Help stop those puppy mills!

The HSUS
protects all animals
through
education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and
field work.

The Humane Society of the United States Asks Consumers To Help Save Puppies This Summer

WASHINGTON (June 8, 2006) -- The Pet Store Challenge, a consumer action campaign from The Humane Society of the United States, will give pet stores an opportunity to be open and honest about how and from where they get their puppies. The Challenge, which takes place from June 15 to September 15, 2006, will also empower consumers to make a difference in the lives of millions of dogs who are victims of puppy mills.

Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for companion animals for The HSUS, and a leading puppy mill expert explains our goal is to stop puppy mills, the leading supplier of inventory to pet stores. Pet stores often deny that they get their dogs from mills. We want to give them a chance to come clean and prove it. By enlisting animal loving consumers to help implement the challenge, we are giving people a chance to save animals, and hopefully put puppy mills out of business.

Background
Most puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills—factory-like facilities, churning out purebred puppies in large numbers. Puppy mills look to make a profit; commonly disregard the dogs physical and emotional health; and do not adhere to sound breeding practices. The result is often sick or dying puppies who suffer from genetic, mental and physical health problems that are not always immediately apparent to the consumer. Thousands of breeder dogs live a miserable existence in horrific conditions without hope of ever being part of a family.

The Puppy Mill Pet Store Connection
Most pet stores are adamant that they do not support puppy mills and that the dogs they sell are strictly from reputable breeders. However, many people who purchase their puppy from a pet store can end up with a sick or dying animal. With some research, they will learn their puppy was indeed from a puppy mill. For those who were lucky enough to purchase a healthy dog, it is important to keep in mind that purchasing that dog makes room for more puppy mill dogs raised in horrendous conditions. Every puppy mill dog purchased ensures that the industry continues to thrive.

Take The Challenge
The HSUS wants to challenge pet stores by giving them a chance to tell the truth and prove how and from where they get puppies. Anyone can participate in the challenge by taking these three easy steps:

• Visit www.StopPuppyMills.com and print out two copies of the Pet Store Challenge form between
  June 15 and September 15.
•  Take the questionnaire with you to a local pet store, and fill it out based on information given to you during your store visit interview with an owner or store manager.
• Mail the completed form back to The HSUS before September 30, 2006 to: The HSUS Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, 2100 L St., NW Washington, DC 20037, or fax it to 301-258-3081. Information can also be sent via email at www.StopPuppyMills.com.

An Accurate and Fair Pet Store Visit

• Be honest: Explain you are taking part in The Pet Store Challenge, an effort designed to find out from pet stores where they get their puppies. Do not be confrontational. You are simply gathering information. Many stores claim that animal welfare groups fabricate problems associated with pet store dogs.
   
• Be prepared: Have two copies of the form on hand in case the owner/manager wants a copy. Bring a pen and fill it out/take notes as you speak with them so you do not forget any facts.
   
• Be courteous: Do not visit the store during peak business hours. Find times when they are less busy so that they can take time out to speak with you. You may want to call the owner or manager in advance to arrange a time to talk about where they get their puppies.
   
• Be diligent: If the owner or manager refuses to take The Challenge, record any information you can (there are some questions that only require a good look at the store) and still return the form to The HSUS.

Shain adds, "The HSUS is sincerely grateful to any consumer who wants to take the time to collect this information. A short visit to a pet store and filling out a brief questionnaire can truly save animals lives. We are also very excited to give this opportunity to pet stores. We want them to prove that they do not support puppy mills. The truth will be priceless."

For more information on puppy mills visit www.stoppuppymills.org. For information on adopting a dog, rescuing a purebred, finding a reputable breeder and more, visit www.PuppyBuyersGuide.com.

Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, rodicompany@earthlink.net

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
 

Take action now to help protect these magnificent animals.

Legislation to ban the use of exotic animals in circuses (S. 2457) made significant progress in the Massachusetts General Assembly this year. The sponsor, Senator Hedlund, will soon offer an amendment on the Senate floor that limits the scope of the bill in order to ensure that this important legislation passes. Specifically, this amendment will make it illegal to use any implement, such as a bullhook or ankus that may reasonably result in harm to an elephant, including but not limited to the damage, scarring, or breakage of an elephant’s skin and prohibit chaining or similarly restraining an elephant. We need your help to make sure this important bill passes.

Call 617-722-1230 and ask your state senator, Robert Antonioni, to support humane treatment of elephants in circuses.

            

Under traditional conditions in zoos and circuses, elephants live their entire lives in close confinement, and often in shackles. These animals may act out aggressively without warning. Many documented injuries, traumas, and deaths have been caused by captive elephants. Given the immense size and power of elephants, training methods used for centuries are designed to establish human control over them and include striking them in sensitive areas with sharpened hooks, beating them with clubs and other objects, and depriving them of food. No elephant should be subjected to this abusive treatment.

