Animal Instinct

An investigation into designer dogs leads to greater scrutiny of the 'puppy mill' industry.

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  • Posted By: The Puppy Advocate @ 07/13/2009 12:46:46 AM

    This Bill Smith Guy is riding the backs of puppies and dogs and making millions as he does it. No where in the United States will you find anyone making as much money as this guy.

    Before you go off and pat him on the head, start looking for the money trail... It;'s not about the dogs with this guy it;'s about the money

    • Posted By: GSupp @ 07/26/2009 12:48:13 PM

      I know for a fact that Bill Smith is not in this for the money. We adopted two dogs from his shelter, and there is no mandatory adoption fee like many other shelters. You may make a donation (or not) at any amount that you choose to.

    • Posted By: SamD @ 07/15/2009 10:56:40 AM

      You own a puppy mill right???????????

    • Posted By: ForTheSakeOfAnimals @ 07/13/2009 3:18:15 PM

      • Posted By: Dolphin1939 @ 07/15/2009 9:02:09 AM

        Bill Smith is to be commended for his work in getting rid of puppy mills. More power to him and all those who are trying as well.

    • Posted By: ForTheSakeOfAnimals @ 07/13/2009 3:17:00 PM

      Okay, well I live in PA and have personally spoken with this man and I can tell you right now you are a liar. If you think your not then share the proof about this money trail you claim he has since his rescue pays for the billboards along our turnpike near Lancaster County, PA where the dirty, greedy Amish and Mennonite have a large number of very large kennels. You are an Advocate? Surely you understand 501 C 3 status then and how donations go to the rescue and not to a person and how they file taxes just like any other business in America and have to show proof of donations and offset of receipts. Crazy people make crazy accusations about other people. Makes you wonder what there motive for doing so may be. Instead of being an advocate maybe your a breeder who would be effected by puppy mills being exposed and closed?

  • Posted By: totomom @ 07/21/2009 9:35:02 PM

    Thank you for your efforts to help stop the abuse of our pets. I raised my children with pets to help them have empathy and love for beings that depended solely on them. When adults abuse animals, they deserve to suffer the consequences! Deb in NM

  • Posted By: petuniabug @ 07/15/2009 7:53:54 AM

    I wish as much effort went into protecting children as it does into protecting animals.

    • Posted By: auntbeadog @ 07/19/2009 3:16:30 AM

      I could agree with you. What are YOUR efforts in preventing child abuse? To only criticize others' actions and not lead by example is pretty sad.

    • Posted By: SamD @ 07/15/2009 11:04:35 AM

      Actually petunia, much more effort goes into 'protecting' children. DCF is practically a sovereign agency and they can take your child away and not tell you where he/she is until you are proven INNOCENT. By that time your relationship with your child is screwed up. So petunia maybe you should look into making those things right and be concerned with KID mills as you find them. I'll stick with puppies.

    • Posted By: SamD @ 07/15/2009 10:54:48 AM

      Actually petunia, much more effort goes into 'protecting' children. DCF is pretty much a sovereign agency and they will take your child until you are proven INNOCENT. This article is about PUPPY mills, not KID mills.

    • Posted By: tovef @ 07/15/2009 9:51:34 AM

      Oh, be quiet.

      The amount of legislation that has gone into protecting children is incredible, and has so hamstrung parents, teachers and other authority figures that it is now impossible to discipline a child in any way but by ineffective nonsense like "time out". There is a generation of incredible spoiled brats coming of age - kids that have never done anything but what they want, who have been catered to and propitiated to the point where they think they are the center of the universe. God forbid a parent or teacher tries to cross them in any way, because they know that they can immediately call a hotline or inform someone who is bound by law to report suspected child abuse, even when they know it's a load of bunk.

