Home » News » Start Spreading the News...

News

Start Spreading the News

April 27, 2009, 1:38PM MT

By Cheri Moon

Best Friends launches Puppies Aren’t Products campaign in New York

Best Friends launches Puppies Aren’t Products campaign in New York

By Sandy Miller, Best Friends staff

Standing outside a New York City pet store last weekend, Best Friends' volunteer Cathy Elterlein helped find homes for shelter dogs by educating consumers about puppy mills.

Educating One Person at a Time
One man she talked to said he had no idea the store’s puppies came from puppy mills, or that the puppies’ parents live their lives in small, dirty cages so their offspring can bring profits to the breeders and pet stores that sell them. After Elterlein talked with him, the man decided to go to a local shelter and adopt a dog.

“It makes me feel really good,” said Elterlein, an accountant in New Jersey, about helping to spread the word about puppy mills. “If I can help even one dog have a better life, then it’s worth it.”

Blind in her one remaining eye, Mabel ( pictured above) is a puppy mill survivor who lives with protesters Lynne and Roger.

Taking a Bite out of the Big Apple
Saturday April 25, 2009 marked the launch of Best Friends’ Puppies Aren’t Products campaign in New York City. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about the connection between puppy mills and pet stores, and to stop the sale of puppies from irresponsible breeders.

Previous pet store protests have been held in Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The campaign has helped pet stores move to a humane business model by offering rescued dogs for adoption, rather than selling puppy mill dogs. The plan is to take the campaign to more cities across the nation.

American Kennels Pet Store Sells Puppy Mill Dogs
Elterlein was just one of many Best Friends volunteers who helped spread the word about puppy mills in a peaceful protest outside the American Kennels pet store on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, on Saturday and Sunday.

Best Friends thoroughly researches protest sites beforehand to make sure the pet stores are indeed selling puppies from puppy mills. “We’re reaching a lot of people out here,” said Best Friends Campaign Specialist Kelli Ohrtman on Saturday. “We’ve already given out hundreds of flyers. A lot of people are giving a thumbs up. People are asking questions, and we’re sending people to shelters to adopt.”

Ohrtman was pleased by this weekend’s unveiling of Puppies Aren’t Products in New York City.

“It turned out really well,” she said. “It’s definitely the beginning of another local program.”

32 Volunteers Making a Difference for Animals
According to Ohrtman, 32 Best Friends’ members and volunteers showed up over the weekend to protest in front of the store and spread the word about puppy mills.

Yvonne Davila was one of those Best Friends members. “There’s a big smile until I tell them what a puppy mill is,” Davila said of talking to the store’s potential customers. “Then it turns to a frown. Hopefully now, they’ll think about adopting a dog instead of purchasing one from a pet store.”

Davila, who works as a project coordinator for a New York cleaning company, and Elterlein, first volunteered with Best Friends two years ago when the organization stepped in to help Pets Alive, a troubled animal sanctuary in nearby Middletown, New York.

Both women where there in October 2007 when Best Friends brought in 179 dogs it had helped rescue from a puppy mill in Virginia.

“If a friend of mine hadn’t brought me to Pets Alive, I wouldn’t know about puppy mills,” Davila said.

Best Friends Campaign Manager Nikki Sharp said a lot of people learned about the link between puppy mills and pet stores this weekend.

“It’s important that people who want a pet understand where (those animals) are coming from when they go to a pet store, .”

How you can help:

?Learn how you can start a peaceful protest in your community.

?The Puppy Store Free-NY campaign still needs more volunteers. If you are interested in participating, please become a registered network member to join the protest by following these instructions:

• Go to the Network. You will see "Welcome" and below that, "My membership tools."
• Click on “My Membership Tools.”
• Click on "Volunteer" at the top of the page.
• Select "Search All Opportunities."
• Select "Northeast Region" from the drop down menu in the “Region” box.
• Click “Search.”
• Scroll down the page to the heading "Puppies Aren't Products Campaign Team Member" Select “For more details or to sign up.”

Questions?
• Please email Tammy Heeber: ct-rescue@hotmail.com

For more information:
• To learn more about puppy mills and how you can stop them, go to Puppies Aren’t Products campaign.

• Read a news story about the protest.

• Woof Worx, which opened in February 2009, is dedicated to “selling” only animals from shelters and 501(c)3 rescue organizations. It replaces Pets of Bel Air, which closed in December 2008 when it was heavily protested after the store was exposed for selling dogs it received from puppy mills.

Photographs copyright Jayne M. Silberman
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff

Comments

Posted April 28, 2009, 8:51PM by mariamal

Hi Lynne
It's Maria (Marisol's Mom). I am so excited to see Mabel on a protest rally! She looks so gorgeous. Marisol and I would love to meet her and you someday. Love you Mabel!

Posted April 28, 2009, 2:7PM by Kelly4cats

Great signs and love the "Puppy Mill Survivor" t-shirt. It really gets the message across.

Posted April 28, 2009, 3:7PM by odat80

Yay! Puppies Are Not Products on the east coast! I will be signing up to find out what I can do here in VA. Mabel, what a thrill to see you sweetheart. You look "mahvahlous"! I'm so glad that you have such a wonderful life now! Your sweet little face says it all about the horrors of puppy mills. God bless you and your owners!

