Anti-puppy mill billboard makes a statement in Burbank

"It is my belief that when you actually see this, America, with your own eyes ... that you are not going stand for it," Oprah Winfrey said of her talk show's expose on the horrors of puppy mills.  Winfrey has said that her eyes were opened to the issue by a well-placed billboard off Chicago's Kennedy Expressway that read, "Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you." 

The group behind that billboard, and others like it across the country, is the Pennsylvania-based Main Line Animal Rescue -- and it's recently brought its anti-mill billboard campaign to L.A.  (You can see it for yourself near Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.) 

Bill Smith, Main Line's founder, knows puppy mills firsthand; his group finds new homes for many former mill dogs (as well as strays and animals rescued from area shelters). 

Many of Pennsylvania's puppy mill dogs come from a seemingly unlikely place: Amish country, where dogs are often kept in tiny rabbit hutches and females are euthanized or shot when they become too old to produce litters.  And, owing to a legal loophole and secretive breeding practices, it's perfectly legal, according to a recent expose aired on ABC's Nightline for which Smith was interviewed.

WebClawer: Dogs help kids learn to read, Yahoo shuts down Yahoo Pets

From pets on the Web to those who help young readers get the hang of good old-fashioned books, these are the stories that made us sit up and take notice today:

-- "Reading dog" programs -- which encourage young children to read by allowing them to practice their skills reading aloud to dogs -- are gaining in popularity around the country.  One such program in the suburban Washington, D.C., area is called Paws to Read.  "I liked reading him the pool part" of a book about a beaver, 5-year-old Norah Doherty of Ashburn said of her time with Gus, a St. Bernard. She enjoyed it so much that she decided to wait an hour for the chance to read a story to Annie, the other therapy dog at the library that day.  (Washington Post)

-- A recent puppy mill bust in northwestern Washington state sent nearly 600 dogs -- most of which  were found to be pregnant with an estimated 1,500 puppies in all -- into area shelters.  Now that the dogs are safely out of the puppy mill, the real work of caring for them has begun, and it's very expensive: Most have parasites and all need dental care.  Some dogs have rotted jaws from dental neglect. Dental work costs about $200 per pet, which means the total bill will top $119,000.  (KOMO News Seattle)

WebClawer: A mail cat; a Canadian Labradoodle for Obama?

From potential political pets to the mating rituals of penguins and rabbits, a few of the stories that grabbed us today:

-- A Canadian animal shelter hopes that the Obama family will accept its offer of a rescued Labradoodle puppy. The shelter acquired 55 Labradoodles following a puppy mill bust last month, among them two pregnant females.  Since then, one of the females, named Lilly, has given birth to a litter of 11 puppies. "When I learned that President Obama's first official state visit would be to Canada, and that he was looking for a puppy for his daughters, I thought a shelter puppy would make a great gift from our government," said the shelter's executive director, Bill MacDonald, who wrote to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office to suggest the proposal. (According to MacDonald, Harper's office passed the offer along to foreign affairs officials who are "considering.")  The puppies are currently in foster care but will be ready for adoption in late February.  (Agence France-Presse)

-- Looking for something fun, animal-centric, and a little bit scandalous to do this Valentine's Day?  The San Francisco Zoo hosts its 20th annual "Woo at the San Francisco Zoo" event on both the day itself and over the preceding weekend (Feb. 7-8).  "Former zoo penguin-keeper Jane Tollini will lead the multimedia program covering the A-to-Zs of sexual behavior and mating rituals of animals, the smaller and cuddlier (e.g., bunnies, frogs, turtles) of which will be brought into the hall at appropriate times during the presentation, according to the event coordinator, DeAnna Velez."  (Daily Travel & Deal)

WebClawer: Truffle dogs, more dog biscuit recalls, and a stolen shark

From the Pacific Northwest to the Australian island of Tasmania to California's own Inland Empire, these animal stories grabbed our attention today:

-- The Oregon Truffle Festival, to be held Jan. 29-Feb. 1 in the city of Eugene, welcomes not only human truffle conoisseurs, but canine ones as well.  "People tend to associate pigs with snuffling out truffles," says event organizer Steve Remington.  "But in fact truffieres started using dogs back in the 1800s because pigs tend to gobble up truffles as quickly as they find them. Dogs seem to enjoy them, too, but they understand commands like 'No!' "  The event even features a training seminar for owners looking to teach their dogs to hunt the elusive -- and expensive -- truffle (which can sell for as much as $800 a pound).  (MSNBC)

-- The Albertsons grocery store chain has issued a recall of Happy Tails multi-flavored dog biscuits "out of an abundance of caution" in light of the recent salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter products.  (Happy Tails dogs biscuits have already been removed from Jewel-Osco shelves.)  (Seattle Times)

-- Tasmanian authorities are investigating the theft of a baby epaulette shark from a Hobart pet store.  Three teenage boys apparently removed the shark from its tank -- but the mystery, at least according to store employee Jonah Yick, is how.  "They didn't have any bags with them, nothing," he said.  (The Mercury)

Puppy mill survivors find new adoptive homes

Last month, 10 puppy mill survivors confiscated in June by the L.A. County public health department became available for adoption. 