      Whenever an article about animals being abused appears, someone like you comes up with the "what about the chiiildreeen?" routine. It seems that you won't be happy until every child in America has his or her own social worker on the spot 24/7, to make sure that nobody ever does anything that will make them unhappy. What you fail to understand is that people who treat animals abusively often abuse children as well. So long as there are people out there who fail to see the sovereignity of life - any life, including animal life - there will be people who abuse and mistreat anything smaller and helpless, animals and children.

  • Posted By: rschiwal @ 07/15/2009 12:13:15 PM

    Does anyone else get the feeling that there is animal rights agenda in the press?

    • Posted By: txlnghrn @ 07/16/2009 4:46:32 PM

      It's not an animal rights agenda, it's animal welfare. Noone has the "right" to abuse anything, whether it be people or animals. This is a matter of right and wrong and puppy mills are just plain wrong!

    • Posted By: bobbymc @ 07/15/2009 12:26:57 PM

      Do you have a problem with that?

  • Posted By: txlnghrn @ 07/16/2009 4:43:40 PM

    Way to go Mr. Smith. It's people like you who get the truth out there. It's time to stop puppy mills for good. Take a stand America!

  • Posted By: svivar9087 @ 07/16/2009 8:21:23 AM

    Mr. Smith, bless your heart and your drive!

  • Posted By: Strangeworld @ 07/15/2009 5:16:05 AM

    Most of the people associated with these puppy mills are the damned Amish, who look at these dogs as a cash crop. These people would rather breed dogs into retardation to make a buck than go out and work. While hiding behind their religion as a way to garner sympathy, the Amish today have turned out to be little more than hucksters...out to make a fast buck with the least amount of work or ethics. If they could breed and sell their kids as slaves they would most likely do it.

  • Posted By: bookworm in Iowa @ 07/15/2009 1:07:28 PM

    Good for Mr. Smith and Good for Whole Foods to jump right on this. People who buy dogs should be ashamed of themselves. They are perpetuating this horrible industry.

  • Posted By: ACatsMeow @ 07/15/2009 12:40:48 PM

    Fantastic!!!!!! Kudos to Bill Smith and Whole Foods for doing the right thing!

  • Posted By: doodoolemonque @ 07/15/2009 12:22:13 PM

    Both children and animals deserve the protection of law. Protecting one does nothing to diminish the other. And frankly, DSS, or whatever it is called in your area are all too often a child's court of last resort. If you fail to see this, you are either an abuser or living in a dreamworld, Thousands upon thousands of children are beaten, sexually abused, psychologically tortured or used as pawns in disputes between adults each and every day. SamD and others may think that adolescent children are capable of protecting themselves from tyrannical parental figures, but they are proved wrong daily. This is not merely the so-called "dysfunctional" family unit, which is something beyond government regulation. This is real, physical abuse causing real, physical harm to thousands of children in America daily. Why anyone feels this is beyond the scope of our government's role to address is most disturbing.

  • Posted By: Diamondgrrl @ 07/15/2009 12:13:46 PM

    Excellent work, Mr. Smith. No living creature should have to live like that.

  • Posted By: BuffyAndEliot @ 07/15/2009 12:06:15 PM

    Money talks. Set the right financial incentive, almost anything can happen...good or bad. Consumer has the last word...so support what you believe in and vote with your dollars.

  • Posted By: Manny010 @ 07/15/2009 11:13:23 AM

    I'm glad that there is someone out there that has passion for his job. Bill Smith, kudo's to you for your diligents. I don't think writing a letter is all that Horizon should be doing.For the sake of it's consumers, it would be prudent for them to inspect each and every supplier of their raw product. FDA is useless - it's federal government. What do they do, come out once every 3 years to inspect. Not enough man-power. Too much federal money getting raked off the top, leaving too little to do the job properly. In NYC, it's not the department of health or FDA that is worrisome to food suppliers. It's the inspection from their client-base. Tough and thorough - something the government doesn't do. Should Horizon set the example by periodically inspecting what's going on where the milk is collected, it would be beneficial for consumers also. And if they find any abusive conditions either to animals or humans that might effect our food chain (don't forget China with it's antifreeze in baby formula) so much better for quality of life for all. And, if one of the members noted, Bill Smith profits off finding and saving these puppies, then good for him. The same incentive that sets up the mills is also there to tear them down. There is balance in the world whether we like it or not.

