As you know, Puppy Mill Awareness Day is only 3 days away. The day is devoted to educating the public about the connection between consumers and commercial breeding facilities.

The big event will be taking place on Saturday September 20th at the Intercourse Community Park in the heart of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, and you can join in the day of fun and learning.

Over the past few months Dogster has been vigilantly working to get the word out about the horror of puppy mills. While legislation has been slow to change, there have been more crackdowns on puppy mills due to increased attention from the media.

We at Dogster plan on continuing to do our part, by educating the public to the horrors that go on behind closed doors. We all know when the “dirty little secrets” that take place from public view are exposed in the light of day, change starts to take place. Now, it can no longer be ignored.

We recently posted an article, A Day In The Life Of A Rescuer, of a heartbreaking look at one of the amazing people who put themselves on the line to help save these dogs. For those of you who have not read it, I urge you to take a few minutes to do so, then pass it on to a friend. Here’s a snippet…

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A RESCUER
E.S. EVERITT

I rise at 4 a.m., get coffee, check supplies, and leave by 5. I drive alone, my van full of empty crates. As I drive through the cold dark morning, my only company is the churning of my emotions. Hope that most of the crates will be full of dogs on the way home. Anger than anyone could bring puppies into this world with no plan other than a quick profit. Sorrow that companion animals are viewed as, even legally classified as livestock, rather than the family members they should be. And fear that I will fail them.

I know that I will fail some of them. I cannot save them all. Neither I nor my organization have the money, the manpower, the political clout or enough other resources to remove all of them from harm. But we will keep trying, because we can and because we have to. We can at least save some, give them the gift of love and family and future.

We, as dog lovers and owners, need to take a stand and help change the laws. We can start by taking part in the Pennsylvania Puppy Mill Ban. The bill, which we’ve been waiting for quite some time, is intended to reduce the number of dogs in puppy mills and end suffering.

We’re encouraging Dogsters and Catsters to tag photos with “stop puppy mills” so that we can create a stroll to highlight our members’ concerns about this problem. If you’re not sure how to tag photos just follow these instructions, it’s easy.

Dogster link to the stroll is https://www.dogster.com/photos/tags/stop+puppy+mills

Catster link to the stroll is http://www.catster.com/photos/tags/stop+puppy+mills

What a great way to take your loved one on a stroll, even if it’s raining outside!