Well, you see, pupgirl, the point you're missing is that rescues don't put animals for "sale" in store to anyone who can flop out the cash or a credit card. We do adoptions carefully screened homes, forever homes. We adopt to people who have a CLUE so that this creature who is on his second, third, fourth, however many chances at a home will have the right one and won't wind up back in the same situation next month. You're just trying to justify making money off animals. Nobody's buying it. There is a vast difference between somebody who says they love dogs and someone who really does. Vicki in S.C

Hi 2savedogs, yes - I am sure people felt even more helpless 30 years ago than they do now, and you are right - we have way more power now to make changes, so lets all get together and take action towards freeing our gentle helpless friends.

I was just thinking that all of us who love animals have known for a long time not to buy from pet stores, and we don't. But some of the newest generation just coming into buying power, of course does not know this. This "not-buying-from-pet-stores issue" would solve a lot of the problems, at least temporarily, if it could actually be accomplished while waiting for the excruciatingly slow process of legislation change. The people going into these stores are not us - they are the ones that just don't know any better. Is it too much to think that Bill's billboard idea could somehow be transformed into a North American poster/billboard campaign in which large ads could be displayed directly in front of - or accross from every single pet store in North America (mostly in and around large shopping malls) that sells puppies & kittens? Petland is one of the biggest, although there are many others. If people somehow noticed these ads before, or even after, going into these stores, they might change their minds if the ads had enough targeted info for them to think twice. There would be tons of volunteers to put up the billboards or posters, and following is a suggestion for the financial side of it.

Oprah, if you are reading these message boards, you know full well that people here will do just about anything to get these puppy mills halted, as we have been waiting a long time for this and have been feeling helpless in past years. We know you have an angel network and this may be dedicated to other issues - not sure, but if you were willing to add to your angel network with a Puppy-Mill-Freedom campaign (or something similar), you would definitely feel the great good force of the people all over this world working towards freeing these helpless victims. Any such network would generate thousands of dollars in donations. Individually, we don't have a lot of financial power, but together we could work towards larger projects - I am sure Bill Smith would help you out with this, since he is the Billboard/poster expert. You have many willing participants on this issue and together we have power while waiting for legislation changes. WE ARE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE...........lets all DO something together and not let Bill's original $10,000 investment go to waste. Lets get going on this NOW. Our friends trapped in a life of hell are depending on us.

The thing of it is Pupgirl, you're the enemy. You're the person wanting to make a profit on a dog and that that's okay. You expect a rescue to turn a dog over to you to keep in a cage in a pet shop in heaven-knows-what condtions? I don't think so. How do we know you're not breeding it in the backroom so you can sell the puppies?

In this scenario, you're either adopting or selling. There is no in between. If you want to help, stop selling dogs. BTW, the PetSmart where I live allows rescues in every day of the week and does have cats there all the time. You don't know what you're talking about.

Vicki in S.C.

I wonder what would happen if people spent the same amount of time becoming educated and fighting animal cruelty as they do trying to find out more info about BRITNEY SPEARS?

You touched on a very important subject. Look at Paris Hilton, Britney Spears when they would be photographed with their precious pups. Where did they come from? Doesn't matter. Some people look up to them. They want what they have. Regardless that the celebs have bucks to buy a sitter to care for the dogs. They are often seen as tokens that others purchase to look like the goofy celebs. Hey Paris, what are you doing these days? You claimed you wanted to help those that need help. Here is your chance Paris. The animals of this country are crying out for help. You've got the bucks and the clout.

I was very glad you did a show exposing the horrors of puppy mills. It was difficult to watch th part about the Texas shkter, but I'm glad you exosed the truth. People need to see what happens, and see the innocent faces, and the loving devotion & friendship they were never given a chance to show. I stumbled across a wesite, Brightlion.com, on it was a simmerly shocking, but true film, that has been viewed around the world, as is your show. Would it be possible to do a show showing the enormus cat population, both feral and adoptable, and what we can do to help. Also, address punisment for animal abusers, as they currently get no more than a slap on the wrist. Thanks for your consideration. -Maureen

i am so glad oprah did this show, and i applaud all of you rescuers out there.
sorry but i dont have much sympathy for breeders. this profession no longer needs to exist, just as i believe professions of soldiers, hitmen, and slave traders no longer need to exist. the professions serving dogs should be RESCUERS, VETS, GROOMERS, etc.
i am concerned about how many pet stores should probably be boycotted--is there a list anywhere of what pet stores, esp corporate ones like petco and petsmart, sell animals?

What are you talking about? Our Petco and Petsmart stores ONLY ALLOW in shelter or rescue group animals. The "sale" is done between the customer and the shelter or rescue group. We have shelters here, some are better than others. Our sheriff has a project where the abused/abandoned animals sleep indoors and the inmates sleep in a tent! The select group of inmates care for the animals. Not one minds the dogs and cats sleep indoors in the middle of our brutal summers. Their words are "the animals did nothing wrong, we did." I don't know where you live but I think you need to check out your stores and your own shelters/rescue groups. If you don't like what you see, speak up. I do all the time. Don't shop at the stores that continue to allow "breeder" animals be sold there.

