Puppy mills were all the talk today on the Oprah Winfrey show. Lisa Ling goes undercover and sees puppy mills at their worst.
Oprah Winfrey, a long time friend to dogs, dedicated todays show to “Sophie”, her dog that passed away last month. This show devoted the hour to exploring puppy mills. The show was a wake up call for Oprah herself who said she will never purchase another dog from a breeder, but only adopt from shelters.
Lisa Ling, an Oprah contributer, went undercover to investigate the puppy mills and came back a changed women. She toured puppy mills in Pennsylvania and saw the conditions the dogs are forced to live in first hand. The conditions she witnessed are best described as deplorable.
Oprah is calling people to action to help stop puppy mills. A puppy mill is a mass dog breeding operation. These dogs are kept in cages their entire lives and forced to breed litter after litter of puppies. Many puppy mills breed numerous puppies of different breeds. Theses breeders only see dollar signs and do not care about the welfare of the dogs. A responsible breeder will want to know about you and your home before selling you a dog; and will be willing to take the dog back, for whatever reason (even years later).
Oprah's show encourages everyone to first look to a shelter or rescue for a new pet. If you do want to purchase a puppy from a breeder please be sure you use a reputable breeder and avoid pet stores who often buy puppies from puppy mills.
If you missed Oprah's show then please read Lisa's report for more details.
