Thank you so much for doing a report on puppy mills! Many of us who are involved with puppy mill rescues can't thank you enough for helping to bring America's "dirty little secret" to the public's attention. Rescue groups that I work with have saved dogs that are heartworm positive, matted with urine and feces to the extent that you literally can not tell their head from their tail, missing feet, legs, eyes, those with congestive heart failure, luxatating patellas, Legg Perthes disease, broken jaws, decayed teeth, mammory tumors, and the list goes on and on. When we tell people about the condition of these dogs, many simply do not believe that this is allowed to occur in America. Sadly, it does occur and will continue until the public understands where that cute little puppy in the pet store came from. Whether you call it abuse, cruelty, neglect or "just doing business", many of these dogs have a horrid existence prior to rescue, sadly, many die in the sub-standard kennels never knowing a loving touch. So thank you for telling their story - it's a sad one, but one that needs to be heard.

If you are in Ohio, please ask your representative to support House Bill 223 - also known as the "Puppy Mill Bill" which will license and regulate all kennels with 9 or more breeding females in the state. Currently the bill is sitting in committee with no hearings scheduled. The revised bill needs heard and voted on before the house breaks for the summer. Once the public sees this report, I hope they will understand how important it is to pass this bill.

Once again, thank you for investigating the horrors of puppy mills.

MilldogMom

I am so thankful you are doing a story on puppy mills. I am in rescue and have seen some terrible things with puppy mill dogs and the shape of most of these poor animals is horrific! I hope this will open the eyes to the world what neglect and abuse these animals are suffering. Thank you so much for speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves!

I have worked in dog rescue since 2002. Puppymills are the dredges of society. That they are allowed to continue to function--to make money at the cost to these dogs is totally unacceptable. I already know, as do all of my rescue pals, what kind of dogs come out of these places. As puppies they are cute and fluffy. They are sold to pet stores. However, their parents are left behind to live out their lives in a small wire crate, barely able to turn around, in their own urine and feces!

When we get them, they are frightened of humans. Why would they not be, all they are used to is being grabbed out of the crate when it is time to breed. They are NEVER fed enough food, NEVER have enough water, are rarely protected from the frigid cold in the winter and the blazing heat in the summer.

If anyone can help us get legislation passed to stop this atrocity, it is Oprah! It will not be easy and has to be dealt with in every state. Among the worst to deal with are MO, and PA. I have been told there are even new laws being lobbied in PA that would make it illegal for rescue groups to transport dogs OUT of the state. Now how is that happening--lobbyists working with politicians--all after the almighty dollar!

So I hope this show is watched by MILLIONS and that we can begin an uprising to get this stopped. We need STRICT laws and people to ENFORCE them, JUDGES who will sentence people once the police have arrested them and so on. It is NOT an easy fix but these poor creatures are paying the price.

There are good, reputable breeders out there. NONE of those good, reputable breeders have hundreds of dogs to look after--

I am sure Lisa will do a good job of getting to low-down; she always does. I know she has shed tears after seeing and smelling what a puppymill looks like.

In the meantime, those of us in rescue will continue to do our best for these dogs. We will take them as they are, get them the medical care they need, teach them that humans CAN be kind. We will feed them whenver they wish to eat, will give them water whenever they are thirsty. We will HOUSE them in our homes---protecting them from frigid cold and stifling heat. We will teach them that human touches can be gentle and loving. We will do this ONE DOG AT A TIME for as long as we can!

But we really hope that we will soon be out of work in this arena!

Pam S

I hope this is not a one show and never mention it again situation. We have been trying to get Oprah to do this for quite some time and it took a billboard begging her to do it to accomplish that. PLEASE Oprah continue to follow up on this horror for American dogs. You have the ability to make change happen. We have watched over the years and have seen the changes occur.
I live in Ohio and we are quickly becoming the epicenter for puppy mills as our state has laws on the books that are so antiquated for any dog related issue. They have not been updated in over 30 years. There are states surrounding us that have stronger,more humane laws. According to the HSUS we are not one of the better states with good laws to care for the welfare of animals. The puppy millers can get away with anything and they do. As PA is becoming more stringent with the PM's they are moving their nefarious business to Ohio where there are few USDA inspectors, little enforcement of any other laws on the books by lazy local authorities, an immobile state Legislature and an uncaring Governor. You can change those things Oprah should you choose to. A little chastisement for states that allow this certainly would help.

Does anyone know how one could be a featured guest on this show. One is is full of knowledge on this subject? One who could enlighten the public on the horrors of the puppy mills across the nation? Does anyone have Lisa Ling's contact information. Any editors contact information, phone numbers, etc?

Thank You!