I was very glad you did a show exposing the horrors of puppy mills. It was difficult to watch th part about the Texas shkter, but I'm glad you exosed the truth. People need to see what happens, and see the innocent faces, and the loving devotion & friendship they were never given a chance to show. I stumbled across a wesite, Brightlion.com, on it was a simmerly shocking, but true film, that has been viewed around the world, as is your show. Would it be possible to do a show showing the enormus cat population, both feral and adoptable, and what we can do to help. Also, address punisment for animal abusers, as they currently get no more than a slap on the wrist. Thanks for your consideration. -Maureen

Okay, loopy, you just lost my sympathy, not that you had it anyway. There was no excuse for anyone to leavce an animal in Katrina. If I had been working rescue right there on the spot, I sure would have tried to get any found to better homes than someone who'd go off and leave them to die. Especially if they came looking for whole (unspayed or unneutered ones). That tells you something right there.

If anybody had told I couldn't take my animals, I would have stayed there until the bitter end and died with them, just like people would do with a child. .If I were on a roof with water coming up and I had to choose between swimming off and leavng them or staying there and standing up and holding them above the water until the last possible second and having the water go in my mouth and nose first, I would have died first No way I could have left my animal companions behind with terror in their eys. They depend on me to take care of them, and I take that responsibility seriously.

If I couldn't take them into a shelter, then I would have slept in the street. And don't you tell me I wouldnt, that I didn't know horrible it was, etc. etc. etc. I've stuck by mine in a dangerous situation. I've met that test. I KNOW what I'd do.

Vicki in S.C.

Thank you Oprah, on behalf of all the homeless doggies. While it was painful to watch, so much good will come from your show about puppy mills and pet overpopulation. My adopted beagle-mix thanks you from the bottom of her heart ahroooo!!!

I agree. For that matter, where are all the celebs who profess to be animal lovers? (In the educated welfare sense...not just "oooh, i love doggies to pieces!!) The only "personality" I have ever seen speak up about animal welfare is Bill Maher. He actually spoke THE harsh words about puppy mills and factory farming. There are other celebs such as Betty White, Drew Barrymore and many more I can't think of right now who "get" the whole rescue effort and why it's important. They support rescue and only adopt their dogs. Yet they don't speak up or put their money where their mouths are.

What I think might be happening is that celebs are hesitant to say anything "negative or controversial" because it would bring them bad publicity from the yet-to-be educated folks who pour millions of dollars into their t.v. shows and movies, etc. I'm not saying they're not willing, but perhaps their lawyers, accountants and publicists are putting the kabash on that sort of thing.

Yet, people like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie get plenty of great press when they do their work in Africa. So I might assume that those lawyers, accountants and publicists are telling celebs that if you are viewed by the public as speaking out to help animals, you're going to get negative press about why you're not helping children, the elderly or the homeless. That'd be my guess. It's that particular type of publicity they don't want. Hopefully, with more education hitting the public squarely in the face like Oprah's friday show, more celebs will be willing to step up to the plate.

Thank you so much to Bill Smith and to Oprah - this is SO important for people to see. I hope that Oprah would consider a follow-up show as well so the topic continues to be one of importance for the public. Like many of the people posting here, I am with a rescue group and some days, I wonder how I can keep seeing what I see then I think, I have to because it helps...one at a time. FYI - there are FREE publications through Tails Pet Magazines where the public can find many valuable resources about adoptions and rescue groups in their areas. Bless you Oprah and Bill! You helped me feel like there really is hope that truly we can make a change in the precious lives of these animals.

Hi everybody, this is the first time that I am posting in this community, I hope that I am doing it right. I missed the 4 o'clock show about this subject but I stayed up until 1am to see the replay of it. I am totally appalled at what is going on in these puppy mills. I got my last Siberian at a farm in Millville NJ on a farm that was owned by Amish. The father was attached to a runner and lived in the grass and woods, his ears were all bitten up and the tips were missing because of the flys. I told the owner that this was animal cruelty and all he has to do was clean the poor dogs ears with peroxide and get some of that salve to repel the flys. I told him that if the SPCA came around that he would be charged with animal cruelty. The females were in a nice big kennel but they had no shade in the hottest part of the day. They had a big bucket of water but if one of the puppies fell in it would have drowned, when I went to pick my puppy up I took two brand new concrete mixing tubs for the dogs so they could have a shallow pool for the puppies to play in. It just so happened that when I went to pick my puppy up the Spca was there checking on the dogs because the breeders failed to license the dogs, the SPCA rep told my husband that they have so much trouble with the Amish that breed dogs, I had no idea that they were like this, I have lost alot of respect for the Amish because of this subject. Thank God that my dog is ok so far, he will be two in May. Hopefully something will be done about this, why are they allowed to shoot the dogs they no longer want, because they are Amish! I am not happy at all!

I'm sorry, to which of your misinformed rantings do I reply first? The dogs I had during Katrina are safe and sound. They always were. The co-owner with whom those dogs went after we split up the household had a greater bond--or so I thought--with those dogs than I did. However, that same person was confronted by a person with a rifle and told to leave those dogs behind, as many people in downtown NOLA were. I was not there and I am not responsible for that. They evacuated with me to the home of another breeder who opened his home to 10 strangers and 25 outside dogs. Sorry if that doesn't fit in with your sterotype of the horrible selfish breeder. Another breeder I know, whose home was never in any danger, spent countless hours calling dog food companies and pet supply companies to help people in private homes feed and care for their pets, gathering a tractor trailer-load of food. Oops, there goes that pesky stereotype again! Hobby/show breeders are not the enemy; please direct your misplaced anger in another direction. I will not play "defend the Katrina actions" with you, since you are obviously a mean-spirited person if you play that card.

So, tell me again? Is it okay for me to sell my puppies because you charge money to cover expenses? Or is it wrong for you to charge a fee because breeders sell their puppies and rescuers are selfless, blameless people who would never exploit helpless animals? Oh, wait, you never did answer that question the first time. Or the second. Maybe you will the third time?