thank you very much Trauts. My blood pressure stays a nice 100/60. I tend to take the "higher road" on issues while others take the "lower road " on issues. My strong morals and values have gotten me in trouble many times in the past they will in the future, but I am not a spineless wonder. Or as I call some folks in a system I work in---the powder puff people. ********* Regarding: better the breed thing, I truly don't believe that is the only way puppies should be brought into the world, but if it will deter some folks from "letting their Heins 57 dog become a mother just so "she can experience it" , or so their children can "experience" puppies then let that statement work. ****BUT****this area is not the subject of this thread, the subject is to stop Puppy Mills is it not. Yes I applaud those kind souls who breed their dog once every 5 years and ensure the babies have good homes almost before birth, they care. I want to know how to stop puppy mills, and I want it done now.

You see, redstar, if you are at all logical they call you a Nazi.

fr8749 wrote:

Does that mean you're breeding tigers in captivity? Is so, what happens to them? Do they wind up in basements like yours, canned hunts, zoos, circuses, dissected for so-called "medicine"? How many will have a chance to experience their lives on their own terms and in their natural environment? If you hope to establish a stable population of free-living tigers, you will need to cultivate respect for them as personal beings, so that hunters and poachers don't have a market for their skin and body parts, and corporations will not be allowed to invade their homelands.

The one thing that I can do about poachers is to breed tigers in captivity. This way humans replace the animals that are lost to poachers.

As for your "respect for them as personal beings" I doubt that you have any idea what that means.

I don't think that he actually has a "tiger in his basement", I think that he is just rattling chains.

It's a hypothetical tiger. Every so often I include disclaimers like "if he existed." For example, if he existed, that would be one more than all the conservation efforts in India have saved.

I know. You just like being a curmudgeonly, chain rattler. And it is so easy here.

bobbarth wrote:

I hav said it before here several times,

get the boy scouts, girl scouts and schools involved. The scouts can make improvements at the shelter their projects, be it a sign, landscaping, painting the walls, decorating, walking dogs etc.

School classes can 'adopt' an animal or one animal/week/month etc.

This usually has a high sucess rate making it into the local papers and with some initiative on the local tv channel.

This will usually result in more volunteers from the community as well as donations.

Kids can bring an immense community spirit to such projects and with smart guidance this can spread. The papers can run free ads, people can 'sponsor' a picture of a shelter animal in the paper, local businesses are easier convinced to donate ... be it for a thrift shop, for fundraiser dinners or dinner and a show etc. For something like dinner and a show the local high school drama club could perform .... there are so many ideas.

One of the most important parts for all this is friendly shelter personal and shelter managment which will think outside the box and is willing to go out into the community.

---
FYI: Positive, actionable thread alert!

Bob, thanks so much for mentioning involving the scouts. There are some great ideas in your post! So many ways they can help, and they get to learn about responsible pet ownership at an early age. Here are a couple more to build on yours.

Photography, and/or online photo editing. Many municipal shelters are short-staffed and a lot don't have good digital cameras. Scout troop members could get budding young photographers -- and also those with online editing software (even the pre-installed free basic stuff is good these days) -- to volunteer as photographers or photo specialists for the shelters. It's amazing what a difference a good photo can make, and other kids could go along and take turns petting or being with dogs and taking pics after walks to help them be more calm for their photo.

Also, kids could get the online photos others have shot via e-mail and use editing software to enhance contrast (lighting is usually so bad in shelters) and color and crop photos so they look better for online listings.

Sewing. Another idea for scout troops is do help rescue groups make Adopt Me bandanas and blanket to give to local rescues. The bandanas are great...they're a walking billboard any time a fostered dog is in a public place -- dog park, pet store, regular parks, sidewalks, etc. The blankets are wonderful to use as a photo backdrop instead of drab cinderblock or concrete shelter walls or wire cages. Some good examples of blankets can be seen on Success Story listings on the Dogs in Danger web site. One shelter in CA uses them for almost every photo.

***Actionable idea*** For anyone reading this who cares and wants to make a difference, forward the material in this post to anyone you know with scout-age kids, or teachers you know.

Thanks again, Bob, for priming the pump on positive ideas. I hope other peopl here keep the positive suggestions flowing!

I know. You just like being a curmudgeonly, chain rattler. And it is so easy here.

Actually, it is for purposes of illustration.

Yeah, and the fact that it gets a rise out of people doesn't play into it at all.

I still haven't figured out why it is ok for AR people to say they have pets but not ok for non Ar people to have pets.

Inappropriate emotional affect and reactions are so characteristic of the animal rights activists, how do you know when you got a rise out of them? They're always upset.

When they call you a Nazi or some other term of endearment.

I have a question for the non-meat eaters in this blog. What do you feed your pet dogs and cats?

Thanks.