Oprah’s Update on Puppy Mills
More enlightenment from Oprah… Now just a few weeks into her new season, this Thursday she’ll provide an update on puppy mills. About the episode her website teases, “Our first show was just the tip of the iceberg…why we need you again.”
© The HSUS/Riley
A mom and her pups await rescue at a W. Va. puppy mill.
You likely haven’t forgotten Oprah’s earlier investigation into the mistreatment of dogs at puppy mills. Originally broadcast in April and then aired again in May, the piece has been one of the most talked-about segments Oprah’s ever produced. And it has clearly brought an unprecedented level of awareness to the abuse dogs endure at these mass-breeding facilities.
Thanks to Oprah, millions more now know the truth behind that puppy in the pet store window or the pups advertised online. The pet traders put a sheen of respectability in their marketing materials, but rub that off and you see the miserable world of puppy mills. They treat the animals like a cash crop, and the breeding animals have it the worst—bred nearly every heat cycle and turned into a reproductive machine. The animals live their entire lives in small cages with no opportunity for exercise, no socialization, and no beneficial human care.
For years The HSUS has been working to bring puppy mills from the shadows to the spotlight and to put them out of business. And in the months since Oprah’s exposé we’ve rescued nearly 700 dogs from a Tennessee puppy mill and nearly 1,000 dogs from a West Virginia mill. We’ve also worked with lawmakers to introduce two bills in Pennsylvania and new federal legislation—the latter dubbed Baby’s Bill in honor of Jana Kohl’s inspirational puppy mill survivor Baby—to crack down on puppy mills.
We’re so grateful to Oprah and her staff for devoting such time and effort to stop the scourge of puppy mills in our nation. Please tune in to this new show and let others know about it, and throughout the piece keep an eye out for footage from The HSUS’s puppy mill investigations and rescue operations.
