Braving the Cold for Animal Advocacy

Since August, I have been protesting the sale of puppies outside of a local pet store several times a month. I joined the group after seeing the documentary Dog by Dog this summer, inspired by Mindi Callison's efforts with Bailing Out Benji. Every weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, a group of dedicated advocates show up in all kinds of weather, from blistering heat to freezing temperatures, to educate the public about puppy mills and the deceptive doublespeak that leads people to unwittingly support them.

Pet Store Doublespeak: How They Dodge The Puppy Mill Question

Since I've been protesting weekly in front of a local pet store that sells puppies with a group of wonderful, dedicated women, I've done some of my own research on the store and puppy mills in general so that I am an educated advocate. I'm learning about all the tricks that the proprietors of these kind of stores use to dodge questions about where their puppies come from.

Reputable Breeders
Breeders that care about their dogs do not sell them to a third party and a fate unknown. Period. Breeders that care about their dogs interview potential families and ensure a perfect match is made, very often with a contract to return the dogs to them if it doesn't work out and a lifetime promise of commitment to the dog they brought into the world. They don't pack them in crates and ship them across state lines to be unloaded in the parking lot of a strip mall and sold to people they will never meet. When a pet store employee says "reputable breeder" they are just telling customers what they want to hear in order feel better about buying a pet store dog. Don't buy the lie.

USDA Licensed Breeders
The USDA governs the agricultural industry, and in their eyes, the dogs housed by large-scale commercial dog breeding operations are nothing more than livestock. Their regulations are absolutely minimal, the numbers they allow are mind-boggling. What does a USDA licensed breeder look like? I looked up the inspection reports for a breeder known to supply dogs to the pet store we have been protesting. Their most recent report was not completed due to "no responsible adult on premises." In years past, they had violations for dangerously sharp chewed water receptacles, improper shelter and too many dogs in one enclosure. Their recorded number of adult dogs and puppies was over 300. How can 300 dogs possibly be given the individual care and attention they need? It's simple - they can't.

AKC Registered Animals
For a dog to be registered with The American Kennel Club, it needs to be the product of two AKC registered parents. That's it. The AKC does nothing to ensure that the dogs are healthy, that the facilities are satisfactory, or that the puppies and their parents are treated humanely. While they claim to inspect high-volume breeders, some who have passed AKC inspections have later been convicted of animal cruelty. In fact, as explained in the documentary Dog By Dog, the AKC regularly fights legislation to improve conditions and increase oversight of commercial breeders.

When I was in college, I traveled with my mom and aunt to the home of an Airedale breeder near Santa Fe, New Mexico. We'd just lost our German Shepherd mix to a rare form of canine leukemia at the tragic age of 2 1/2 and our family had always had Airedales so she was interested in getting another. It's shocking that the woman allowed us to come to her home - while not a puppy mill per se, the AKC registered dogs were kept in cramped, dirty kennels outside, the puppies had runny eyes and crusty noses and all the dogs were miserable in the desert heat. It was heartbreaking to leave them there, but we walked away. My mom was not about to buy a sick puppy after recently losing our last dog. She adopted our heeler mix, Scout, from the Santa Fe Humane Society instead. My mother later reported the breeder to the AKC and was told there was nothing they could do.

Health Guarantees
Pet stores often offer a limited health guarantee for puppies purchased from them. Why? Because they know there is a good chance the dogs they sell will have parasites, respiratory infections or other viruses due to the cramped, unsanitary conditions they are coming from. Many of the reviews for the local pet store we are protesting spoke of health issues. Much to my surprise, some of these reviews were positive overall. The customers were satisfied that the store had paid their vet bills, instead of questioning why their expensive eight-week old puppy was already sick. One reviewer even described the hypoglycemic seizures her new puppy suffered because they did not properly follow the store's instructions to feed Karo syrup to the dog. Are you angry yet?