TAKE ACTION
Please call Senator Antonioni at 617-722-1230 and urge your senator to support S. 2457 and the amendment offered by Senator Hedlund to provide for the humane treatment of elephants in circuses. Your phone call is one of the most powerful ways to get your message across to your elected officials.

Making a phone call is simple -- you will likely speak to a staff person who can take your message and pass it along to your legislator. Be sure to leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent.

After you make your call, click here to send a follow-up e-mail to Senator Antonioni.

Be sure to tell your friends and family in Massachusetts about how they can help protect elephants from abusive treatment in circuses. Thank you for taking action on behalf animals.

Sincerely,
Mike Markarian, President, Humane Society Legislative Fund
 

What you can
do to help?

Urge your members of Congress to support the Pet Safety and Protection Act.

The Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 451/H.R. 5229), introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI), and in the U.S. House by Representatives Phil English (R-PA) and Mike Doyle (D-PA), would prohibit Class B Dealers from selling dogs and cats to laboratories. These dealers acquire dogs and cats from "random sources" -- often by stealing pets or responding to "free to a good home" ads.  » Read More.

Help puppies, dogs, cats, and kittens with Internet searching!

Spread the Word!

Powered by Yahoo!, GoodSearch.com raises money for charities that uses a model similar to paid searches on Yahoo or Google. Last year search engines generated almost $6 billion through such searches. Support the Sterling Shelter whenever you search the Internet.

How?  » Learn More.
 

Have you hugged
a cute, fuzzy little kitten lately?

In seven years the mother cats and her offspring can create 400,000+ cats.

Kitten Season. It happens every year—in late winter/early spring—kitten season begins and it continues well past Labor Day. Shelters that are barely able to handle the lighter fall/winter intake of orphaned cats and occasional kittens begin to burgeon with homeless pregnant mom cats and neonatal (infant) kittens. At the same time, others in the community find homeless mom cats with litters in their garage, under their porch and care for them till they are individually adopted out, or taken to the shelter when they are unable to place them on their own.

In our community, thousands of kittens each season are taken to shelters and vet clinics for adoption. Unfortunately, only about half that number make it into loving homes. The rest of these kittens are euthanized for a variety of reasons: no foster home to care for them, not socialized well enough to be a house cat, contracted a treatable viral illness while at the shelter, and even more sadly -- there simply weren't enough homes to go around!

Cat Overpopulation. So, as cute and loving as kittens are, we need to rethink what we do when we find a homeless pregnant cat. If the pregnancy is not in the final stage, is it more humane to spay the mom cat and abort the kittens -- or let them be born and become a shelter euthanasia statistic?

Unless you're a professional breeder, please don't even consider letting your female cat breed. Don't be lulled by the false logic that since you can find homes for your kittens it's okay to enjoy the experience of raising them. We live in a closed-loop community -- there are a finite number of homes. Every kitten you actively bring into the world by not spaying your cat will prevent another less fortunate kitten or cat from getting a home.

Working Toward Zero Population Growth. By the simple practice of spaying early- and mid-term pregnant cats -- and making sure our pet cats are sterilized by 8 weeks of age or before adoption-- we can easily make a dent in the huge numbers of kittens born each year. It won't get us immediately to zero population growth -- but it will help tremendously. A cat is a prolific breeder -- one female cat can have up to 3 litters per year of an average 4 kittens per litter. Her kittens can start breeding at 4 months. The increase is geometric. The math is staggering! In seven years the mother cats and her offspring can create 400,000+ cats.

Even after we have prevented as many kittens as we can, we are still faced with a number we can't prevent. Feral or outdoor cats are inherently fearful of people. They do their best to maintain a low profile and we frequently have no idea they are living in our yard, behind our business, or on our campus. The first we know of them is at the point their kittens are born.

Kitten Fostering Opportunities. If you happen on a litter of baby kittens and want to save them from an outdoor feral existence, consider fostering them on your own and bringing them to the shelter when they are friendly and can be handled and are at least 6+ weeks old. Remember that shelters are not set up to care for kittens that are sick or younger. They need the love, attention and peace of a foster guardian's home where they can thrive and learn to enjoy human companionship. For this reason cat rescue groups and shelters are always in need of volunteers to foster the kittens they receive and would welcome your assistance.

Give the gift of love by donating to the Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling.

 The Animal Shelter Inc. is still in desperate need of the many items to keep our lovable furry companions happy and comfortable.

Want to help the Shelter? Have you considered our Recurring Giving system. This convenient system allows you to automatically make a donation to the Sterling Shelter every month via credit card or checking account. This is an extremely powerful fundraising method that can allow the Shelter to save thousands of additional animals every year with a donation as small as $2.00 per month from you. Thank you for your support!