I think what is sad is this breeders make money (and alot of it) off these poor babies - and yet the rescuers have to come in and save the ones that are no longer useful. It just breaks my heart.

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What a great week for the Puppies arent products campaign. Kelly you rock!!

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Yes, and the rescues who picked up these poor souls spend a tremendous amount of money on medical services that they were denied -while pumping out puppies to line their pockets. Our rescue just took in three from MO a month ago that have so far cost $2,400. And they are not done with their heartworm treatment, spays and mast cell removals. No regrets - will do it all over again! This is what rescue is all about.

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Where will the cocker spaniel/poodle crosses be sent in NY and NJ? How do I find out how to adopt one?

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A friend and I drove to Columbus last night to meet the 150 dogs traveling on the Pup my Ride custom transport truck. We helped feed, water, clean, exercise, etc. the dogs at the halfway point stop. There were lots of volunteers to assist and the work was done very quickly. It's so wonderful that all these pups have been rescued and will spend the rest of their lives in luxury - hopefully it will somehow make up for the previous years they spent in such horrible neglect.

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What a horrible, shameful thing to be happening in my home state. The love of money is indeed the root of all evil. Joanne V.

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Scraps!! What a horrible way to describe an animal that you've bred to exhaustion and then can't find any use for. You venal, horrible puppy mill people. I just hope all these PM rescues starts to put those cowards on notice that they're next in line. Stop the pain! And to the fools who buy them, get educated and stop buying from these mills and on-line. Stop thinking "cute" and starting thinking. Think about how to stop the pain.

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I am so happy for the puppies that were rescued from a most horrible existence. Thank you, Best Friends and volunteers! Good job!

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How sad, so glad to hear of more pups getting out of puppy mills. It just breaks my heart, and I must say ashamed of the people in my home state that do this to one of gods creatures.

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Hi! I live in Brazil and some English expression are not so familiar to me. Please, what is a "puppy mill"? and what is the "link between puppy mill and pet stoes"? I think these expressions are not good for people who love dogs and animals like me and my family! Worst of all, maybe we have these problems here in Brazil and we are not aware of it! Thanks

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Thank you. When are puppy mills going to be illegal? Can't stand to keep reading that this is still going on and people are still buying.How do we close them down and the pet selling stores too. I try to pass the word to veryone but there is still so much ignorance out there. Too sad. Thanks everyone involved and thanks Cathy again for being involved.

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A woman with a thousand dogs! and only 47 are freed! I've said it before and I'll say it again, these places will only fill the empty spaces with more dogs and perpetuate the problem. It doesn't help to pull dogs from an active breeder. They need to be shut down completely. Complain to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The director of the Animal Care and Facilities Act Program's is Matt Rold. If they get an earful from enough people maybe something will eventually be done to close these places down. See the link for "Operation Bark Alert: on their web page. Complaints can be turned in at: http://mda.mo.gov/animals/ACFA/

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While I applaud your efforts to rescue puppy mill dogs, I would like to see Best Friends undertake a strong movement to get laws passed to solve the underlying problem. I am new to Best Friends; perhaps you already do this.

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GINANY.... i believe that the cockapoos are in Ledgewood NJ at Noah's Ark. (they are the CUTEST things EVER!!!!!!!!)

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People should feel sad, but they should feel anger and get the State of MO to shut this torture chamber down. Unfortunately, feeling sad does nothing to help the others who are doomed to a life of cruelty. There are already laws on the books, but very few are enforced. People need to complain that they will not tolerate these places being opened any longer.

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I agree with patvanill, the State of Missouri should do something, or is it the State of Misery? Thanks again to a terrific team of rescue groups and volunteers who worked with Best Friends. I'm happy for the dogs who are being saved but sad for the ones still in the hands of ignorant breeders and brokers. The public is learning more each time a story like this is written. Wonderful video, by the way.

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To Paulomazzei, puppy mills are breeders who continually breed dogs in horrid conditions with little or no concern with veterinary check ups, they live in squalor, cramped cages so small they can't even turn around. They don't even have any protection in their cages from the wire flooring. They have no human contact whatsoever and are expected to turn out litter after litter after litter. When they are no longer needed or desired they are usually put down. Many have very serious health issues like blindness, severe matting, hernias, seizures, etc, etc. Puppy mills breed these litters that end up in pet stores. If we can get people to stop buying their animals on the internet, and especially from pet stores we can get these puppy mills shut down for good. A trend we're trying hard to get going here in the US is to have pet stores feature rescues and shelter animals rather than those obtained from puppy mills. I hope I was able to better explain what a puppy mill is and why they are so horrible and must be shut down now.

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I have sent an email to Mr. Matt Rold at the MO Dept of Ag. Eveyone should do this if they want to change these animals' lives. As in another email the address is mda.mo.gov/animals/ACFA/.

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patvanil, thank you for that email address. I have just sent an email to Matt Rold as well. If we can inundate them with emails, letters and phone calls they can't ignore us. For the love of animals everywhere, we need to put an end to the puppy mills once and for all.

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It is so sad that these breeders do not see what value an animal can bring to your life. The woman (Sharon Roberts) that had the puppy mill in Parkersburg WV, just last year, never faced charges because she agreed to surrender all her dogs and promised to never run another puppy mill, has been caught doing it again. The first time that all the dogs were rescued she had 1,000 dogs, this time she was caught at her house in Ohio, with 75 dogs in cages in the summer heat, in a single car garage. People complained about the noise and smell that was coming from her home, and by the time that the authorities got there, there were 23 dogs missing. She is facing 51 counts of not registering a dog, but all that they can do if they find her guilty, is fine her no more than $100 per count. Not much punishment for a woman who they found had over $200,000 cash in her freezer. If something isn't done to stop this, people will continue to use these poor helpless animals as an easy income!!!!