If you want to do something about it, spread the word. As part of the dog obsessed community, it's easy to forget that the general public are easily swayed by the pet shop double-talk. Join or form a local protest group, speak out when and where you can. I was so happy to learn of the group in my area, and seeing the documentary Dog By Dog was the impetus I needed to get my feet on the ground. Some days people talk to us, other days they ignore us, but changing just one person's mind makes it all worthwhile. Keep an eye on local legislation for regulating dog breeding and pet store sales. Phoenix, Arizona, recently banned pet store sales of dogs and cats from commercial breeders. I hope that it's only a matter of time before this touching video is the reality in every pet store, and dogs are no longer stacked, stored and shipped like merchandise, but instead cherished and cared for like the treasures they are.

Standing Up Against Puppy Mills

Last weekend I attended my first pet store protest organized by a local group called Puppy Mill Free Colorado. I had been following the group and meaning to join them for a while, but seeing the Dog by Dog documentary gave my procrastination a kick in the rump. While I knew that the protest group would provide signs, I thought that creating my own would both make the protest more personal for me, and solidify my determination. I hadn't been feeling well all week, but it was only an hour of my time, and I couldn't back out at the last minute if I put the effort into making a sign. Plus, I had the great resource of my artistic dad, so we made it into a family project. We stopped at a craft supply store and got foam board and adhesive letters, and all the way home I brainstormed my slogan. I was delighted to come with something rhyming and succinct.

My awesome dad drew the picture of the sorrowful caged dog and helped me with the lettering placement - straight lines are not my forte. My dad has always been on my side with my animal welfare projects, contributing his practical and creative sensibilities. We finished the sign just a little while before I needed to leave for the protest. I was a little nervous - I didn't know what to expect. My dad told me as I headed out the door that he was proud of me but that he would be embarrassed to do something like that. I responded that when it comes to animals and advocacy, I'm an extrovert. I may be a naturally shy and quiet person, but dogs help me find my voice, whether it's chatting about them with strangers or speaking up for their welfare.

As I parked my car and walked to the busy corner with my sign, I was welcomed by the other protesters. There were six of us in all, and we lined up with our signs facing the oncoming traffic and people that would be turning into the shopping center. I could see the puppies in their glass enclosures through the windows of the pet store. I spent some time reading online reviews of the store, and was horrified to see that even many of the "positive" reviews included tales of puppies sick with respiratory infections and parasites, as well as proof that the "reputable breeders" are in fact large-scale commercial operations. Perfect Pets is in Centennial, a suburb south of Denver. There have been legislative attempts to ban the sale of puppies in pet stores in Centennial but they have unfortunately failed, which is why it's imperative that education continue, so that enough people understand the reality behind the cute, instantly-obtainable puppy.

As the store opened a few cars pulled into the parking lot. The protest leader approached the would-be customers politely, asking if they'd like information about why they shouldn't buy from a pet store and adopt from a shelter instead. The reactions were mixed - some ignored her completely, one guy said he "didn't want to hear it," others said no thank you. A few took the handout, and best of all, two families actually got back in their cars and left Perfect Pets without going in after speaking with us. The most heartwarming of all was a young man with his kids, who were obviously excited to pick out a puppy. The young man was completely receptive to the information, and was especially concerned when he found out that pet store puppies often come from the unhealthy conditions of puppy mills. He actually said "Come on, let's go get a good dog from a shelter!" as they piled back into their car. I could have cried from happiness, and that fueled our enthusiasm for the rest of the morning.

It was one of the hottest weekends we've had this summer, and yet I didn't mind at all standing on the sidewalk in the sun, waving and gripping my sign. I felt an immediate camaraderie with these five other women who took time out of their weekend to effect change for animals. It's a message I deeply believe in, and every person that whooped or honked from their car meant another person that gets it. Some of the drivers that read our signs as they passed had never thought about it. Others may have thought we were "crazy animal rights activists" harassing a perfectly acceptable business. What mattered the most were those two families that made another choice that day, who didn't buy a puppy whose mother probably spends her life in a wire cage with no vet care, affection or shelter. That's the reason I'll be back with my sign another day, several times a month. No one left with a puppy from Perfect Pets during our protest, and I hope that little by little, these profit-driven commercial breeders will find fewer and fewer ways to peddle their shameful wares. In the meantime, I'll be out there aspiring to change just one more mind.

