Newsweek Article: Pressure to Close a Puppy Mill

Newsweek
July 11, 2009

Bill Smith has dedicated his life to fighting "puppy mills," the warehouses where dogs are raised for profit in tiny cages, denied sufficient medical care, and often killed when they get sick or can no longer breed. Smith noticed that many of the farms around his shelter facility, near the heart of puppy-mill country in Lancaster County, Pa., were displaying signs boasting that they were organic dairy operations. Smith found that one mill— B & R Puppies, which had been cited by authorities as recently as a year ago for housing dogs in squalid cages and failing to vaccinate them—was also supplying milk to Horizon Organics. Horizon is a major presence in markets like Whole Foods, where animal welfare is paramount.

Read the entire article at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/206163

Doug & Katie Have a Home

Below is WONDERFUL news about Doug & Katie from Ingrid...

Previous posts:
The Story of Doug & Katie
Update on Doug & Katie

MIRACLES HAPPEN-----RESCUE WORKS

I can’t even describe in words how happy I am to be able to tell you that Doug and Katie have found a home! (Yes, we did the application process, home check, home delivery, contract etc., just kidding!).

A true Angel, a friend and rescue associate has made it possible for Doug and Katie to move in to a family-owned home. Her mother-in-law, will have to go into an Assisted Living Facility, and Doug and Katie will be able to help care for the house and the 3 dogs residing there. Doug will have a nice gentleman (a long time friend of our rescuer's family) as a housemate and the two men are already getting along just fine.

We met everybody on Sunday, had a nice lunch together... to “sniff” each other out. Afterwards, we went to the house, which is located in Duarte near Pasadena, and introduced Katie to the residential dogs, Sammy, Daisy and baby Mellow. Katie loved all of them, but she already fell in love (so did I) with Mellow, a handsome crème-colored Eskimo mix. The two of them were chasing each other in the beautiful, shady yard. Mellow was totally showing off for Katie and had a smile all over his face.

Doug and Katie will move in this coming Saturday and will start with a two week trial period. This will turn into a permanent living situation... if everybody involved feels that it is the right match. They will have their own room and privacy! Doug will be making repairs in the house and he can’t wait to begin showing off his skills. The rent will be $ 350/month which truly gives Doug a chance to get back on his feet and start a new life!

(This is so amazing, considering what Doug would have been put through finding a place to rent from a stranger. We had looked at a room that he found in the newspaper. Many of you would have considered it “a dump,” but we were hoping that it would at least give Doug a chance. Well, as much of a dump this place was, the owner still requested a credit check, all of Doug’s personal info, yearly income, etc. So, even in this “dump” we wouldn’t have been able to get him in, not even talking about a nicer place to rent.)

SO THIS HOUSE IS A TRUE BLESSING!!! It’s such a cute house too!

Doug was completely overwhelmed by our rescue Angel’s kindness. I almost squeezed him so hard that he couldn’t breathe, and he just sat in the backyard smiling. Doug tells me everyday how thankful he is to everybody involved in helping him and Katie. He is very serious about this one-in-a-million chance! The house is so peaceful, and it will give Doug time to start recovering from all the stress and heartache that he has been through. Naturally, Sammy, Daisy and Mellow took to Doug right away, and I have the feeling that they will all end up sleeping in his bed with Katie, lol.

Please enjoy the attached pictures, and know that your support and prayers have turned Doug’s and Katie’s lives around.

As of this Saturday, Doug will not be considered “homeless” anymore!

My special thanks go to our first Angel... a lady who took initiative from the beginning and made it possible for Doug and Katie to be safe in the motel. We love you! Also, my special thanks go to our second Angel... who opened her heart and home to Doug and Katie and believes in them, just like I do! You are the example of a true humanitarian. We will be thankful to you forever.

Thank you all for saving 2 VERY PRECIOUS LIFES.

Thank you to everybody, who has send a donation. WE STILL NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRST 2 MONTHS OF RENT ARE COVERED.

I hope, by that time, he will be able to support himself... IF WE FIND A SOLUTION TO TAKE CARE OF THE HERNIA.

We also need to get him a cell phone. Call me crazy... but I am hoping that there might be somebody out there who could donate a computer. Once Doug starts looking for jobs, that will be crucial. As you know, the unemployment rate is very high, and it will be hard. But we are not giving up!

Please make your donation to:

PayPal
Ingrid Hurel
pajade@yahoo.de

or

Ingrid Hurel
4818 W. 136th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250

THANK YOU!


Note from Jo Ann...

I'd personally like to thank everyone who responded to Doug & Katie's story with prayers and donations. People who ban together CAN and DO make a difference. For Doug and Katie, it was a "life saving" difference. He is overwhelmed with the kindness people have shown him and his beloved Katie.... people he has never met, nor probably ever will.

Although Doug & Katie are finally safe and off the streets, they still have a tough road ahead. Please continue to keep them in your prayers, and if you can spare a few dollars every now and then, it would be greatly appreciated.

Again, thanks to everyone who opened their hearts to this man and his dog. God Bless you for your kindness.

Jo Ann & "gang"

Pet Tips for 4th of July

Happy July 4th!!

Did you know that more pets are lost on Independence Day than any other day?

As we get ready to celebrate our nation's birthday, Cesar Millan's blog offers some great tips on how to keep your pet safe during the holiday.

Please visit:
www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/quick_fireworks.php

Have a wonderful and safe July 4th!

Jo Ann & "Gang"

Do Animals Have Feelings?

White tigers get new mom....

When Hurricane Hannah separated two white tigers from their mother, Anjana came to the rescue. Anjana, a chimp at TIGERS (The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) in South Carolina, became surrogate mom and playmate to the cubs, even helping with bottle feeding. But here's the truly amazing part: This is something Anjana does all the time, having helped raised leopard and lion cubs on several occassions.

