Thanks, again, to all the humane people in the world who rush to aid animals such as these. This article in today's Washington Post should be an eye opener to all who inadvertently support these greedy puppy mill monsters profiting from the exploitation and suffering of dogs.

This creep actually has a legal permit from the State of Virginia for keeping 500 animals!!! 500!!!

But he had 1000. Let's hope the state prosecutes this guy to the fullest, goes hard after all puppy mills and actually outlaws puppy mills (what do they think a 500-dog operation is?) and increases penalties.

And I'm now going to the Washington Humane Society web page to donate for this rescue operation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110902476.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2007111000241

:sad:


Dogs' Best Friends to the Rescue

Volunteers Rush to the Aid of Animals Seized at Suspected Va. Puppy Mill

By Annie Gowen and Donna St. George (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/annie+gowen+and+donna+st.+george/)
Washington Post Staff Writers


Saturday, November 10, 2007; Page A01



Some of the adult dogs arriving at the Montgomery County (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Montgomery+County+%28Maryland%29?tid=informline) animal shelter Thursday acted like newborn pups with splayed legs, wobbly as they tried to walk. They had never been on solid ground.
At first, they didn't know how to eat from a bowl, so accustomed were they to the troughs at the puppy mill in southwestern Virginia (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Virginia?tid=informline) from which they had just been rescued. Several had matted hair around their eyes and couldn't see. The pads of their feet were sore or cut from being confined to wire cages.

When word of the dogs' plight surfaced this week on the Web site of the Humane Society of the United States (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Humane+Society+of+the+United+States?tid=informline ) -- that officials in Carroll County (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Carroll+County?tid=informline), Va., had seized nearly 1,000 dogs from a suspected puppy mill -- reaction from animal lovers was immediate and intense.
Volunteers from the Washington region joined others from Florida (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Florida?tid=informline) and New York (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/New+York+Yankees?tid=informline) who streamed to the rural town of Hillsville (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Hillsville?tid=informline) near the North Carolina (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/North+Carolina?tid=informline) border. Families began calling to ask when they could adopt the dogs. Donations rolled in; PetSmart (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/PETsMART+Inc.?tid=informline) sent a trailer full of kibble and other supplies.



[ read the rest of the article at the link above -- kudos to The Washington Post for putting this on PAGE ONE!!!! ]

Oddly enough, much of the anti backyard breeding legislation actually ends up leading to mass produced mills like this one, where nobody can properly take care of large amounts of animals, unless they treat them like cattle--which is no way to raise a domesticated house pet.

And of course Joe and Jane Consumer who believe a $350 purebred off the internet is no different than a $600+ purebred from a reputable, knowledgeable, caring breeder, who usually will not sell off the internet alone. Then they (joe and Jane) have the nerve to say purebreds are "unhealthy", and "overbred", after they never bothered to take the time to understand what is involved in producing a healthy dog to begin with.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY DOGS, CATS, OR ANY OTHER ANIMALS OFF THE INTERNET ALONE. Internet is great for leads, but you MUST see these animals in person and do thorough research on the breeder and their animals prior to buying. Telltale sign of an overextended breeder is numerous breeds of dogs being bred. Good breeders RARELY raise more than two breeds. They should also have a limited number of actively breeding animals--as most breeders get their hands full once breeding stock ages and they still must care for the dog until it passes away, and they are also usually raising a pup or two that they have picked from recent litters as future breeding prospects. Believe me, between young, old, and active stock, they WILL have a full kennel. If they care for their animals properly, that is all they can reasonably handle. They should not be producing more than a litter per year unless they are truly well-established professionals with big demand for their pups. This varies slightly by breed, as toy and small dogs have smaller litters and you may find reputable breeders who have two or even three litters per year. But a breed that produces 4 or more pups for year--I'd stick w/ breeders who do no more than 2 litters per year. If they are producing more, they simply cannot be very discrimanate about how they are placing pups.

I have actively been involved in showing, breeding, and RESCUING purebred dogs for over thirty years. If you care about animals and never want to see these kind of news articles again, PLEASE consider what I write.