Reflections on My Drive Through Lancaster, the Puppy Mill Capital of the World

I felt queasy making my way through this part of Pennsylvania on a recent trip because I know its dark secret.

"Green beans, peach pie, Akita puppies."

If only I had my cell phone with me when I recently came upon that sign outside of a picturesque Amish country road leading up to a seemingly charming house. Journalism Rules 101: Have a camera with you at all times. Which I had failed to do. The words etched on that sign, however, are an eternal snapshot in my mind.

Seeing that sign on a recent trip to Lancaster, PA, left me with a different feeling than I'd gotten on previous trips in the region. Since my previous visits I've learned that this agrarian community is home to a deep dark secret: The area is known for its dog factories, puppy mills, torture houses -- call them what you will -- and the sign was evidence, however slight, of what goes on there. 

The tourism bureau boasts that there are “so many things to do, you’ll come back again and again,” but it neglects that Amish Country is also dubbed “the puppy mill capital of the world” by several animal advocacy groups.

Lancaster County is home to what many consider the oldest and largest population of Amish in the United States, about 30,000. Often called “Dutch Country” because of the Pennsylvania Dutch who were among the first Europeans in the region, this area was also the home of my dog’s veterinary specialist for years. We took the road less traveled to appointments, through Amish towns including Intercourse, Blue Ball, Lititz, and Bird-in-Hand -- and on a few occasions, we turned the vet trip into a vacation, yet I somehow missed the seedy secrets.

Of course, not all Amish are puppy-mill breeders, and scores of non-Amish folks are horrible puppy-mill producers. But my interest was piqued in returning to Amish Country while channel scanning this fall. I stumbled on the TLC reality show, Breaking Amish, and spawned by “must see” instincts, I headed for corn rows.

The Amish are depicted as comprising a quiet, hardworking culture, people who grow their own foods and live without electricity and modern conveniences.

According to the website Pet Watch New Jersey, “Many puppies sold in New Jersey pet stores originate from Amish and Mennonite puppy mills in Pennsylvania, with the highest concentration coming from Lancaster County.” How could I have driven through this area so many times and not seen it? Apparently, this is what the area relies on: clueless tourists.

Undercover video obtained by Main Line Animal Rescue (located near the Valley Forge National Park in Chester County, PA) several years ago revealed dogs are improperly bred and live in filthy conditions. Many never see the light of day. In a story reported by ABC News, Bill Smith (of Main Line Rescue) shared that dogs are often euthanized and sometimes are “legally” shot. Smith told ABC News, “Unfortunately, if a kennel breeds less than 60 dogs, they can shoot them," he said. "If it's over 60 dogs, they can't be shot."

Many people -- including the governor -- have called for reform of the law that allowed that, and web research was inconclusive as to whether the law still stands. Regardless, it's horrific to think that as recently as 2009, courts in Pennsylvania ruled that it was legal -- if disturbing -- for people to kill their pets if they wanted to.

In 2008, Main Line Animal Rescue put up a billboard in Chicago, which caught Oprah Winfrey's eye. It said, "Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you." Winfrey sent journalist Lisa Ling into Pennsylvania's puppy mill country for what became an award-winning expose.

The Amish in Pennsylvania are not alone in their outrageous and harmful breeding practices. Just recently an Amish farmer in Ohio was busted for the offense of cruelty to animals and operating a puppy mill.

A recent puppy mill bust in Tarlton, Ohio, merited 50 dogs seized, some so matted and laden in fur that their breeds were unidentifiable. The dogs are being taken to several rescue organizations around the state. Sadly, the owner of the operation complained he was most upset that reporters were present and calling attention to the bust.

How is this allowed to happen? Are these quiet folk immune to the law? The Animal Legal Defense Fund is working to change legislation, which would require reform, as Dogster reported. But things are not moving along swiftly enough, and millions of innocent dogs are being bred as trash and then discarded as such. What can we do? This is what played through my mind as I sickeningly faced a three-hour ride home from the sign that shook me to my core.

