Oprah asks residents of Pennsylvania to contact their state legislators and urge them to support House Bills 2525 and 2532.
Oprah is once again proving her commitment to the dogs of Pennsylvania's puppy mills by asking her viewers to contact their State Representatives and State Senators and urge them to support House Bill 2525 and H.B. 2532. This legislation will improve conditions for millions of dogs in commercial breeding facilities throughout the Commonwealth and it is imperative that it is passed as soon as possible.
So much has happened since the original Oprah program aired in April
We heard from literally thousands of people from all over the world. People contacted us from all across the United States and from as far away as Russia, Egypt and the Netherlands, all horrified by the inhumane treatment of dogs in Pennsylvania's puppy mills. Others, who had no idea that puppy mills even existed, contacted us to ask what they could do to help the millions of dogs interned in our country's large scale commercial breeding facilities. Oprah's "puppy mill show" received the largest response of any Oprah show in the last two years, and our own web site had over six million visitors. As predicted, Oprah reached more people, helped more dogs, than anyone else ever could.
And while the adoption rates of shelter animals reached an all-time high after the program aired, commercial breeders who mass produce dogs for the pet store trade now complain of an all-time low in their sales and profits (which is wonderful). Thanks to Oprah and her incredible staff, and the incomparable Lisa Ling, millions of animals have found homes, or will find homes when families are ready to make the commitment. Every day, more and more people are beginning to understand that when you buy a puppy in a pet store (or over the Internet without meeting the puppy's parents), you are contributing to the suffering of that dog's mother.
Main Line Animal Rescue, and everyone who labors to help mill dogs everywhere, will be grateful to Oprah until the last breeding dog is pulled from the last rabbit hutch or stacked cage. Let's hope that someday in the not too distant future, the lives of these poor animals will improve dramatically through long needed legislation, stepped up enforcement efforts, and as a result of the increase in the public's awareness to the plight of the millions of mill dogs in this country.