Both of my westies are from puppy mills. Gypsy Rose is from Michigan and Daniel is from Missouri. We bought Gypsy Rose, not knowing that it was a puppy mill until we joined the Westie Club of South East Michigan. By that time the puppy miller had been run out of Howell , Michigan and she settled two blocks away from our home. Gypsy Rose has had numerous physical problems from poor breeding, enlarged heart, Leggs Perthes disease causing her to have her hip joint removed, kidney crystals , another surgery. We do not regret getting her because we believe this woman would have killed her. Gyp was tiny and needed medical care. We love her. Daniel was found to have a serious heart condition Pulmonic Stenosis and was scheduled to be killed also. This is also genetic.Our group rescued him and he joined our family at 4 months and had open heart surgery at 6 months. In spite of the poor prognosis, Daniel just turned 6 years old in January and has no symptoms of congestive heart failure. We pray each day for him to stay healthy.
Puppy mills are nightmares for the breeding females and males. The puppies are taken away far too early to learn social behavior and the ones who are sick are killed and thrown into burning barrels. Our two westies have had excellent care but it has cost us a small fortune. We do not regret getting them. Daniel would have been killed and I don't know what would have happened to Gypsy Rose. I keep watch on the puppy miller who lives down the street. My greatest hope is she will be put out of business. I can hardly wait to see the show about puppy mills. Hopefully it will wake up the public to what is going on. Many of these puppies end up in pet stores, sick and poorly cared for.

Hello i think that this is great news. I think if Lisa Ling and Oprah can help. The puppies have a chance.

Thank you for doing this on the puppy mill. The thing I hope that you do is to show that the small show dog breeder is NOT the same as the puppy mill. Being a small breeder I can tell you that our only thing is to better the breed we have taken to heart. My dogs are not breed to make money as most time you lose more then you make. In over 4 years we have had only 1 litter of 4 puppies 1 we have and show, the other girl is in a very good home about 2miles from here, 1 boy was sold as a pet and fixed, the other boy is out west and he is also showen. Again thak you.

I would love it for this episode to get out to everyone. I would suggest that everyone tell whoever will listen (or maybe send them an e-mail) that this episode will be one. Also, I think it would be a good idea to add a link to this site where people could watch the episode online, then we could e-mail it to people and pray that they watch! Spread the word!!!!!!!

What people need to understand is that when they buy a puppy from a pet store, they are supporting this situation. As long as there is demand --- a market for puppies in pet stores --- there will be a supply. And puppy millers are the ones who supply that demand.

If you want a puppy, either adopt from a shelter or go to a reputable hobby breeder who is interested in the welfare of the puppies he or she breeds. Don't go to the pet store.

One of the problems is that when people want a puppy, they want it NOW! Instant gratification. They are not willing to take a bit of time to research and find the right puppy for them. They are not willing to wait for that right puppy from the right background to come along. They are willing to take the time and will research cars and refrigerators and computers and television sets to make sure they get the right one, but they won't do the same thing for a living being that will share their homes for a dozen years or more!

The pet store will not be there for you when your cute puppy ends up with problems because of the way it was bred. Neither will the puppy miller on the other end of the deal.

The reputable breeder who is a member of the fancy of a specific breed will have done health clearances on the sire and dam of the puppies they breed. They will have studied and researched the pedigrees and temperaments and structure of the potential breeding pairs to try to get the best combination to make the nicest puppies. They will have socialized those puppies and kept them until they are of the proper age to leave their dam and go to new homes. They will evaluate their puppies' temperaments and structure to determine which puppy should go to which home. Then once you get a puppy from them, they will be there for the life of the puppy to guide you, support you, answer your questions and cherish all the photos and news you share of your puppy and to take that puppy back at any time...for any reason...for it's entire life.

They will also be willing to tell you if, perhaps, the breed they have is not the best fit for you and to guide you to a breed that is a better fit. Likewise, if they believe the breed is right for you but they don't have the right individual puppy for you, they will guide you to other breeders of that same breed who will have.

Puppy millers put two dogs together of the same breed and let them go at it. They don't concern themselves with research or health clearances or socialization or the conditions of their breeding animals or matching potential owners with the right puppy. Neither do their brokers in the pet stores. They think that the guy with the cash in hand is the right match for any puppy.

Don't support puppy mills. Don't buy from the pet stores!

WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT OPRAH DOES A SHOW ABOUT THE HORRORS OF THE PETSTORE TRADE BUSINESS!!!
I'm in Los Angeles and the top three rescue groups have been protesting one petstore in Los Angeles since December informing the public that 100% of petstores buy from puppymills. Responsible breeders do not sell to petstores. These poor dogs live their entire lives in wire cages with no bottoms, so they don't have to clean the pee & poop, BREEDING for greedy people who care nothing for animals just the cash they make and as long as there is a demand for these purebred tiny dogs that these wanna be actresses carry around like the latest handbag it will never stop. Please public do not shop or go into petstores that sell animals it only promotes the misery that these dogs suffer. My friend rescued a puppy mill poodle her leg was amputated do to the cage door slamming on her and then they cut her vocal cords out so she couldn't cry, she also has a tatoo on her ear with a number like a concentration camp. Rescue, adopt please people stop the killing in the shelters. Oprah you can make a difference, inform the public!!!