The Humane Society of the United States has an actionable kit for folks to get involved, and it also provides tips to avoid buying a dog from a puppy mill.

Also, though this video may be hard to watch, it exposes what is happening and what we can do to give these innocent animals a voice.

Being registered and having papers does not ensure a puppy did not come from a puppy mill. Refuse to shop at stores that sell puppies from puppy mills. My first dog was a puppy-mill rescue, and this I know: I loved her more than life itself, and she had extenstive health problems. 

I know better now, but the problem that causes such suffering continues.

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Meet Zeus, the Tallest Dog in the World

BREAKING: The world's tallest dog (44 inches) is just a big ol' softie -- and he's a therapy dog!

The world now has a new top dog: the correctly named Zeus. This towering canine checks in at an impressive 3 feet, 8 inches, making the altitudinous beast -- a Great Dane, maybe the Greatest Dane? -- the tallest dog in the world, according to Guinness World Records 2013, which launched Sept. 13. 

How much taller is Zeus than the foe he vanquished? One inch! But what an inch. The previous dog, Giant George, must now return to the world of mere mortals as simply one hell of a giant dog. 

As for Zeus, he is expected to be an exemplary champion.

"He loves to sit on laps," says his owner, Kevin Doorlag. "But if he stays on my lap for a while, he tends to get on the heavy side."

He says Zeus "loves human contact. He's a leaner."

Denise and Kevin Doorlag bought the dog when he was just a puppy, and they watched him grow like a beanstalk. By and by they noticed the dog develop a surprising, delightful trait: big ol' softiness.  

"He kind of acts like a small dog," Kevin Doorlag told People.com. "He towers over [most dogs], but it's kind of funny. Even the smaller dogs will start sniffing, and if they bark, he'll run behind you. He's scared. He doesn't really realize how big he is."

Zeus, you're 44 inches tall, from the ground to the top of your withers, or shoulders. When you add in your neck and your head, you're nibbling on apples from a tree.

"It's kind of comical," says Doorlag. "Everybody we see is like, 'Is that a horse? Is he part horse, part giraffe?'"

Zeus' gentle nature led the Doorlags to get the dog involved in therapy work, volunteering at the local hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich. Doing the rounds from such great heights puts Zeus at an advantage, as his giant head can zoom right in on the patients, lap-level. 

"When we're doing pet therapy, he'll go up to the beds," Doorlag told People.com. "It's nice with his size -- patients don't have to bend over. He's actually at face level."

Guinness World Records 2013 hit the Web and bookstores on Sept. 13. Be sure to give Zeus a glance before you go looking for fingernail-man.

Via People.com 

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Surf Dogs Break Guinness World Records in San Diego

We know it's not officially summer yet, but we are definitely feeling the dog days.

Over the weekend, dogs of many shapes, sizes, and pedigrees gathered in San Diego for the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition. We sure hope the competitors brought their summer safety kits in addition to their longboards.

The competition, which raised money for the ASPCA, invited dogs to catch a wave and hang 20 out in the surf and sand.

With careful supervision from their human friends, more than 50 dogs competed in various categories. The scores were based on each dog's best two waves. In the small dogs heat, Australian Kelpie Abbie Girl took first place, with Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Torri taking second, and a German Shepherd mix named Kona taking third. In the big-dogs heat, a Golden Retriever named Ricochet took first, and the winning dog-and-human team was Russell Terrier Zoey and two-legged friends Scott and Tyler Chandler.

Prepping for the tandem surf event, dogs and humans gather around.

Little Bobby Gorgeous came all the way from Hawaii to cheer on the surf dogs!

Nani, a Bernese Mountain Dog, was one of the largest competitors present!

The event also saw a couple of Guinness World Records broken: most dogs riding on a surfboard at one time (17!), the most dogs riding on a surfboard with one human, and the most dogs riding a surfboard at one time with two humans.

