About The Green Mile
Since my break, so many thoughts have been running through my head, that I want to share. But I know better. I learned a while back not to mix good and evil together. If you want to learn about the dark side of rescue, you can go to my website, which I started probably about 5 years ago, The Dog Liberator. If you want to read only the good, you stay here, on the blog.
When rescue first found me, I pondered whether to merge the rescue efforts in with the actual website, and decided not to, hence the creation of this blog.
But this time, I’m going to do it! Don’t adjust your sets, this isn’t a commercial or an announcement, it’s just me!
Know that I listen to all of your comments, either over the phone, in an email, or on Facebook. After writing BJ’s story, I figured I’d open two topics again – animal over-population and kill shelters.
They are two words we don’t like to say, and I’m sure most of you would rather read about the successes than the horror – kill shelters.
Sure, we all want to stop the killing. Right now there’s an alliance forming to stop the gassing in Alabama, even though it should be stopped nationwide.
About 18 months ago, Carol Bowman-Henderson and I set off to stop the gassing in Clovis, New Mexico. One week shy of a year later, Governor Richardson signed a bill to stop it state-wide. Boy, were we proud.
Sure, there were a lot of people that made it happen, including Yvette Dobbie. But originally after Carol wrote an unbelievable poem, emailed me her spectacular photographs, I created a spectacular video for YouTube, that created quite a stink in New Mexico. So clearly even YouTube played an important roll in launching our fight against gassing as well.
What I learned, which is a long story, is that death by gassing is supposed to be humane, but when you don’t have a vet present, (the gate keeper) and a pound owns one of these monsterous peices of equipment, they can gas by the pound, and at that point, it is inhumane, painful, frightening, barbaric, and should be illegal.
Next subject….
I’m sure many of you have yelled and screamed, “How could they gas or euthanize this gorgeous dog?” Many of the dogs we have rescued were on the green mile, and escaped, because of a great person that pulled them.
The point here is, the shelters and pounds, no matter how horrible they are, are not the problem. The problem truly is the puppy mills, the petstores that keep them in business, and yes, our country’s fast food mentality that wants it now and wants it cheap – hold the pickles.
Those of us who have been in rescue long enough understand that it is the puppy mills that keep us scrambling to save lives, and find homes. We just can’t work fast enough to keep with them.
Jim Long of Wisconsin contacted me last year, and asked me to help him with a video and website, and created The Puppy Mill Truck to create awareness – it was brilliant.
Some of us can not afford to purchase a great dog from a breeder. While I’m on this subject – coming off the heels of Jessie Moranti’s blog post about AKC folks, I am not against professional breeding, and I support the breeding of purebreds… if we didn’t, how would we have Westminster winners? Who would be best in show? Who would protect the breed? So why should these breeders sell their pups cheap after they have spent a fortune breeding them? They shouldn’t! Ah, but the puppy mills can, because they do not vet, care for, keep clean, and literally starve the dogs. The puppy mills and horrible hobby breeders (aka backyard breeders) can plop these pups out by the dozen every day, every week, every year, they sell them for a few dollars a head, and most of them die before they get to the pet store.
When I say Adopt Do Not Buy, what I mean is do not buy from a petstore or an online classified ad, if you must buy, buy from a breeder – do not support the puppy mills! This is why Holly says all bumper stickers need footnotes!
Who is our enemy? Not the shelters and pounds. Not the reputable breeders. What’s weird? It’s us rescues and rescuers who are frowned upon. People who can’t re-home their dogs will NOT give their dogs to a rescue. Where do they think we get our dogs from? From shelters and pounds!!! Why? Rescues can give the dog more time. We aren’t mandated by laws that dictate euthanasia within X amount of days.
So while we may be tempted to hate the shelters and pounds, let’s take a closer look at the idiots who do not give their dogs heart worm preventative, who tie the dogs to a dog house like Brooke (Holly), those who emotionally abuse them like Edmund and so many others I can’t even mention, and those that starve them like Stella. What about Jackson Browne? His family moved away and left him there alone in the backyard on a 2 foot chain. When Ashley Robbins’ brother was sent there to mow the yard, you can imagine what he felt when Jackson raised his head. The dog looked dead. Dr. Wayne felt it must have taken 6 months to starve a dog that severely, yet he was only a year old. Ashley Robbins’ brother went back to the house where he was found. She called me and described the heavy chains and abusive items found at the scene. Ashley was hysterical when she described the scene to me. Who are we mad at? We can’t be angry at a shelter, rescue or pound when we see a dog starved to death, loaded with heartworms or showing aggressive issues… they didn’t do it.
Take a moment to remember the poster child of puppy mills, Goldie Hawn and the poster child for irresponsibile breeders would have to be the Chipley Pup who didn’t have a chance to win his fight against parvo.
While you’re here, on my blog, be careful where you place your anger when you feel it. We must stay focused to solve our problems; their problems. Let’s focus, learn, seek the truth, and make things better.
Thanks, I feel better now!
*Most of the photos in this post were taken by Carol Bowman-Henderson except for the puppy mill truck.
National list of No-Kill Shelters