Today, the website has more than 875,000 subscribers to their free, breed-specific dog training course. It also has information about all kinds of dog breeds – from small breeds like Italian Greyhounds to large breeds like the Great Dane.
The website’s staff is constantly researching, conducting surveys, and experimenting with dog training techniques to ensure that the information provided is the best and most current available. For more information, please visit www.trainpetdog.com.
Puppy Abuse Leads To Raid At Allentown, PA Mill
Source: WJZ.com, June 26, 2009
Hundreds of dogs were rescued after a police raided a puppy mill in Pennsylvania.
Dozens of those puppies were brought to Baltimore City.
Online, the Almost Heaven Kennel shows puppies dressed in tutus, groomed and well cared for.
A raid at the Allentown shelter, Tuesday, revealed deplorable conditions. Some dogs had skin and respiratory infections. One dog had a severed limb that was left untreated.
“The Humane Society of the U.S. reached out to us at the Maryland SPCA for help. They had gone in and raided the mill in Allentown, and rescued 200 dogs and puppies who really needed their help,” said Aileen Gabby.
The Maryland SPCA in Baltimore City took in 18 dogs, ranging in age from 4-months-old to 4-years-old. They found many different breeds of dogs; from Poodles to Great Danes.
“The condition the dogs are in right now are really good, a lot of dogs are being very friendly, they are people-interested, they want to come up and crawl up on your lap,” said Nichole Miller, transport coordinator, Md. SPCA.
Demand for designer dogs fuels these factory farms.
Puppy mills are a growing problem in Pennsylvania. It seems breeders are out to make a quick buck. Then the breeders mass produce puppies and often keep them locked in chicken coops.
“Puppy mills are often the source of puppies you see in pet stores, or puppies you see online. See where your pet is coming from,” said Gabbey.
Puppy mill puppies are sold online, through pet stores, and in classified ads commonly, but there are other ways one could come into contact with a puppy mill dog.
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