  • Posted By: Whokebe @ 07/15/2009 9:53:41 AM

    Thank you to Mr. Bill Smith, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Whole Foods, and the author of this article, Suzanne Smialley, for taking positive action to stop this kind of pointless abuse and put puppy mills out of commission. This article also points out that if you want to influence behavior, hit these puppy mill operators where it hurts (their wallets).

  • Posted By: windstorm5 @ 07/15/2009 9:20:14 AM

    Thank you Mr,.Smith....for your efforts in helping these poor abused dogs that are victims of these unscrupulous money hungry greeders. You deserve a comendation for your help in bringing these evil people down.
    I most surely would not want my dollars spent to fill their coffers.I would have had no idea that there was a connection between puppy mills and Whole Foods, or any other food processors that supply retail to the public.
    THANK YOU THANK YOU !!! KEEP UP YOUR GOOD WORK.

  • Posted By: windstorm5 @ 07/15/2009 9:15:49 AM

    Good job, Mr. Smith.....you should be commended for your your interest and defense of these poor helpless animals that are suffering such horrendous existences due to the greed of these unscrupulous evil breeders.. I sure as heck would not want my dollars filling the coffers of such evil people. THANK YOU MR. SMITH, THANK YOU.

  • Posted By: warax1313 @ 07/15/2009 7:12:04 AM

    I live in Florida and have seen first hand the abuse animals have suffered at these mills. I have been involved with animal services since I was 14. It isn't just the Amish who are involved with this. It's people you see in the community everyday. People who sell dogs at fleamarkets and advertise in local papers. There is a large industry for smalll breeds expecially and these "designer" breed. People are paying hundreds of dollars for a mutt with less quality and even purebreeds with huge medical problems. Most breeds have some health problems that are linked to the size and breed of the animal however, animals bred in these conditions the problems are magnified. My advise to anyone who is planning on adding to get a dog is to do their homework. Study the breed(s) you're interested in for health problems, activity levels, and if the breed is ideal for families and your housing conditions. For instance, I wouldn't recomment a lab for a family living in an apartment with little accomadations for exerciise. Also, before buying a dog from a breeder ask to see their kennels, the parents, and whelping areas. If they refuse or you're not satified with the conditions, don't get the animal. Never buy an animal without a health certiificate. There is alot as individuals can do to prevent further abuse by doing these simple things. Aplly it also when choosing a pet from a shelter. Know what you want before you chose to adopt or buy. Be sure you study breed information. Talk to your veterinarian or animal care provider to get information and the internet. Don't buy at petstores or fleamarkets. Thank you for reading.

  • Posted By: sickoffanatics @ 07/15/2009 5:44:44 AM

    All puppy mills should be shut down, Period. Only a very limited of dogs should be kept by people who wants to breed. I hate puppy mills and was shocked to learn about them. They are forbitten in the european union and there are very strict rules if you want to breed dogs, there. The federal government should go after those greedy bastards. Millions of dogs have suffered and died at the hand of this human trash ! Go after the amish who not only have no respect for these dogs but do not have any respect for their horses and often keep them in terrible condition ! Their religion makes them stupid and ignorant !

  • Posted By: sieg6529 @ 07/13/2009 10:59:39 AM

    I'm glad that Whole Foods is doing something progressive about puppy mills. My wife and I rescued a dog who had started life in a puppy mill. We live in Amish country, and they are some of the worst when it comes to puppy mills. It is sadly clear that the dog was never socialized, as she has major domination issues with other dogs and a profound and aggresive mistrust of strangers. Plus she has a bladder-control problem whenever she is scared. We also think she was abused, because lifting any object or standing up too quickly just terrifies her, plus she has an unexplained burn on the back of her neck.

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