Here’s the newest version of Best Friends Animal Society’s “Don’t Buy Puppies” PSA.
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on February 12, 2009
Sundance 2009
To help kick off our 25th anniversary year, Best Friends staff members from adoptions, animal care and marketing made the six-hour drive north from our sanctuary to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Our purpose was to spread the word about the work were doing to create a time of No More Homeless Pets and engage some star power in our cause.
We settled in at the Pet Pad in the House of Hype, a hospitality suite that caters to celebrities, and got to work. As the celebs made their way through the suite, we spoke to them about Best Friends, snapped photos and captured video of them encouraging people to adopt pets instead of buy them.
To learn more about Best Friends trip to Sundance 2009 visit: http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&fps=1&mode=entry&entry=FA26402E-19B9-B9D5-9DD49075408DCDA4
Photography and production of Best Friends Shines at Sundance 2009 by Clay Myers Best Friends Network Photographer/Videographer http://network.bestfriends.org/
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on January 23, 2009
Surplus Dogs
There’s a surplus of dogs in America partly due to over breeding in commercial puppy mills. Puppy mills mass breed their dogs to provide pet stores with a constant supply of fresh puppies. This business practice often yields more puppies than the stores can sell, leading to a surplus of dogs.
National Mill Dog Rescue has rescued and found homes for the over 1,300 of these unwanted mill dogs since May of 2007.
Jonsey and Milo were two such dogs, thought to be old before their time. At the tender age of 13 weeks (well beyond the preferred puppy store age of 8 weeks old) they were considered outdated. Too old be sold at pet stores. To the breeder, they were surplus. Now, these beautiful boys are in their forever homes.
Please spread the message that dogs are not products. If you or someone you know wants to bring a specific breed of dog into the family, please check your local shelter, where there are many purebreds. Or locate a breed rescue group and offer a new life to a dog in need.
To learn more about their work: http://www.milldogrescue.org/
Photography and production of Surplus Dogs by Clay Myers Best Friends Network Staff Photographer
Narrated by Cathie Myers Best Friends Conference Coordinator http://network.bestfriends.org/
You can also see this show and other puppy mill videos on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/bfnetmedia
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on December 31, 2008
Home on the Prairie
National Mill Dog Rescue, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, exists for two sole purposes: to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home retired mill dogs and to educate the general public about the realities of the commercial dog breeding industry.
This remarkable organization recently moved into a state of the art kennel facility in Peyton Colorado. Renting this building has dramatically increased their ability to help puppy mill dogs. One improvement has been being able to accommodate a larger number volunteers.
It’s inspiring to see how a dedicated group of people can work together to do everything it takes help these dogs on their journey to a new life.
Unfortunately, the facility is currently for sale and the group is in danger of having to locate a comparable place if it is sold. Not an easy task. National Mill Dog Rescue would like to purchase this facility so they can continue their lifesaving work for years to come. They are gratefully accepting donations from people that believe in their mission and want to help rescued puppy mill dogs.
For more information visit www.milldogrescue.org
Thank you for caring about mill dogs.
Production and photography of Home on the Prairie
by Clay Myers, Best Friends Network Photographer
http://network.bestfriends.org/
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on December 12, 2008
Don’t Buy Puppies Holiday PSA
Scratch ‘buy puppy’ off your holiday shopping list
Best Friends viral PSA campaign urges public to ‘adopt, not shop’ this holiday season for family dog
While the usual chipper holiday songs play in the background, purebred little dogs with scanner stickers on their foreheads move down a store’s conveyor belt along with other “items” being purchased in a store.
This tongue-in-cheek PSA is the latest volley fired in Best Friends Animal Society’s “Puppies Aren’t Products” www.dontbuypuppies.com campaign to end the exploitation of purebred dogs by the pet store business which is in turn fueled by consumer demand for trendy dogs.
“We are using the tools of social networking so people across the country can help share this video with their friends and families. We want to remind everyone that fabulous dogs and puppies are in shelters and rescue groups ready to go home today for a modest adoption fee…and that about 25 percent of those dogs are purebred for those who are absolutely determined to have a particular breed,” said Julie Castle, director of Best Friends Community Programs.