Dog By Dog: Puppy Mills and The Blackfish Effect

With Christopher E. Grimes, the director of Dog by Dog at the Mayan Theater in Denver, CO 

On Thursday night I attended the premiere of Dog by Dog, a documentary that seeks to reach the general public with information about the reality of puppy mills and the politics and pocketbooks that continue to support them. It was incredibly uplifting to see the support the documentary received in the local animal welfare community. Hosted by Colorado Citizens for Canine Welfare and attended by famous football players and state representatives, the turnout in my favorite historic theater in Denver warmed this advocate's heart.

While it had extremely emotional moments (and in fact I saw most men in the theater wiping their eyes at the end), this is not a film filled with graphic footage of abuse. The shots of the empty cages and the tough guy cradling a filthy rescued puppy against his chest are enough. The real impact of the documentary lies in its informed interviews and shocking statistics, as well as exposure of the ways in which corporate agribusiness and the AKC fight against legislation meant to improve conditions for commercially bred dogs. The film was well-researched and effectively delivered, including interviews with rescue volunteers, politicians and heads of animal welfare organizations.

I already knew much of the information presented, but what I was most surprised by was the widespread lack of knowledge. One of the women interviewed sincerely believed that the puppy she bought online was coming from a loving family home where the dogs were frolicking in fields of flowers. This could not be further from the truth - internet retailers with payment plans and immediate shipment are more than likely puppy mills. According to the film, between two and four million puppies are born in puppy mills every year, to parents who will never know grass beneath their paws, a kind hand on their head or even shelter from the elements.

For my own reasons, I will probably always adopt from rescue. I love potcakes and podencos, and don't have any purpose for my dogs outside of companionship; however, I understand the purpose-bred dog and the love of purebreds, and the movie does, too - it does not vilify all breeders. During the panel discussion after the film, one of the audience members asked why the director and filmmakers didn't take a stand against all dog breeding and the answer was that this was simply not realistic, too polarizing, and essentially shooting themselves in the foot when rescue groups and reputable breeders can and should be a united front against large, profit-driven commercial puppy mills.

The most inspiring part of Dog by Dog - much needed after the discouraging illustration of just how deeply embedded the politics and bureaucracy surrounding legislation of puppy mills are - was the story of Mindi Callison Long, founder of Bailing Out Benji. Since 2011, Mindi has been educating and organizing peaceful pet store protests in her hometown, rain or shine. For a while now I have been considering joining a local protest group, and I think this was exactly the push I needed to get my hands on a sign and my feet on the pavement. If any one of us can get just one person to turn around at the door of a pet store and head to their local shelter instead, or to sign up on the waiting list of a reputable breeder instead of clicking "Buy Now" on that cute picture at the commercial breeder website, then we are making a difference, person by person, dog by dog.

The goal of this documentary is to reach beyond those of us who already know about the horrors of puppy mills. The Mayan Theater was filled with people who were already deeply aware and passionately supportive of this cause. While in this early stage of screenings around the country, the ultimate hope is for Dog by Dog to have the same powerful impression as Blackfish did, for the general public's eyes to be opened to the injustice of keeping loving, intelligent dogs in wire cages for their entire lives, churning out puppies to be sold behind facades of storefronts and webpages, dressed in ribbons and lies. If one by one, our family members and co-workers - potential puppy-buyers whose lives don't revolve around dogs as ours do - abandon pet stores and wholesaler websites the way families and sponsors and stockholders have been abandoning Sea World, then we will see the world start to change the way it should. Please spread the word about this important film - follow Dog By Dog on Facebook, share the trailer, and watch for it in a theater near you.