The puppies -- five Maltese and five Yorkshire terriers -- were the only survivors out of three confiscated shipments from a Seoul puppy mill. Ed Boks, general manager of the L.A. Department of Animal Services, gave the details:

These 8 week old animals arrived at LAX ill and seriously dehydrated, having just survived over 14 hours of transport in tiny carriers with no food or water.

With interest high in the tiny puppies, an auction was held to determine who would take them home.  Hundreds of bidders turned out at the East Valley shelter on Dec. 20. NPR's "Morning Edition" reports that the event was a success:

One winning bidder was Debbie Garringer. "I was really lucky, and I'm happy, so happy, and I will take care of it so much and it will have a beautiful home," she said.

All 10 of the purebred puppy-mill survivors got new homes, as did 52 other pets from the shelter. In all, Animal Services raised more than $20,000 and got its message out: Adopt, don't shop.

Puppy mills have been a hot issue in L.A. of late, with local pet stores, including the Beverly Center's well-known Pet Love, facing eviction over allegations that they sell mill-purchased puppies.

--Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Rudolph, one of the puppy mill survivors, during a Dec. 11 news conference. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times.

Puppy mill survivors prepare for new homes

Back in June, three shipments of puppies from a puppy mill in Seoul arrived at LAX and were confiscated by the L.A. County public health department. The seizure prompted officials to form a multiagency animal-cargo task force to study the conditions of animals being shipped here from overseas. Ed Boks, general manager of the L.A. Department of Animal Services, explains in his blog:

The Task Force, led by LA Animal Services, LA County Public Health, and the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority, also included the Los Angeles World Airports, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Transportation Security Administration, and several local animal control agencies including the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley, Inland Valley Humane Society, Long Beach Animal Control, Santa Ana Animal Control, Orange County Animal Care Services, Pasadena Humane Society, Riverside Animal Services, and SPCA-LA.

The findings of the Task Force demonstrated the fact that puppy mills are not a U.S. problem alone. Overseas commercial mass dog-breeding facilities -- that put profit above the welfare of dogs -- are attempting to flood the U.S. market.

Only 10 of the puppies survived -- five Yorkshire terriers and five Maltese -- and they're now under the care of staff at the East Valley animal shelter.  (They'll be available for adoption Dec. 20.) 

Can't get enough of these adorable guys?  Check out this photo gallery for more photos and information.

--Lindsay Barnett

Photo credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

A Tale of Two Litters

Two terrible stories, socio-economic light-years from each other, but not too far apart in miles and still so sadly similar.

First, an email I received told me about a German shepherd mix who had just given birth to a litter of six. She had also been shot in the back some time ago, and was trying valiantly to care for her puppies. Removing the bullet, according to the email, "could do more harm than good." She was at the South L.A. animal shelter, waiting until someone could show up and take personal care of her or her puppies, or both. By now, perhaps someone may have done so.

And then, from a gossip website, comes the news that celebrities I never heard of [Erin Brodie and Dr. Will Kirby] on TV shows I never watched ["For Love or Money" and "Big Brother II"] are looking after an eyeless Yorkie puppy dumped at a Los Angeles vet.

I didn't say "blind" -- I said "eyeless." This kind of birth defect happens when greedy puppy mills go into overdrive on hot, chic dog breeds du jour, like Yorkies or Chihuahuas, producing litter after litter, never mind the health of the mother or the puppies, just "show me the money" [another TV show I never saw].

That puppy was lucky, just like the little Chihuahua abandoned at my vet's office, born without front legs. Many overbred, damaged puppy-mill puppies won't show their internal health problems for weeks or months or years into their too-short lives, and their mothers are candidates for death, once they’ve outlived their short but endlessly breeding lives.

Too many wonderful dogs [and cats] of all sorts are sitting behind the wire gates of animal shelters, in a waiting-game race between adoption and death. Too many wonderful dogs are left to run in the streets, to be victims of cars or starvation or creeps with guns. And too many dogs are getting churned out of heartlessly casual puppy mills. Cruelty can come in many shapes -- even the shape of a dollar sign.

-- Patt Morrison