Best Friends Rescues 179 Dogs From A Puppy Mill and The Story of Mabel
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
October 23, 2007 10:57pm CST
I got an email newsletter from one of my favorite organizations Best Friends...Once again this great organization did something wonderful for 179 dogs that were in a puppy mill, most were all pregnant to keep the owner's "breeding" puppy mill in operation..Here's part of the article
(Quote)
..."There were pugs and pomeranians, westies, scotties, beagles, chihuahuas, poodles, shih tzus, cocker spaniels, and dachshunds...to name a few. Some were pregnant females who had clearly been cruelly over-bred for years and years. In all, there were 179 dogs and puppies who had never been allowed to play on the grass or be held or hugged. These were the animals that Best Friends and local animal groups in Virginia rescued from a dilapidated puppy mill late in the night of Friday, October 12, and into dawn the next day.
The puppy mill in question was operating under medieval conditions—kerosene lamps, no electricity, small confinement cages, and no running water. In March of this year, it caught fire and, tragically, nearly 200 dogs and puppies lost their lives.
The puppy mill owner wanted to rebuild, but Best Friends joined other rescue organizations and lobbied local officials for higher standards on puppy mill facilities. As a result, officials rejected the breeder’s bid to rebuild and stay in operation—and at least this one puppy mill was forced out of business.
Frustrated, the puppy mill owner declared that if he couldn't find another puppy mill to buy the dogs, he'd "rather sell all the dogs at auction than see them go to animal rescuers."Dogs sold at public auction are typically purchased by brokers representing commercial breeders and animal researchers."No way were we going to let the surviving dogs go to auction," says Paul Berry, Best Friends' executive director. "Given all they'd been through, the prospect of their moving on to another puppy mill- or worse, ending up in a research lab- it was just out of the question."
There's more to the article here
http://network.bestfriends.org/puppymillrescue/news/19763.html
Also, I invite you to see the video about "Mabel" just one of the dogs rescued.
http://www.bestfriends.org/video/vapm/vidPlayer.html
Now wouldn't it be great it all these d$*m mills were shut down?
5 people like this
9 responses
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
24 Oct 07
Hi pyewacket! I really commend the works being done by "Best Friends". I hope their tribe will increase. I hope those puppy mills will be more sensitive to dogs and other animals and not just see them as profits or commodties. I just could not imagine why some people can not be kind enough to dogs when in fact, dogs have always been giving so much to people. Just my thoughts my friend. Take care and have a nice day.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 07
I don't think puppy mills will ever be sensitive unfortunately...all of them treat this as a business to make money but do nothing to benefit the dogs...I soon hope puppy mills like this are made illegal--and yes, sure wish there were more organizations like Best Friends around
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 07
It's be great if all puppy (and kitten) mills were put out of business
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
25 Oct 07
Of course I think puppy/kitten mills are horrific and wrong, however, if people would stop creating a demand, there wouldn't be a need for them anymore. There are people who can't resist the cute little puppies and kittens in the window. They have failed to do any research, and end up with a sick, and a very expensive puppy mill dog. The situation is not going to stop until the people who run puppy mills are so severely punished they can't do it again. So, not only as animal lovers we have to convince legislators to punish these people, we have to convince the public not to buy from pet stores. I applaud groups like Best Friends that do what they do. Most of us talk the talk, but don't have the stomach for it.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
26 Oct 07
It would be so great to see all the puppy mills put out of business...why can't people adopt pets at shelters instead of pet stores? There are just as many really needy pets just dying to have a new home---to be honest I think it's just plain ignorance...people who see pets in pet stores just don't realize where they came from, and by buying them there are only supporting the puppy mill trade--if more people knew, I think they'd stop...don't you??
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
24 Oct 07
I hate the idea of puppy farms with a passion. There is no need for anyone to inflict that kind of suffering in the name of commercial gain. Here in the UK the RSPCA raid these puppy farms and close them down but there will always be more of them the whole time people are willing to pay huge prices for puppies. At least this is one less now but there are more out there.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 07
It's a shame to think that this is a worldwide "business" done by people who don't care or have compassion for animals and just want to make a profit by it.
1 person likes this
@blackbriar (9075)
• United States
24 Oct 07
Even thou those puppies in the pet shops are adorable, I still won't buy one and try to convince others who are thinking about it not to either and I tell them why. I refuse to support puppy mills. There is one couple who are being watched very carefully here cause they have ALOT of small dogs in their basement in wire cages and they breed them. They refuse to let anyone down there whenever someone comes to buy a puppy. I've seen the condition of the dogs and know they are being fed and watered and their cages are at least cleaned once a day. None are sick either and she does take them to a vet if needed but still...must they be in cages? Can't they be allowed to run around in their big yard to work out the kinks? Makes ya wonder, don't it?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
25 Oct 07
Well while the couple may be keeping the dogs in good condition and all, it sounds like they are a "small" time puppy mill to me...if they have so many puppies available, then they are no doubt breeding them like crazy...I feel sorry that they have to be in cages all the time..that definitely isn't right or fair to the dogs
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
24 Oct 07
Best Friends is really doing a wonderful thing, pyewacket, by rescuing these poor animals. I don't know what leads the owners of these puppy mills to take the path they have chosen in life, but I sincerely hope that all of them will be put out of business. To profit from the ill treatment of animals is just not to be tolerated. I hope that the heat is turned up to a degree that they will all have to find a new means of making a living.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 07
It doesn't seem to me that anything is done to these people that runs mills...now maybe if they were made illegal they could get jail time and fines when caught
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
3 Nov 07
That is some really wonderful news!
It's so nice to hear about something good happening to the animals for a change.
It would be really nice for every puppy mill to be shut down :)
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
24 Oct 07
It would be great to see them all shut down and run out of business..and yes, to have the owners all jailed
@krayzee (1160)
• Romania
25 Oct 07
The story of Mabel (and her little puppy) brought tears to my eyes more than once while reading. At least now she (and over 100 other dogs) got away from that terrible place and those horrid people. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read what the puppy mill owner had said! So awful.
Anyway, thank you for sharing this happy end story with us, it shows that there is still hope out there for the poor creatures.
