Saturday, January 9, 2010

Puppy Mill Information - Mill Dog Manifesto

We all know that Puppy Mills are bad for a multitude of reasons (which I'm not getting into today) ... but what happens to those dogs when a Mill is shut down? Where do all those dogs go? I always shudder when I see a Newspaper article that says something along the lines of "100 starving sled dogs have been seized" or "800 small dogs seized from filthy Arizona home". Who is going to take that many dogs?? Rationally. Realistically.



As the situations change, the outcomes do too. Sometimes rescues step up and take some. Sometimes they end up at shelters (again - in cages/crates/runs). Sometimes the dogs are euthanized. Some lucky few are taken in by caring people who open their homes and their hearts to foster these unfortunate dogs.



Kyla Duffy is one of those people. Kyla "often fosters ex-puppy mill breeders ... [but] has found that there aren't many resources available for people who have adopted them, as they sometimes have unique needs."



"To help the cause, [Kyla] just published a free eBook to support people who have adopted puppy mill dogs and to enlighten people about the realities of puppy mills. Please check it out and feel free to pass it along. The Mill Dog Manifesto is available for download at http://happytailsbooks.com/milldog.htm. Feedback is welcome - it's a work in progress!"

6 comments:

Cyndi and Stumpy said...

Cool, DDF! will be checking that out, thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

This is a great step in the right direction! I think the ebook, once it gains circulation will do much to promote the destruction of God awful puppy mills. Thanks for the manifesto!

http://teacupterriertimes.com

Viatecio said...

Just FYI...I know of at least one happy ending where ALL dogs (about 200 English shepherd, minus the ones the court allowed the owner to keep) ended up in either adoptive homes or in foster care until they are fit for adoption.

It was heavily covered on Heather Houlihan's blog (the links are on the left of the page), she had a big part in that process and some of the before/after pictures are seriously eye-opening. Not to mention reading about the legal process as well as the mental state of the owner...scary!

I'm glad they all came through on that one, but it's sad how so many just get forgotten. This post is a wonderful tangent: how an animal is not "saved" just because it is out of the mill or the pit. Sorry for all the linkage, not trying to spam, just giving more reading material on the appropriate topic at hand!

GoLightly said...

This kind of info really needs to be distributed to schools.
Broadcast on the news.

Some type of animal husbandry should be mandatory in our educational system.

It won't stop the demand though.
As long as puppies can be worth small fortunes, puppy mills will exist.

The English Shepherd Rescue is a sad case in point. SOMEone thought big money could be made.
That possibility is irresistible to many.

Breeders, the good ones,will hate me for saying this.
But if NO puppy could be worth more than say $50.00, no matter WHAT "type" of dog it was, puppy mills couldn't exist.
jmo.

Mel's Way or No Way said...

Thanks for sharing this link. It's a great piece if information.

DogsDeserveFreedom said...

giantspeckledchihuahua, Anon (teacupterrier) and Mel's Way ...

Education is the first step, no? I hope you enjoy reading it. Please share it with others if you wish.

Viatecio ...

Interesting reading you linked to. Glad you liked it! Yes, some are successful and it was good to read about one that was.

It bothers me to no end when the dogs that were "rescued" end up in worse situations than where they came out of. I've seen a few mills shut down and some of the dogs will go to rescues and other shelters but the problem is that there is only so much space. In many cases, some do get put to sleep simply for lack of support. That makes me furious.

GoLightly ...

That's an interesting take on things. You're right - as long as people can make money at it, the mills will exist.

The best we can do is offer support and education. Make a difference in "our corner" ... that makes me think that it's about time to post about this again ...