I am so thankful for this show I will be there with bells on! I own a yorkie that I bought from a puppy mill. He is a very disturbed little animal. We had no idea it was a puppy mill when we bought him. The house was filled with all kinds of animals and animal feces covered the floor. We thought she was just an older lady that could not keep up with the amount of pets she had. We saw the place on the news a couple of weeks later. They arrested her for having a puppy mill out of her garage. The groomer first noticed the scar on our baby at his first grooming session. Something attacked him in that place. He is afraid of everyone and everything. Not sure all that he indured in that hell hole but it has affected him for life. I am sure if we had not taken him when we did he would have been confiscated in the raid and ended up in the pound. We doubt that with his issues anyone would have adopted him and if they did they would have sent him back to the pound! Because of this drama he is a hard pet to manage. He is definately not good around children they terrify him. He is handled with extra love, care, and support by us. He found a wonderful home with us and we hope that many of the others from here also found happiness after their sad start to life.

Good for Oprah!! A topic that has needed to be focused on for years. Nebraska is another big puppy mill state, as evidenced by the fact that a petstore in the city I live in has increased its puppy inventory from 10-20 puppies to 100 in the past couple of years. Spaying and neutering is another subject that needs to be pushed out with more free/low cost spay/neuter clinics made available.

THANK YOU! I can't wait to see this show. I hope it shows the real horrors of puppy mills so people can understand where all those cute little puppies in pet stores come from! I have been in dog rescue for over a year now (short term compared to many) and have fostered many, many mill dogs. What a terrible way for these sweet little creatures to spend their lives. Many come with the most horrid health problems and fear of all people. It takes most of them months to even accept a pet and many more months or even years to accept a hug. I adopted a mill dog in February of 07 and the only one she would let touch her was me. Now, over a year later, she lets my parents, my husband, and the older kids touch her. She is still leary of the little ones so she runs away from them. She has started playing with toys some and does "puppy rolls" so I know she is truly happy and where she is comfortable so she can live out her life feeling the love she should have always known.

I will be watching on Friday or taping. I thank you as does the new rescue we just started. Right now we have 3 dogs from the TN area where there was a puppy mill shut down and over 150 dogs taken.

thanks
Sue Hubbard
Hubbards Hounds Dog Rescue
Homer, NY

I am happy to hear you are doing a show about Puppy Mills, I hope it also include Back Yard Breeders.


The Yorkie that I adopted form Canadian Yorkshire Terrier Rescue was rescued form a raided Puppy Mill and I was shocked at the before photos of him. His prison cage was so small his ears are down and he has a curve in his spin. The bottom of the prison cage was cage and his toe are curled, plus one of his toe nails was growing right into his foot. Covered in lice and poo. He was abused in every way possible, that a sick minded human could do. These people will do anything for 30 piece of silver.
Then people go to the pet store and purchase a dog. This only helps these money grubber destroy even more dogs lives.
You may think you are saving them, by purchasing the dog, but you are not. Your are adding to the problem.

My adopted Yorkie now lives in a big house, with a big yard , toys,clean food & water. With all the love and affection you can dote on a dog.

He still has major issues. He hates people and the whole 4.6 lbs of him will attempt to ripe your face off, if he does not know you. We have worked with a trainer. We even contacted other trainers. Just to make sure he is receiving the correct direction in rehabilitation. It will take years for him to get over the life of pure hell he lived.
He is the most wonderful loving balanced dog when there are no outsiders around. It would be nice to see him balanced with other people around. He is fine with other dogs, thanks to his foster home.


Because of my Yorkie, I am now a Foster Home and Member of Canadian Yorkshire Terrier Rescue. Puppy Mills and Back Yard Breeds just get me so upset, so does any abuse to any animal.


I do hope Lisa Ling shows you and your audiance the horror, the pain, the suffering, the dying, the dead still where they die for weeks, breeding a female to death, breed even when the dog has genetic diseases, lice, mites, broken bone, untreated cuts oozing with infection and other discussing diseases, that is what these people do to these dogs of all breeds in Puppy Mills and Back Yard Breeders. It is a horror you have night mares about and you never what to see agian in your life.

It is a good thing that there is no such thing as smell-a-vision, you and your audience would vomit when the door opens to the building, before you even see the inside of the building. And all for the oh mighty dollar. These people are just sicking. Their 30 pieces of silver will not help them when they go.


Thank you for your time.