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Zebras DON'T change their stripes and puppy mill scum DON'T change either.............giving them the benefit of the doubt and a simple slap on the wrist DOES NOT stop these ******** from setting up shop once they've been caught. That $200,000 could go along way to deserving shelters and rescues to assist with TNR and spay/neuter programs. You get busted, you forfeit all that money to a deserving cause.

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Why can't the names of the breeders be posted SOMEWHERE and the towns they live in. I live in Kansas City and did aussie rescue for 3 years, but due to health problems had to give it up. I have 4 aussies. My first aussie, when I was to stupid to know better, did come from a breeder and I know for a fact now that she and her mother and sister run a puppy mill. I want to know who these breeders are. I live on the Kansas side and our state isn't a lot better from what I hear, but Missouri is definitely the worst. It sickens me to no end. I will definitely give what I have to help Best Friends save the victims of this horrible CRIME. Not that I dont love all breeds but I'd save every aussie out there if I could. DOGS ARE NOT PRODUCTS!!!! Why can't these people get real jobs like the rest of us do?

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We are fortunate that one large chain of Pet Stores in Oregon, Scamps, shut all their doors recently. Our legistation put forth a House Bill OR 2470 which states amongst other limitations, A person may not possess, control or otherwise have charge of at the same time more than 50 sexually intact dogs that are two years of age or older for the primary purpose of reproduction. It is prima facie evidence that a person possesses dogs for the primary purpose of reproduction if during a 12-month period the person sells, offers for sale, barters or exchanges more than three litters of dogs that are less than eight months of age. (you can read the entire bill online) This isn't going to be a cure all and certainly as evidenced by a recent raid of over 400 dogs, it won't stop them all but at least it's a start of awarness in Oregon. I have been a part of Oregon Dog Rescue since it's inception 2 years ago and we have placed nearly 500 dogs in that period. Our waiting list is always way too long. Anyone that feels horror at these stories should run to their nearest rescue group and volunteer in any way they can. Foster homes are usually our bigggest challenge. Barbara, Oregon Dog Rescue Volunteer

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I know Best Friends is a wonderful organization and I have contributed to them for years, but I am wondering if anybody ever gets a reply to any emails sent to Best Friends. I have emailed them on more than one occasion about a HUGE puppy mill operation in Kentucky and a friend has also contacted them hoping we could get this puppy mill shut down. Local authorities here don't give a darn about animals here. At this particular mill, there are at least 9 different smaller breeds popping out puppies as fast as they can get pregnant again. Horrible conditions and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. My friend and I sure can't close it down by ourselves! Wish we could. It would have been shut down several years ago. Just wondering if BF ever responds to emails. I know they are busy, but....

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This comment is meant for everyone who reads it. The only way the puppy mill situation is going to end is when the demand ends. I am a Best Friends Team Leader in Orange County, Ca and we have been table protesting at the mall since March. It is amazing that once you prove to people that the puppies in the store come from mills, 90% or more stop shopping. We prove this by the video created by a private investigator that BF hires. It is very effective. If you want this to end, PLEASE start a protest at a mall nearest you where puppy mill puppies are being sold. It is EXTREMELY effective. If everyone who reads this does that, the campaign grow quickly and puppy mills will be a thing of the past even faster. Go to www.puppiesarentproducts.com where there is a section that gives you all the information you need to start your own protest or contact BF to see if you can start a protest in your area under the BF name. You will see how effective it it. It really works! Come on, you can do it!

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THese puppies break my heart but what about all of those left behind? It seems like the puppy mill owners call in rescue societies to clean up behind them but what can we do to shut them down???

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I am glad none of those people want these pups anymore. I think if people like those don't want the pups, they will have a good and comfortable life with people who care, and not with people who think they are products.

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Please give my deepest love to Beauty who is truly beautiful

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I just now signed up to this campaign. I live in Monroe, NJ and would like to volunteer my time in some way to help spread the word about how to shut down these "puppy mills". I also am wondering if the animals in the store at the Freehold Mall in NJ have come from puppy mills?

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I want to help transport the dogs. Do I need to be part of a rescue group or can I volunteer individually?

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Beauty will be joining us in Cleveland, OH tomorrow. One of the casualties of having your husband on the Rapid Response team!! He is so in love with his little lady. She will join 2 other BF dogs, one local rescue dog, and 6 cats. I hope she likes company!! Beatrice is here in Ohio as well as luck would have it. All of the precious puppy mill babies will have the best lives ever now that they are in the loving hands of those who care. Thanks Best Friends for making this happen.

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We first met Uncle Sam (the Boxer) in October when we volunteered at Dog Town. He is so sweet and just plain goofy :-) When we found his profile on the website we just had to...so we adopted him! We brought him home to Arizona on 11/7th. Our two kids and 8 yearlold Black Lab, Neo, celebrated Uncle Sam's 2 year birthday on 11/10th!! He is such a great addition to our family and after a week at home...it's almost like he's always been here. Uncle Sam is catching up on much needed sleep and enjoying the peace and quiet of his new surrounding. New family, new home, new life...thanks Best Friends (and all the rescuers)for giving him this chance.

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