When Dogs Learn New Tricks

Main Line Animal Rescue's Bill Smith—the man whose billboard in Chicago alerted Oprah to the horrors of puppy mills—says a recent example in Pennsylvania shows that there is still a long way to go.

After animal inspectors in Pennsylvania visited a puppy mill in Berks County, the owners were ordered to take 39 dogs to a vet for flea bites. "And instead of doing that, he basically shot all of the dogs in the kennels," Bill says.

In all, 80 dogs were reportedly shot. "They didn't have a chance," Bill says. "They were born in that facility and they were just meant to die there, and it was just heartbreaking."

Bill says Main Line Animal Rescue organized a candlelight vigil to pay respect to the killed dogs and to call attention to how the government was powerless to punish the puppy mill owner. "It's horrific and yet it's legal in the state of Pennsylvania to do that. Nothing happened to him. He admitted to doing it, and nothing happened," Bill says. "That's one of the reasons why we're pushing for better laws."