Quote: janet koehler

One comment that did kind of stick in my craw was when they seemed surprised the Amish considered themselves the owners/masters(I can't remember the word they used) of dogs, a concept I tend to agree with.

They used the word "dominate".

I saw it and, frankly, no matter how bad or poorly done someone might think it was (Michelle), it got thousands/millions focused on the plight of these poor animals. That makes it priceless in my opinion.

I do agree with one of the other posters that it was not as graphic as I expected and that was probably due to a concern for the viewers and overloading them perhaps.

Anyway, kudos to Oprah for stepping up!!!!!

 Quote: janet koehler

One comment that did kind of stick in my craw was when they seemed surprised the Amish considered themselves the owners/masters(I can't remember the word they used) of dogs, a concept I tend to agree with. Edit to add, although I certainly don't agree with the way these puppy mills treated their dogs.

I think they were more surprised the Amish would mistreat
animals, because most of us with no exposure to that culture have come to see the Amish as a very peaceful and loving community. If I recall correctly, the term they used to describe the Amish beliefs with regards to animals was "dominate".

Oprah and Lisa Ling did a very good thing with this expose. I hope people will remember it the next time they want a puppy.

Thanks Susan, in the Bible God gave man dominion over the land and animals on it, so that would be where that came from.

God did not,however give license for the practice of cruelity. Dominion has given man the responsibility for the care of the animals not to treat them as a cash crop.





The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs.12:10

Absolutely.

 Quote: Shody Lytle

I hope that this changes the opinions of people out there about petshops, and more people will get thier dogs spayed and neutered. We can only hope...

Here is the link to the AKC's official response to the Oprah show:

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/press_center/OpenLetterToOprahWinfrey.pdf

I have a lot more respect for the AKC in reading this link.

For Oprah`s show I think it was adequate but not ground breaking by any means. It is a rehash of same old same old. Sure it is good reminder of what is out there. But in the same breath there was so many missed oppurtunuties that could`ve made a real good investigative report. It`s IMHO still all about the `bad news` there was no real counterpoint. Say interview the AKC people to see what `real` breeders that have to have AKC certification require to have said certification. Go to some reputable breeders see what they do... but no it was into the worst puppy hell holes and the focus is all there. There was no balance.

I don`t know about everybody else but I do get a little miffed by the constant preaching about spaying and neutering, becuase of the always used reason that cutting off your dog`s gonads prevents cancer. I understand that yes they are trying to reduce overflow into shelters. But .. once again there is no balance to all the other health benefits of NOT neutering as well. Fear mongering at a world audience level.

I am glad that they did the show but I wish again that it had more balance. Hopefully it will prevent a few puppies being bought at petstores, but knowing the mindset of the people who would tend to support that type of sale .. Good luck with that.

That is where the focus should`ve been ... legislate away the right to retail unregistered dogs in stores. Bingo you take away the need for a puppy mill. I know wishful thinking, just thinking out loud.

Have a good weekend everybody.

Especially because of the increased incidence of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in dogs altered before they have reached maturity.

Beyond that, I think the show was geared towards the type of person likely to purchase a puppy from a pet store, and from that perspective, I think it was very good.

As far as the AKC goes, they WERE contacted and their entire input was the letter that was read on air. You have to remember the AKC is really nothing more than a registration organization. If they had the slightest interest in closing down puppy mills they would do some thing about it themselves, but they don't because their interest is in the money they make from registering all those puppy mill puppies.

Finally, the way to end puppy mills is to remove the demand. The way to remove the demand is to educate the public.

The spay/neuter constant rant was my biggest objection to the program but I'll agree with Susan that it was geared toward clueless JQ Public.
People need to do more research on the early spay/neuter. That can create as many problems as not doing it at all. Wait till the dog matures if it "needs" to be done. It's about being responsible. That doesn't have to mean "snipin em" is necessary to be a responsible owner. JMHO!

I agree with Bob. I would never netuer/spay my dog again, unless it was absolutely necessary for a health reason. I was pushed into spaying my dog when she was 6 mos to get her rabies tag.

With that said though,I didn't see the show, but I don't think pushing neuter/spay is a bad thing for the "general public". Us working/conformation dog people know how to be more responsible and can keep an intact dog safely, but for the general public, it's better to be safe than sorry. IMO

 Quote:

Say interview the AKC people to see what `real` breeders that have to have AKC certification require to have said certification. Go to some reputable breeders see what they do... but no it was into the worst puppy hell holes and the focus is all there.

 Quote:

That is where the focus should`ve been ... legislate away the right to retail unregistered dogs in stores. Bingo you take away the need for a puppy mill. I know wishful thinking, just thinking out loud.

Umm, remember that the AKC proposed allowing owners to register their just purchased pups at pet stores not too long ago. All AKC registration means is way to see the ancestors of your dog. And they make plenty of money each year off puppy mill puppy registrations. You can also look through the classifieds in most any paper and see loads of AKC registered BYB puppies for sale as well.

If the Oprah show opened the eyes of some more of the public to where exactly their dog comes from, then it is good thing. We all agree that only bad things arise from puppy mills. People can always be re-educated as to the rest