And now a letter from CWC veterinarian Dr Mel in MAINE:
"...Hi Chris-- I thought I'd send you a few photos of my dog, Tuck. Last August he was rescued along with nearly 300 other dogs from a puppy mill, where he and the other dogs were bred as often as possible to produce as many puppies as possible to generate profit for the owners, with no regard for the health of the animals. Tuck's condition at the time the puppy mill was raided was so poor that criminal neglect charges were filed against the owners. Had he not been rescued, it is unlikely that he would still be alive. Breeders who really care about their dogs would never ever consider selling their puppies to a pet store, nor would they sell a puppy to just anyone who happened to have internet access and money to spend. And because puppy mills are all about quantity rather than quality, those cute little pups in the pet store window usually come with more than their fair share of health problems. In fact, many don't even survive long enough to make it into the store window. For every pup sold at a pet store, there are many more dogs like Tuck who spend their (usually short) lives in misery. Tuck was lucky to be in a state with decent animal welfare laws and
to have been confiscated before his health had deteriorated too far. He now has two daddies (not bears) who love him dearly, one of whom is a veterinarian who can deal with his ongoing health issues. But
for every story like Tuck's, there are thousands of dogs living and dying in hellish conditions - and several million dogs euthanized in shelters every year - just so people can go spend large amounts of money on a cute, but often sick, bit of fluff from a pet store. They deserve better." signed, Dr Mel.
