Arggghhhhhh
but the subject line said... "How Can I Donate?"
I clicked on Delete All instead of This I Not Spam... ARGH....
UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH
If that was your email PLEASE email me again.
An Indie Filmmakers Journey
Dec. 17, 2007 —
Americans were outraged earlier this year when imported pet food made
hundreds of pets sick. But what if you found out that thousands of puppies
are imported from Eastern Europe, South America and Mexico, and
they're already sick when they get here?
Man's best friend is also big business. Cameras caught a dognapper
in Southern California stealing 22 puppies from a pet store. He did it
because the dogs were worth about $30,000.
The Humane Society of the United States helped rescue close to
900 dogs from a Virginia puppy mill. The breeder was unlicensed
and agreed to surrender them, losing about half a million dollars in revenue.
Some people look into a puppy's big brown eyes and see green,
and now some in foreign countries want a piece of the action.
"We're seeing tens of thousands of these animals coming in,
produced on puppy mills in foreign countries, sold in the
United States often through Internet sites & and we're seeing
them treated like things and commodities," said Wayne Pacelle,
president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.
When alerted of a shipment, the Department of Agriculture
inspects the conditions of puppies arriving at U.S. ports.
The department took pictures of inhumane conditions,
including a carrier meant for one dog with a makeshift
shelf to hold multiple puppies and plastic bags around
dog crates that ended up suffocating the animals.
Chad Mullins bought a bulldog pup named Otis as a
surprise engagement gift for his girlfriend, Lisa Lekowski.
But the surprise turned to shock when Otis started
developing health problems he had worms and trouble
breathing. As time wore on, Otis developed pneumonia and heart problems.
Mullins and Lekowski now believe Otis was imported.
"We had an appointment with the cardiologist, which he never
made it to, because he passed away," Lekowski said.
Otis lived for eight months after the engagement surprise
and died on Mullins' birthday.
"I feel awful about what he went through," Mullins said.
"You don't know how much you love something till it's
gone and that's how I felt when Otis passed away."
The Internet is full of sites that claim to be selling lovingly
raised local puppies, but actually deal in imports from
Eastern Europe, Russia, Asia and Central America.
Mattie Rodriguez bought Lola online. She says her
puppy was sick the moment she brought her home.
She says she later found out Lola was a Russian import.
"She has a million problems, and my vet says,
'You got a lemon,' but you know what,
I really love my lemon," Rodriguez said.
But she now warns other dog lovers about buying puppies online.
"Be very, very careful and do a lot of homework,"
Rodriguez said. "Don't be in a rush, don't fall in love
with the puppy because they're really cute and all cuddly.
If you want to get a good, healthy full-bred puppy, you
should wait and really do your homework on that breeder."
More than the dog's health is at risk, in some cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say
some importers are selling puppies before they're old
enough for a rabies vaccination. In March, a dog from
India flew through Seattle on its way to Alaska before
it was diagnosed with rabies.
"So if you're bringing in unvaccinated puppies,
there's a chance that a puppy is going to come
through that is incubating rabies, which is lethal for people,"
said Nina Marano, an animal importation expert with the CDC.
The CDC is currently proposing stricter regulations for dog imports.
"We want the puppies to have been vaccinated before
they come to the United States," Marano said.
Older, female breeding dogs can be imported as well,
and may end up at animal auctions.
Exclusive video from the Humane Society of the
United States' undercover investigation shows
auctions where breeding dogs are bought and sold.
The auctions are perfectly legal, but the Humane Society
went undercover to document the conditions of some of
the dogs face cramped cages, cold temperatures,
no food or water for hours on end.
"It's not about providing companionship and canine
companions to American kids and adults, it's about
making a profit and doing it on the backs of these
poor creatures," Pacelle said.
What can you do?
The Humane Society of the United States says
consider buying a puppy from an animal shelter,
where one of four dogs are purebreds or a purebred rescue group.
If you still want to buy from a breeder, make sure
you meet the breeder and inspect the puppies' home.
If that is just not possible, request references and talk
to others who have purchased dogs from that breeder.
"I am writing this as an anonymous employee for LA COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL. I cannot tell you my name because I am afraid of retaliation. I know about the dog that died at Carson and headquarters has been lying about everything to cover it up because they are worried about the animal rights terrorists.
"I know Dereck, Michelle and Marcia are trying to claim the dog didn't freeze to death and that is true. The dog died in the cold and had not blankets, but it died because it was not getting the medicine it needed for kennel cough. We never treat the dogs for kennel cough and when we are suppose to we don't because there is no time and nobody cares. We have so much work to do everyday and we hardly get any money for it. We try not to tell management when animals are sick because they automatically kill them. There are more animals that die of the shelter more often, but the volunteers and animal rights people don't see them. We just dump the bodies and go on.
"The vets never do anything for the animals and if they do there is no follow up. Headquarter has been saying they will make things better and they never do. The big bosses are never around and nobody comes to see how bad the shelters are. So many staff has seen the press release they are using and we are all shocked and scared that they can be lying so much. They always fib BUT THESE ARE STRAIGHT OUT LIES!!!! The dog that died at Carson was not being treated for any sickness and was a really nice dog. The press release said that the medical staff began a new treatment plan what medical staff are they talking about. We have a vet but no medicine and nobody to give medicine. We always blame things on the rescues when something goes wrong. I heard the rescues we not told about this dog.
"I copied down this part from the press release because it bothers me the most:
"Unfortunately, on December 1, 2007 "Zephyr" died despite all medical efforts. Staff was holding out hopes that "Zephyr" would be removed before this happened. Staff often struggle between euthanizing a debilitated animal that potentially could have a home and holding on to the hopes of adoption.
"NOBODY CARED ABOUT THIS DOG! This is not because we are mean but they are trying to make it sound like people were doing things for this dog to help her but I am telling you we did not. This is all a lie to cover up for what they did because they got caught.
"The other BIG LIE is about the heat in the kennels. THERE IS NONE. IT hasn't worked for months. I know because I am their almost EVERYDAY!!! IT has been broken for a long time. The dogs are always cold and that is why they get sick and also because we don't vaccinate them like we are suppose to. AND THIS LIE MAKES US MAD TOO! "Zephyr" was also provided with a bed, blanket, and access to an indoor kennel space. NO DOGS GET BEDS EVER! They only have blankets now because of the animal rights people. THAT DOG NEVER HAD A BLANKET THE WHOLE TIME SHE WAS HERE!!!!"<<