Animal Instinct

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

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!

Mr. Smith, bless your heart and your drive!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 !

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.