Cowabunga, canines!

The dogs who made record-breaking history posing on their custom made board.

Via Huffington Post and Laughing Squid, images via the Surf Dog Comptetition Facebook page.

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Guinness World Records Names the Dog with the World's Largest Eyes

That's not a wide-eyed gaze of surprise. It's just how this dog always looks.

Bruschi. Photograph courtesy of Guinness World Records.

Guinness World Records has just announced the world record-holder for "dog with the largest eyes" -- and it's a four-year-old black-and-white Boston Terrier named Bruschi who lives with eighteen-year-old Victoria Reed in Grapevine, TX.

Reed discussed this exciting news with the Huffington Post, explaining that when she first learned of it at 2 a.m. Wednesday, she immediately told Bruschi.

"He started barking," she said. "He shook his body. He can't shake his tail because it was broken and then set wrong."

Reed told the interviewer that she first saw the pup three years ago while working at Operation Kindness, a no-kill shelter near Arlington, TX. Their eyes met -- granted, Bruschi's eyes would be hard to avoid -- and "he jumped up in my arms and wouldn't leave," she said.

Bruschi as a puppy. Image courtesy Guinness World Records.

The then-high-school student adopted the dog, whose eyes measure a whopping 28 millimeters (1.1 inches) in diameter each, and who was named after former New England Patriots linebacker and current ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi.

"The eyes are big on a Boston Terrier anyway, but when I'd bring him out in public, people would say, 'Wow, he has huge eyes,'" Reed said.  "My vet joked a few months ago about submitting his photo to the Guinness World Records and I just went for it."

And won. No other pooch in all the world boasts bigger peepers.

Bruschi's eyes sometimes scare other dogs -- and even some people, according to Reed, who hopes her dog's win can help raise publicity for Operation Kindness and similar shelters.

“Some people do make fun of him for his looks,” Reed told the Guinness World Records website, as reported by MSNBC.com. "But I feel like he would go up to them and say, 'Haha, look where I am now, I've got a record for my looks!’"

Sources: Huffington Post, MSNBC.com

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Today is World Water Day!

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Tom Hanks Loses “Finest Dog in the World”

I don’t make a habit of reporting on celebrity dog news, but Tom Hanks is such a good person and such a fine actor, and he and his family had a really beautiful dog.

He wrote on his Who Say page the other day that his dog, Monty, had died. “”Deep brown eyes, noble demeanor, finest dog ever,” he wrote. “A sad day. Goodbye Big Boy.”

In the space of a tweet, the depths of a lifelong bond.

RIP, Monty.

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In honor of World Turtle Day: strawberries!

Although I tend to think everyday is World Turtle Day in my backyard, I decided to help my turtle herd celebrate with some fresh strawberries. They’re in season now and a local farm is organic, so I picked up some.

Most herbivorous and omnivorous turtles and tortoises are attracted to bright colors. Red and yellow tend to attract them best so I like to get bright colored fruits and veggies as a part of their regular diet.

Scents are important, too. Pearl, my leopard tortoise, likes some rose blossoms but not all. She likes First Prize and Double Delight best even though First Prize is pink and Double Delight is white with bright red edges. Both are fragrant roses and Pearl always sniffs the roses before eating them (not that Pearl is spoiled or anything).

What chelonians eat as adults often depends on what they eat when very young. If they eat a variety of foods as hatchlings and juveniles, they will eat a variety of foods as adults. I can often trick some picky eaters into trying new foods but it can be tough.

Fredalina and Ethel, who joined my herd a few weeks ago, have already learned that I’m the source of food and come charging towards me. They both love strawberries and Ethel even grabbed one and ran off with it.

I know Onyx, my geriatric girl, loves these and chowed down. I couldn’t get a photo of The Old Man, who joined the herd early last year, as he’s still very shy. But his appetite is great. Everyone else, including Topaz, Uno, and the rest of the herd, were very happy with strawberries.

