My distaste for puppy mills notwithstanding, I’m pleased to report that, stepping away from its reputation as “The Puppy Mill Capital of the East,” the Pennsylvania Legislature passed HB 2525 on October 8, a bill that will improve the lives of tens of thousands of dogs living in Pennsylvania’s puppy mills.

HB 2525 doubles the cage space required for dogs in Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding facilities, prohibits wire flooring and the stacking of cages, mandates exercise and twice-yearly veterinary exams for all dogs, and requires that animals be humanely euthanized by licensed veterinarians.

The ASPCA has been working with the Governor’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for over three years to increase enforcement and standards of care for dogs in the state’s commercial kennels. They lobbied for passage of HB 2525 by activating the Pennsylvania members of the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade and by spending much of the past several months in Harrisburg, the state capital, promoting the bill to legislators. Governor Ed Rendell signed HB 2525 into law the day after it was passed.

The rules regarding euthanasia went into effect immediately—meaning that it is no longer legal for people to shoot their own dogs in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to everyone who helped Pennsylvania puppies!

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I’m a major animal nut. I try to help every animal I encounter, I’m a rescue/adoption advocate, and, a long time ago, I even thought I wanted to be a veterinarian (I worked for a vet hospital for a total of two days, then I quit because I was constantly crying).

I’m also the type of person who has to get up and leave the room if I see an animal being hurt. I didn’t make it through March of the Penguins (I had to leave during the passing of the eggs), missed part of Eight Below, and have never seen Old Yeller all the way through.

So I practically had to tie myself to a chair to sit through Oprah’s expose on puppy mills last week. It probably wasn’t very good planning on my part to tape the show and then start watching it a few minutes before we were leaving to meet friends for dinner (Mike came out in the living room, saw tears streaming down my face and said, “Great. They’re going to think I beat you before we left the house.”)

But I am so glad I taped the show, because I have been able to tolerate it in five- to 10-minute increments, and my eyes have been opened (once again) to the horrors that many dogs face on a daily basis, all their lives.

I’ve rescued a greyhound, and the little I’ve read about a greyhound’s life on the track has allowed me to give Greta a lot of leeway in regards to certain behavior issues we’ve faced.  

Regarding the Oprah expose, it was due in large part to Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. Every year, Main Line rescues hundreds of abused, unwanted or abandoned animals, rehabilitates them and then adopts them out to families. Many of these animals are from puppy mills, which Bill describes as “places where bad breeders care more about the profit they make from puppies than the health or welfare of the animals.”

During the show, Lisa Ling and her hidden camera joined Bill on a tour of puppy mills in Pennsylvania. (According to The Humane Society of the United States, there may be as many as 10,000 puppy mills operating across the United States. They are all perfectly legal.)

Many of the dogs born in puppy mills end up in pet stores or sold on the Internet. Most people don’t understand that the cute puppy they just bought had to endure the most terrible conditions during its first weeks of life, and that cute puppy’s mom or dad is still living in the most deplorable, unspeakable conditions.

Bill, who has fostered relationships with hundreds of breeders across Pennsylvania, askes for the dogs they no longer want or the ones they’re planning to kill. These dogs are typically either older females and younger males, because breeders only need one or two male dogs to breed with every 20 fertile females.

At one puppy mill they visit, Bill speculates that many of the dogs have never walked in the grass, although they live on a 60-acre property. At another, they find about 40 dogs in wire-floored rabbit cages stacked to the ceiling in a room reeking of urine and feces. At another, they see outdoor cages filled with Pomeranians, and Bill says that not only have those dogs probably never been out of those small cages, but it’s likely that they remain outside even in bad weather and could die from exposure.

During their visits, Bill rescues dozens of dogs. He says that sometimes when he’s out to pick up a dog, the breeder has had the dog eight or nine years and it doesn’t have a name. it’s never been out of the hutch, it doesn’t know how to walk, and he has to carry it to the car. Some have also had their vocal chords damaged by a pipe in order to keep them from barking.

Despite the inhumane conditions the dogs lived in before their rescue, Bill says they usually start to show signs of rehabilitation in about two weeks.

Main Line Animal Rescue has rescued approximately 7,000 to 8,000 animals—about 5,000 of those from puppy mills. Their placement rate is about 99 precent, and Bill has also opened his home to some of the dogs (he currently has 10, but has had up to 12 at once).

The show’s message is clear: Don’t buy a dog at a pet store or off the Internet, because you will most likely be supporting puppy mills. Instead, head to your local shelter or animal rescue organzation.

According to Bill, a third to 50 percent of the animals in shelters, depending on the location, are purebred dogs, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, there are also breed-specific rescues throughout the country. (If you must have your pedigree dog, look for a quality breeder.)

To help win the shelter battle, Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, recommends spaying and neutering to prevents the needless killing of millions of animals. Dr. Shelly Rubin, who treats Oprah’s dogs, says spaying or neutering is one of the best things you can do for your pet’s health.

To read the truth about animal shelters and responsible breeders, click here. To read more about what you need to know before getting a dog, click here. To find out how to help shut down puppy mills, click here.

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