Posted April 28, 2009, 4:50PM by babs1171

I was SOOO excited to see Mabel again! She's working hard for a worthy cause....you go Mabel and let everyone know just how horrible those puppy mills really are. Keep up the great work!

Posted April 28, 2009, 5:3PM by cambridgeratmom

That must be MABEL from upstate NY!! Hi, Mabel! You go, girl!!!!!!

Posted April 28, 2009, 6:16PM by macy

you go!!! New York.. awesome

Posted April 29, 2009, 4:46PM by Rita2828

Last Saturday was my first day of volunteering, i know we made an impact on educating a lot of people about puppy mills. It was such an honor in taking part of such a worthy cause. Mabel it was a pleasure to meet you ,your are a precious little girl!!!
Rita from Brooklyn

Posted April 28, 2009, 9:1AM by southerndogmom

The mill industry will end when it ceases to be profitable and the only way to make that happen is to help people understand it. Most have some vague idea of what they think constitutes a puppy mill but we need to make it personal for them. We need them to be shocked and outraged. We need them to spread the word and help us get to a point where adoption is the only option.

I just love Mabel. If she could talk, the stories she would no doubt tell us all....

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated.

Posted May 01, 2009, 6:24PM by Linzzzz

To Kelly4cats - Pets of Bel Air has not to our knowledge set up shop elsewhere. However, they do have a "sister" store in Northridge and we plan to start protesting that store this month.

Good luck New Yorkers - we hope you have as much success as we've had so far in LA.

Posted May 01, 2009, 8:20PM by smazey

my name is Susan Mazey and I live in the Phoenix Arizona area. I organize puppy mill rallies every Saturday morning. If you live in the Phoenix area and want to get involved in puppy mill rallies, go to www.meetup.com/puppy-mill-protests. and join our group.

Posted April 28, 2009, 10:4PM by AmyinBrooklyn

@njanmlrsq3
Send an email to Tammy Heeber: ct-rescue@hotmail.com

She'll get you all squared away. We'd love more people to take part. Last weekend was an amazing experience. The first protest I had ever been involved with. To get New Yorkers, to stop on the street and talk to us was a huge achievement!

Posted April 27, 2009, 6:31PM by shellyk

great job Nikki and Kelly and everyone that showed support this was an amazing step

Posted May 04, 2009, 11:55PM by abrill

Woo hoo! I'm a part of the Vegas campaign, and it is great! Congratulations & keep spreading the news!

Posted April 27, 2009, 7:8PM by njanmlrsq3

Some of us couldn't make the meeting in NYC. When is the virtual training going to be held for those who wanna be a part of this?

Posted April 27, 2009, 8:27PM by ncstorace

Hooray for Mabel ! If you haven't found it already, she has a blog at:

http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/Detail.aspx?b=1513

Posted April 28, 2009, 3:25PM by lmiller

Hurrah for Mabel, out and doing. It is so great to see her

Posted April 28, 2009, 3:27PM by Kelly4cats

Does anyone know if Pets of Bel Air store set up shop somewhere else? Maybe they are selling dogs online now. I can't believe all the people selling purebreds on the internet. They're advertised as if they are luxury items just like designer handbags. It turns my stomach.

Posted April 28, 2009, 12:40PM by lindablauch

Good job everyone. Mabel, it was so good to see you in this story. When I heard we were going to NY with our campaign, I was wondering if you would be there.

Posted April 28, 2009, 6:58PM by rad123

Mabel, you made the front page!

Posted May 04, 2009, 5:18PM by jmoyer4515

Hi everyone, I live in South Jersey, right over the Walt Whitman Bridge from Phila. I would love to be included if anyone is organizing a rally. I am hoping to do it in my area soon.
Joyce Moyer
jmoyer4515@comcast.net

Posted April 28, 2009, 3:46PM by scratchtopaz

Hey - that Animal Planet expose was incredible. If Mabel could talk, I think she'd ask why puppy mills are legal - even with all the evidence of animal cruelty a person can pretty easily go to another state and just get into the puppy making business. I think she'd ask for the loopholes to be closed. :) Happy Mother's Day Mabel!

Posted May 12, 2009, 8:36PM by debbers

Mabel doesn't even know how famous she is! I really hope that this helps people realize how awful the mills are. I had someone ask me today what a puppy mill is. Got on my soap box! :)

Posted May 04, 2009, 4:17PM by acodonna

Any Best Friends Network volunteers that have contacts with shelters/rescues who would like to help with this campaign by bringing one or two small breed dogs or puppies to our protest --please contact donna.lipari@yahoo.com

Posted April 27, 2009, 3:13PM by CathNJ

Awesome weekend........ Great Job friends!!!

Posted April 27, 2009, 4:7PM by scratchtopaz

Mabel is the Elizabeth Taylor of the pet trade affliction! It's so wonderful that she takes the time to help others. Having bought a dog from a Manhattan pet store in 1990, these demonstrations are imperative. I know I would have looked into breed rescue had I known that an alternative existed.

Posted April 27, 2009, 7:9PM by njanmlrsq3

Forgot to mention.... good job to those at the first protest.

Posted April 27, 2009, 3:42PM by just_tracy

This is fantastic news! Thanks for sharing and for spreading the word "Puppies Aren't Products"!!!

P.S. YAY Mabel!!!! She looks SO good!!!!

Posted April 27, 2009, 4:35PM by cattees

PAWSOME job everyone! Mabel's a star once again! You go girl!