Fredalina and Ethel were beloved pets when they joined my herd but unfortunately, they are the exception. Doing rescue work can be heart breaking at times because often the turtles are in horrible shape. The Old Man is lucky; he’s doing very well. Although still shy, he’s eating well, has gained weight, and this spring is even courting one of the female box turtles.

On a sadder note, I took in a female box turtle rescue a few weeks ago who was in bad shape. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past weekend. She had been found as a stray, and had been chewed on by dogs or coyotes on more than one occasion. She was also very lightweight. I got her to veterinary care. We medicated her, soaked her, and gave her fluids. I tempted her with every food I know box turtles like but she was past eating. I’m so sorry, Little Girl, I wish you had found me sooner.

All photos by Liz Palika.

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Getting out the vote for World Vets!

Pet Connection friends, can I ask you to help World Vets, a great international organization that provides veterinary care for animals all over the world, win $25,000? All they need is your vote!

Heska International, which makes diagnostic tests and other veterinary products worldwide, is going to give a $25,000 grant to an organization that serves animals in inspiring ways. The winner of the most votes in the “Inspiration in Action” contest will win that prize.

Heska asked veterinary professionals to nominate organizations they thought could benefit from this money, and then narrowed it down to four finalists.

One of those is World Vets, an organization I’ve supported for a long time. This group of dedicated veterinarians and support staff is headed up by Cathy King, the sister of my Lakewood Animal Hospital colleague, Dr. Bruce King.

What do the great folks at World Vets do? What don’t they do might be a better question. I’ll let their own words answer that question:

The focus of World Vets is to provide international veterinary assistance to impoverished nations outside of North America. Below we have listed a variety of ways in which World Vets is able to assist foreign animal groups, animal health care professionals, and/or communities reach their animal welfare goals. We are not a grantmaking organization.

Small Animal

World Vets can provide a skilled team of veterinarians and technicians to provide community wide spay neuter campaigns as well as health consultations for dogs and cats to control the local animal population as well as treat and prevent zoonotic diseases. World Vets volunteers can also perform other surgeries on a case by case basis. We operate a fully functional mobile surgery setup and also bring the veterinary supplies needed to provide routine veterinary care.

Equine & Livestock

World Vets can provide a skilled team of veterinarians and technicians to provide routine veterinary care for horses and livestock as well as the veterinary supplies needed to perform such tasks as parasite control, vaccinations and/or treat any health concerns specified.

Veterinary Supplies

Given that World Vets has the requested veterinary supplies on hand and the means to ship them, we are able to provide donations of veterinary supplies.

Disaster Relief

World Vets is currently developing a Disaster Response Program. At the moment we are not capable of leading animal disaster relief efforts. However, in times of crisis we may have volunteers and/or veterinary supplies to contribute to relief efforts. Assistance for natural and/or man made emergencies are evaluated on a case by case basis.

Training & Capacity Building

World Vets is able to provide training for foreign veterinarians, veterinary students and/or animal health professionals in many capacities; spay neuter surgery, animal husbandry, diagnostics/treatment etc..

I was really glad to find out voting isn’t only open to veterinarians, and I knew that the folks at Pet Connection were just the kind of informed and caring pet lovers who could help put this worthy organization over the hump.

Of course, if you think one of the other groups is more deserving of your vote, that’s great, too — all the nominees are terrific organizations. I’m just asking that you click on over to the Heska “Inspiration in Action” site and consider giving your vote to World Vets.

One thing that some of the people on my Facebook page wondered about: Yes, Heska does make you register before you can vote. This is how they limit the chance of multiple votes from one person. But they state clearly that they won’t use your email address for any other purpose, so I hope you won’t let that inconvenience stop you from supporting these great animal charities with your vote.

Here’s the link — voting ends Dec. 14, so get out the vote today! And GO, WORLD VETS!

Photo: World Vets.

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