Anti-Puppy Mills Appeal

caged dogs in a puppy mill

I only learned about puppy mills a few months ago, and when I did, I resolved to join the fight against their existence and help save the dogs who are being so mercilessly abused.

My aim is to heighten awareness and raise funds for anti-puppy mill campaigns to rescue these poor dogs from their appalling plight and stamp out these horrendous puppy mills forever.

For those of you who don’t know what puppy mills are, they are filthy dirty warehouses, barns, and shacks where female dogs are housed in small cages (not even room for most dogs to stand up or turn round).  The cages are stacked high, in rows and the rooms are kept in darkness mostly.  The dogs are kept short of food and water, have to urinate and defecate where they lie and get covered in the same, as the dog in the cage above has to do this too.  The dogs have no exercise, no vetinary attention and are shot or gassed if they are of no further use.  Needless to say, their lives are miserable.

Why?  For money.  For breeding puppies to sell to unsuspecting dog lovers, like you and me, millions and millions of puppies every year are born in puppy mills.  The puppy mills sell the sickly puppies to pet shops and advertise the pups for sale online.  The pups often don’t live very long.  The pups are taken away from their mother as soon as possible, stuffed into dirty crates for journeys in lorries which sometimes last days.  Then the puppies are cleaned and fluffed up to go on display in a pet shop or not cleaned up and left until an online advert brings a buyer.

What can you do?  Firstly, you should never get a puppy without seeing where it comes from (i.e. rescue shelter, breeder, private home).  Most puppy mill pups get sold to pet shops, some shops buying them unsuspectingly and others knowingly.  Make sure you know where a puppy has come from, this will help reduce demand for puppy mill pups and discourage their existence.  Every dog lover has a duty to abide by this rule and it is easy to do.

What else can you do?

Read about Annie, The Puppy Mill Princess – she was fortunate enough to be rescued from a puppy mill by a wonderful woman called Agnes and her family.  Agnes has written an amazing ebook about Annie – to raise funds to fight against puppy mills and rescue more dogs.

“Diary of a Puppy-Mill Princess is the heartfelt story of puppy mill survivor Annie’s rocky journey of rehabilitation from rescue dog to companion. The book is full of practical tips for new adopters who give abused dogs a second chance at life and happiness. Infused with love and humor, this book gives hope to those owners who, at times, may be bewildered or lose faith in being able to rehabilitate their rescue dog.”

Download Diary of a Puppy Mill Princess and donate CLICK HERE

What else can you do?  You could volunteer and or/ donate here:

http://www.thepuppymillproject.org/

Anthing else you can do?

Yes, PLEASE  don’t do nothing.

I’m not asking you, I am begging you.

Waghearted Dog Hoodie

Waghearted Peace and Love Dog Hoodie

We love this cute dog hoodie by Waghearted with the signature Waghearted Peace and Love Logo.  Your dog will wag his tail for this!

Waghearted Peace and Love Dog Hoodie

• Super soft French terry material
• A touch of spandex for comfort
• 95% cotton
• comes in Pink, Blue and Green

Waghearted signature Love and Peace hoodie with contrast pink hood will keep your little dog feeling cosy and looking great.  Printed both front and back.

Waghearted give a percentage of their profits to dog shelters, so buying the Waghearted brand will make other dogs wag their tails too!

4 sizes – measure your dog from collar to base of tail to get length for correct size

xxsmall 10 ” length

xsmall 12″ length

small 14″ length

medium 16″ length

Buy all sizes here in our own eDogLifeJacket Store at Amazon.com to save money and get the best up-to-date prices.

See all Waghearted Safe and Happy Dog Sweaters

Dog Life Jackets in Winter

Dogs near frozen lake

Dog owners should make sure their dogs are wearing dog life jackets in winter, when walking anywhere near water or frozen lakes and rivers, as far too many dogs and dog owners are still drowning every winter.

Here are 2 reports of unfortunate incidents which happened in the UK last month (Dec 2010)

A month ago, a lady was walking her dog through parkland, close to a lake that had frozen over.  Her tiny dog was running around, playing in the snow off his leash with the owner in view.  Suddenly the dog ventured onto the icy lake to explore and before the woman could get to her small dog, the thin ice gave way under him and the woman started screaming loudly, as the dog quickly disappeared under the ice.  “The dog was really struggling and whimpering. It was quite horrible to see him like that”, reported the shaken woman afterwards.  Fortunately an extremely brave man came to the rescue, swiftly took off his outer clothing and waded into the icy lake and scooped up the tiny dog in his arms, saving his life.  Even though the lake was not deep, the dog’s ability to swim was severely restricted by the extreme cold.  Fortunately this tail has a happy ending and the little dog is fine now, although a dog life jacket has now been hurriedly purchased.

Just before Christmas two young men were out for a hike with a dog, near a fast flowing icy river.  The dog suddenly decided to follow some wildfowl into the water for a game.  The sturdy little dog was not wearing a dog life jacket and was instantly in trouble, frantically fighting to keep his head above water and the dog owner instinctively dived into the river to save his best friend.  The icy conditions in the water were such that the current was just too strong and coupled with the freezing cold temperature, the river got the better of this fit young man, swallowing him into the depths.  His friend on the shoreside panicked and too went in the water to try and save his friend in trouble.  Sadly both men were dragged under the icy water and lost their young lives, as did the poor dog.

We don’t want to frighten you but these incidents are happening all over the place and the above reports are typical and sadly becoming all too frequent in winter.

Instead of a dog jacket, protect your dog with a really good dog life jacket – little tip – for extra warmth, layer up with a dog vest or doggie T-shirt underneath the dog life jacket and your dog will not only be warm enough but also safe anywhere near water.  Ensure the dog life jacket you use has a grab handle on the back, for easy rescue and that it is a bright colour with reflective strips for high visibility.

The only other safe alternative is to keep your dog on a tight leash near water or frozen rivers in winter or not to walk near them with your dog.

For more tips on cold weather tips for dogs read this informative article from American Dog Blog

Dog Raincoats

These smart dog raincoats are just right for taking along on walks in case of rain or popping on your dog before venturing out on rainy days.

Available in 5 sizes for dogs measuring 8″-18″ in length (measure from collar to base of tail)

There are several colours for both boy or girl dogs and some of the dog raincoats even have a little pocket on the back (useful for you-know-what or treats)!  Reflective trim available o some designs.

Drawstring fastening and velcro underbelly makes this dog rain coat easy to put on your dog and ensures a really snug fit and good protection from getting wet.  The hood can be worn up or down, whichever is more comfortable for your dog.

Worldwide delivery (at reasonable rates) from our own eDog Boutique