Posts tagged "puppy mills"

Meet Mary Burch, American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen director and Paw Nation's expert columnist addressing your questions on animal behavior. Dr. Burch has more than 25 years of experience working with dogs, and she is one of fewer than 50 Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists based in the United States. She is the author of 10 books, including the new official book on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, "Citizen Canine: 10 Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."

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Dear Mary,
Recently we adopted a 5-year-old male Yorkie from a local animal rescue foundation. He was a stud dog at a puppy mill and was not socialized at all. We adopted him to be my daughter's dog (she is 9), with the understanding that she will be in charge of the majority of his care (school and bedtimes permitting).

When we got Yoshie, he was very shy. Thanks to wacky schedules, initially I ended up spending more time with him than my daughter, and as a result, he is infatuated with me. However, he has no interest in anyone else in the house, including my daughter. When she tries to hold him, he scrambles to get away and has even growled at her. She's trying so hard to be patient, but this is breaking her heart. We would love suggestions for getting Yoshie more acclimated and bonded to my daughter. Right now she's in charge of feeding him both of his meals, she takes him out for almost all walks, she rewards him with tiny treats when he lets her pet him or approaches her, and she sits next to me when he is on my lap and pets him quietly and calmly. Do you have any other advice for us?

Thank you so much for reaching out to us on behalf of Yoshie. It's clear that you care about him and your daughter very much, but you do have a lot of work on your hands. A 5-year-old unsocialized former stud dog is a handful for experienced adult dog owners, not to mention a child. I don't advise families with children to take on a dog with serious behavioral issues, as the challenges and risks can be great, but I understand that you have a big heart and want to give Yoshi a loving home.

Iams Issues Voluntary Cat Food Recall
Iams ProActive Health canned Cat and Kitten Food is being recalled due to low levels of thiamine. The recall includes all varieties of 3 oz & 5.5 oz cans with a "best if used by" date between September 2011 and June 2012. According to Iams, "early signs of thiamine deficiency may include loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. In advanced cases, signs may include ventroflexion (downward curving) of the neck, wobbly gait, falling, circling and seizures. If treated promptly, thiamine deficiency is typically reversible." Contact your veterinarian immediately if your cat is displaying any of these signs or if you are concerned about your cat's health.

Neither dry cat food nor any varieties of Iams dog food are affected. If you have this product in your home, you should discard it. You can learn more about the recall and product refunds by reading this, or calling Proctor & Gamble at 877-340-8826 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

Bob Harper Speaks Up for Shelter Pups
He's spoken out about vegetarianism, about ditching dairy, and even wore PETA's "Fight Breedism" t-shirt on television, so it's pretty clear that Bob Harper of "The Biggest Loser" is an animal lover. Now, after adopting a shelter puppy named Karl, Harper is speaking out against puppy mills, according to Ecorazzi. Harper told the Los Angeles Times, "It just kills me when people spend money on a dog when there are dogs in shelters waiting for someone to take them. I want to tell them, 'No! Those are puppy mills!'"

Is your mixed-breed a mistake of monumental proportions, or the crowning achievement of thousands of years of thoughtful selective breeding?

Despite millions of labradoodle owners across the planet who are convinced their pups are the greatest thing since sliced bread, the man credited with pioneering the breed has massive regrets about his involvement in the "oodle" craze.

"I don't regret the dog, not for the purpose I bred it for," Wally Conron tells Paw Nation, "I regret all the people who got on the bandwagon willy-nilly. People who are breeding poodle crosses for the money, who have no concern for parentage."

How was Conron to know that by crossing one of his kennel's best Labs with a standard poodle, he would unwittingly spark an international trend that would spawn the schnoodle, the groodle, the roodle and countless other similar designer breeds?

In 1988, service-dog trainer Conron received a letter from a woman in Hawaii who needed a seeing-eye dog that wouldn't shed, because her husband was highly allergic. At that time, no one had ever bred a Labrador retriever with an allergy-friendly standard poodle, at least not on purpose.

Now, only 22 years later, labradoodles have their own Facebook pages. Labradoodle enthusiasts, along with other groups of "oodle" owners, are even vying to have the breed recognized as an official breed by the Kennel Council.

The Humane Society of the United States rescued over 200 poodles last weekend from unsanitary and inhumane conditions in a Tennessee puppy mill. The fact that those animals were saved is enough to put pep in any dog lover's step. And while we're sure all of the pooches were thrilled to be delivered from their hard knock lives, one puppy in particular just couldn't seem to rein in his happy feet. This video -- shot by the HSUS while unloading the rescued dogs to a facility in Chicago -- shows that, just like us people, sometimes a dog gets so excited that there ain't nuthin else he can do but dance.

How much is that puppy in the window? It's not for sale.

Those worried about the number of designer dogs ending up at California shelters will be heartened by the news that the West Hollywood City Council is moving closer to approving a ban on certain kinds of pet sales. According to DVM Newsmagazine, the city council members approved upon "first reading" an ordinance proposed by council member Jeffrey Prang that prohibits the sale of dogs and cats within pet stores. The ordinance must undergo a second reading next week and, if approved, will take effect in March.

The discussion was ignited after an investigation of a West Hollywood pet store, Elite Animals, uncovered evidence that the owner was not only allegedly selling puppy mill dogs, but also illegally importing animals for resale.

The ordinance, which can be downloaded from the West Hollywood City Council agenda is full of troubling facts and statistics related to the sales of dogs and cats. One startling detail: "A review of state and USDA inspection reports from more than 100 breeders who sold animals to the nation's largest retail pet store chain revealed that more than 60 percent of the inspections found serious violations of basic animal care standards, including sick or dead animals in their cages, lack of proper veterinary care, inadequate shelter from weather conditions, and dirty, unkempt cages that were too small."

Carole Davis of the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) told WeHo News that the "Companion Animal Protection Society assisted the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the City of West Hollywood in drafting the ordinance, as well as providing evidence." The ordinance rules that pet stores who currently sell cats and dogs have until Sep. 17, 2010 to "sell, offer for adoption, barter, auction, giveaway or otherwise transfer cats and dogs". The ordinance doesn't affect shelters or rescue organizations that often ask for an adoption fee when finding homes for their animals. It also doesn't affect actual breeders who sell or adopt out their litters on their own.