These photos are truly gorgeous. Look at the happiness in the faces of these animals.

Nothing Has Changed At Petland

Nothing Has Changed At Petland The Humane Society of the United States

Shared via AddThis

Update on Doug & Katie

Original post: The Story of Doug & Katie

Here is the latest update from Ingrid on Doug & Katie...

Hello Everybody,

I am would like to give another update on Katie and Doug. Also below that, please find a summary about them as it seems that there are some open questions.

This past week has been full of hope but also full of fear. Doug and Katie are still at the little motel but donations are coming in very slow, and I don't know how much longer we can keep them there. The hotel costs $ 325 per week and we are desperately trying to find a room to rent.

The problem is: Who is gonna rent to a homeless, unemployed man with a dog? Doug wants to work so bad, but he is limited right now because of his very painful hernia, for which he might have to wait for surgery for up to 2 years.

Donations are coming in very slowly, so it is very scary! We need your help for a little while longer.

I actually got so stressed over the weekend that I had to go to the emergency room myself with horrible cramps. They did all kinds of tests and didn't find anything besides a small infection, possibly caused by bad food.

According to the doctor my stress level caused the pain to be as bad as it was. So, I have been out for 3 days. Despite, Doug and I went to look at a room for rent yesterday that he had found in the paper. A very old man is renting it out and apparently the man who still lives in the room will move out on the weekend. But the old owner is so vague about everything that I don't know if it will really happen.

PLEASE SEND OUT A PRAYER THAT THIS WILL WORK OUT, SO THAT DOUG AND KATIE CAN BE SAFE UNTIL THEY CAN EITHER SUPPORT THEMSELVES OR GET ACCEPTED INTO THE SHELTER. (Which according to his social worker is supposed to happen within the next weeks). The pics attached show Doug and Katie in their current motel room, with the groceries bought from a donation. Doug is so thankful that he knows that he has food for every day right now.

Many ladies involved in this rescue mission have asked when Doug would shave his beard. It was a big deal for him but he did it! So, please enjoy the pics of Doug without the beard. By the way, he tells me, he has gotten a lot of compliments since. Little Miss Katie loves her Daddy with or without beard and she is soooooooooooo happy sleeping curled up next to Doug in a real bed!

One huge change, that I can see in Doug is that he begins to feel HUMAN again, not only "homeless".

PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP DOUG AND KATIE.

Please forgive me if I forget anything vital... I am beyond exhausted.

Please advise how we can get them into a rented room!

Tomorrow, I will be contacting some larger churches to see if they can help in any way.

Please send your donations via PAYPAL

Ingrid Hurel
pajade@yahoo.de


Or to:

Ingrid Hurel
4818 W. 136th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250

Thank you!

Summary:

Doug is originally from Pennsylvania. He is 47 years old and was adopted when he was 8 years old. He told me about some extremely traumatic experiences that he had before he was adopted and that are still affecting him today. Doug was married for over 20 years and his wife passed away about 4 years ago. She is the love of his life, and he fell into a deep depression after her passing.

He tells me about her every day, and I can see the love the two of them shared. Doug used to own a cabinet building business and would love to get back into this type of work.

Doug rescued Katie over 3 years ago from an abusive owner. She was emaciated and would flinch when petted on the head. The previous owner has also beaten her and left her in his hot car many times (it was in Lancaster where it gets VERY hot). Doug was outraged by this treatment and made it clear to this scumbag that he would not let Katie go through this anymore.

(Doug was homeless when he rescued Katie. Amazing how he, as a homeless person, can save and take care of a dog but yet many people dump their dogs just because "they move," "have a new baby," "have no more time," etc).

Well, there are no more signs of Katie's abusive past now. She is the sweetest, happiest girl and the both of them constantly exchanges kisses, conversations and playtime.

I have known Doug and Katie for almost 1 year now. When I first met them, I was struck by the amazing love and care Doug shows for Katie. He is such a caring person. I used to go by the bushes near the Freeway, where they used to live. I would make sure they are ok. I never gave him money and he never asked me for anything. I would sometimes bring dog food but most of the time, he had enough for Katie. He ALWAYS makes sure that she eats before he does.

I also was able to get both on the waiting list with PATH, the only shelter that accepts people with their pets in Los Angeles. They have been on the waiting list for 7 months now and I just spoke to the social worker today. He told me, that it is very close now, a matter of weeks before they will get accepted.

Well, a little over a month ago, Katie and Doug were chased around from hiding spot to hiding spot by the police. The police was trying "to clean up the area" of homeless people. Finally, Doug got arrested and fortunately, I was able to get Katie before they took her to the shelter. Katie is micro chipped to me and wears 3 tags with my phone number and her microchip tag.

Katie stayed at my house for one week until Doug got released and was cleared of all charges. Katie had a blast at my house and going to work with me, to Doggy Daycare. She was, of course, thrilled to see her Daddy, and Doug almost started crying when we reunited them.

Well, while in jail, they discovered that Doug had a very bad hernia. After he got released from jail, we went to the emergency hospital which just pushed the hernia back in and told him to "go home," well, the streets.

That night, we put him into a motel. He was in so much pain, he could barely walk. Well, we went back into the hospital two days later and the same thing: they send him "home." Amazingly, an American citizen can't receive medical care yet.

So, Doug and Katie have been staying at a motel for a bit over a week now.

We are actively looking to rent a room for them until they can be accepted into PATH, the shelter.

But we still need help. Donations have been coming in very slowly and the motel costs $325 per week.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions.

Vinegar Uses for Your Pets

Here is a great resource that features several uses of vinegar for your pet's care:

http://www.vinegartips.com/pets/