The “Don’t Buy Puppies” Holiday PSA can be downloaded/shared from:
Best Friends MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=89275949
Best Friends Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Best-Friends-Animal-Society/25372476424
Pupcast: http://pupcast.org/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2PrtDmrLRU
Contact for more information:
Barbara Williamson
(435) 644-2001, ext. 4408, (435) 689-0200 (cell) or barbara@bestfriends.org
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on December 9, 2008
Lily: A Hero For Mill Dogs
Lily is the founder of National Mill Dog Rescue a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. NMDR exists for two sole purposes, to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home retired mill dogs and to educate the general public about the realities of the commercial dog breeding industry.
Lily had 35 AKC Champion dogs in her pedigree. She was born and sold at a commercial breeding facility in Missouri, where she lived in a tiny cage and was bred to the max, for her entire life.
It didn’t matter to her breeder that she was languishing in her kennel, and that her life of neglect led to emotional and physical defects, like her rotting jaw. No one had to see her, and as long as Lily kept producing nice-looking offspring, she was still of value in the eyes of her breeder.
Her offspring were sold at auctions, to fellow breeders, or to brokers who sold them to pet stores, all carrying the AKC’s seal of approval. You see, like the breeder, who sees value in a dog by how much money they can generate for them, the AKC, sees value in a breeder by how many litters they can produce.
The condition of her mouth eventually lead to cancer and Lily died in May 2008. Lilys story is one on sorrow, salvation and inspiration. And even though she is no longer with us, Lily continues to be the driving force of National Mill Dog Rescue. As of December 2008 this dedicated group of volunteers have rescued over 1,150 mill dogs in her name.
Please visit their website and learn more about their life saving work:
http://www.milldogrescue.org/
Production and photography of Lily: A Hero for Mill Dogs
by Clay Myers, Best Friends Network Photographer
http://network.bestfriends.org/
Posted under National Mill Dog Rescue, Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on December 5, 2008
Francis Battista of Best Friends Animal Society
Francis Battista of Best Friends Animal Society explains how to get involved with Best Friend’s movement to stop the sale of puppy mill puppies across the United States. Please visit www.PuppyStoreFreeLA.com and also please JUST SAY NO TO PUPPY MILLS.
Posted under Puppy Mills
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on November 10, 2008
The truth behind licensed breeders.
An inside look at where pet store puppies come from: USDA-licensed kennels.
Posted under USDA licensed breeders
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on November 10, 2008
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Like the movies “101 Dalmatians” and “Beethoven” before it, the release of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has animal welfare organizations concerned that Chihuahuas will be the next victims of our trend-crazed and impulse-purchase culture—even more than they already are.
Since word of the movie first began to leak out, those in the animal welfare community have been wondering what they can do to slow the rush of Chihuahua-buying surely to follow the movie. So were we at Best Friends.
After careful consideration and a little background research by our A Puppy Store Free LA staff, we discovered that the movie does have a rescue angle. That’s good news! It turns out that the movie’s main Chihuahua character, Papi, was rescued. (click here to read his story)
But still—some people will probably want a Chihuahua after seeing the movie, and we hope they don’t head to the classified ads in their local paper, to the Internet (unless they’re going to Petfinder) or to a pet store. To read Best Friends’ press release and position on the movie, click here.
Shelters around the country are already bursting with Chihuahuas, particularly in Los Angeles, the very place where the movie takes place. So we put our heads together and came up with ways that we can all spread the word that if you’re in the market for a Chihuahua, adopting one is the way to go.
Posted under Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on October 3, 2008
Puppy Mill Awareness Day 2008
800 Awareness Day attendees say “We won’t give up.”The message was clear at Intercourse Community park in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania yesterday: dog lovers will not give up until puppy mills are a thing of the past. The jam-packed, fifth annual Puppy Mill Awareness Day was busy beginning Friday evening, where advocates mingled at a “meet and greet.” Representatives from many active anti-puppy mill organizations met and talked, which set the stage for the following day; The Big Day.
Forty rescue groups and organizations attended this year’s PMAD, plus hundreds of individuals there to learn more about puppy mills and what they can do to help stop them. Tourists enjoying the Amish goods in quaint Lancaster County that day got quite a surprise when hundreds of people (and dogs) marched through Intercourse with their signs and t-shirts, repeating “no more puppy mills!” There was a clear consensus among advocates—tourists needed to know that the Amish people in the area are known for producing more than beautiful quilts and furniture: they “grow” puppies too.
Posted under Puppy Mill Awareness Day
This post was written by Best Friends Animal Society on September 25, 2008
