I watched the show and thought it was excellent.

I think we're a little jaded since we all know about puppy mills. ('We' meaning us 'crazy' 'dog people' who do stuff with our dogs.) We've seen the footage, we've seen the photos, we've read the websites.

Bear in mind that most folks in this country, probably like 80%, have NOT seen this footage.

They do NOT have the slightest clue how puppy mills operate.

They think that shelters do nice things but are overrun and thus euthanize a lot of dogs. But it doesn't matter to them because they probably think it's only the ugly old ones that are being euthanized. Right.

And I say that because look at how many people still walk into pet stores and purchase a puppy on an impulse buy. They have NO CLUE. They'll boycott a store for selling sweatshop clothing and just spend that money on a puppy mill dog. Think about how few people actually consider looking up their breed of choice on PetFinder in the 'purchase process' for a dog. Want a cockapoo? $10 says you can find one in a shelter within 25 miles of your house. No need to drop $2500 on a puppy mill dog -- but people don't *know that*.

And I think this show might've clued in a whole lot of people/

On another note: it's television, guys, did you think they were going to put maggot infested half-dead bitches up to their eyeballs in feces on TV? As vulgar as puppy mills are, the show has to stay a little clean, and if they showed footage that awful, people would change the channel -- bang, one less person you can educate with the information in the rest of the show.

I thought a lot of people jumped the gun, including that Mr. Yates guy -- I had that e-mail forwarded to me as well.

Sometimes I think the dog community can be its own worst enemy and come across like we want all the "little people" to spay and neuter, and the "little people" shouldn't breed dogs. Some of the things responsible breeders make puppy purchasers do is so out-of-line that it's a miracle anyone buys from them.

I recorded the show and finally brought myself to watch it Saturday. I am not a big talk show fan and to be honest, I bawled my eyes out at what I saw. I have seen worse as well and I bawled then too.

I thought she did okay, although I did not like the "I'm a changed woman" being said over and over. Once was enough, and without saying it she admitted that her dogs probably came from mills.

She did promote spaying and neutering quite a bit as well, and although I do not spay and neuter, I know that there are people out there that probably should due to the fact that they are not as diligent about it as most of us here are. So, I thought that was o.k. as well.

All in all, it was probably an eye opener for some people and if she touched people with it and they refuse to buy from pet shops and such, it is a small step, but I do not think it is ever going to end.

I also liked her promotion of going to shelters first. The part that tore at my heart was the lady who adopted animals with issues and found them homes. I commend ANY person that takes in a pet with health issues and gives them the best possible life that they can.