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It's been a long exhausting road for Kimberly Thomas of Kismutt Rescue and as cliché as it may sound, when things were darkest, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared.

Just three months ago, Thomas seemed to be at the end of her rope in her fight against the puppy millers of Ontario located in the Wellesley township area after a local newspaper published Thomas' accusations against the millers and in retaliation, the millers stopped letting her pull their unwanted dogs. She knew what was going to happen to those unwanted dogs and it wasn't anything good and that weighed heavy on her.

She sounded frustrated, angry, distraught.

Perhaps as a last recourse, she called Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby who has been an animal advocate extraordinaire all these years and, well, the article from yesterday's Ontario Farmer newspaper can explain the rest:

(Click on image below to enlarge.)



The article talks about the impact such charges, if upheld in court, could have on the lives of the puppy millers in question. It doesn't delve into the impact it will have on the dogs presently being produced by these particular millers nor the thousands of other dogs being bred by the puppy mill community in general, and for the most part, it downplays (as in it doesn't mention) the mistreatment these animals face.

Despite the obvious pro-puppy miller stance of the article, it does give the tiniest hint of the neglect, abuse and eploitation suffered by the dogs: because many of the puppy millers do not use electricity or do not want to pay for electricity, the warehouses in which the dogs are kept are unheated. Relatively speaking, there are about a handful of breeds which can endure a Canadian winter in an unheated building without being put into severe distress. The dogs we so often see coming out of these mills - Pugs, Sharpeis, miniature Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, etc. - are certainly not of these breeds. Having to survive through a Canadian winter in one of these warehouses is not much better than trying to survive in an unheated shed in someone's backyard.

The victims here aren't the puppy millers who have voluntarily chosen to profit from an atrocious business model. The victims here are the abused dogs and that's obvious but then I guess you'd only be holding that veiwpoint if you're just another irritating, heathen, animal welfare activist freak who can't mind yer own goddam business.

Well, good on ya.

Thanks so much to Kimberly Thomas of Kismutt Rescue for leading the fight and to all of you who sent letters and emails to the various town councils and animal welfare agencies pressuring them to act and to Clayton Ruby for keeping it all legal.



4 Comments to “Ontario Puppy Millers Charged”

  1. selkiem says:

    Love the way those sobs are whining and seeking sympathy - and I HOPE that some of what Kathy described comes out in the case. Let's hope the OSPCA didn't screw this one up ...

  2. Anonymous says:

    Praise be for people like Kimberly Thomas, Clayton Ruby and Fred!!!!!!!!! Lets hope in time all puppy mills will be wiped out. What a wonderful world that would be.

  3. Hallelujah! Many thanks to Kimberly, to all the people who have rallied behind her, and to the OSPCA for *finally* picking up the ball.

    But it's only a battle, not the war. Make this the first victory of many. Join Kimberly and the other concerned people at:

    https://www.facebook.com/PeopleAgainstPuppyMillsOntario

    and make it happen.

  4. GoLightly says:

    If those animals are considered the owners' livestock, I doubt much (pardon the expression) shite will stick. Branching out into dog farming.
    That's precisely what puppy milling is.


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A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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