Just letting you know that I have discovered that the lady who had all the poodles taken from her in QLD Australia, has a website as follows: http://www.geocities.com/neiger_poodle/index.html

I am disgusted and her website is very deceiving.

I have still got my petition going, which is against this breeder and others like her. Please lets get the ball rolling and get more signatures, so I can end this woman from mistreating such beautiful poodles. I am shocked she still has a website and want to shut her down for good and all those like her. My website is: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-our-animals-ban-puppy-mills-in-aus

And I'm really happy to hear of Chica's new life with you. I wish all puppy mill breeding dogs could be so lucky.

Regards,
Brigitte

Thanks so much for your very extensive comments (book)!

I'm sure everyone will find your experiences interesting.

No doubt your protesting outside the Petland store is having an impact on potential puppy buyers in your area. Great work. Keep it up.

Good luck with your writing career.

Regards,
Brigitte

Our shelter is a high-kill facility, and despite the work and expense of keeping unadoptable animals, I feel it's pointless to rescue them, then send them to their death.

Here in Austin, TX, we have a very active rescue community. When we discovered that PetLand was putting up a new store here, we started a Petland Petition group, and do protests in front of the store every Saturday, holding large signs and handing out flyers that give consumers the truth they're not aware of.

I do know about the unfortunate practices and philosophy of HSUS and PETA. I've been on their mailing lists for many years, as well as In Defense of Animals, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and probably at least 20 more, as well as groups that defend wildlife and ecology. I send in so many petitions…

I first became an activist many years ago, when I saw my hero, Cleveland Amory, on the Dick Cavett Show. He presented a video showing the slaughter of seals near the Magdalen Islands. I've never been able to put those images out of my mind. I wrote to then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and joined Cleveland's Fund for Animals. Yet here we are, about 30 years later, still sending petitions and getting information about the horrors on the ice.

I just don't understand how it goes on. Good grief, even Paul McCartney couldn't stop it. I think we should all write to Oprah and ask her to do a show on the subject.

I plan to write to her to see if she'll do a follow-up show on the subject of No Kill Shelters. Nathan Winograd gave a 3-day presentation here a couple of years ago, and we were so excited about the prospect of not killing an average of 50 wonderful, healthy animals every day. But Nathan's premise is so true: you have to get rid of the shelter director in order to change the philosophy and methodology of that entity. Our director seems happy with the status quo, and we're still sending tons of dead bodies to the landfill every year.

I could go on and on, but I've probably written enough. One day I'll send a picture of Amory, my beloved staffie whom I rescued off the street many years ago. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge about 2 years ago, at the age of 18. I named her after Cleveland Amory, of course. In 1992 we had a weekend Conference for the Animals here in Austin, and I was fortunate to meet Cleveland, my hero. I have his autograph, and a photo taken with him. I told him about my dog, and he was very pleased. I'm so sorry that he's gone now, but we have the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in TX, which is a sanctuary for abused animals.

Well, some people leave comments; I write a book! I hope soon to write some sample articles for our local newspaper, and hope to get a job as a columnist. I'm tentatively calling the column "The Animal Activist." It would give me a forum to disseminate information on so many subjects, and broaden the impact of what we try to do in rescue. I know that many people would change their behaviors and priorities, if they just knew the truth.

Thanks again for putting so many animal-friendly topics "out there" to help your audience become aware of the realities of our "civilization."

By the way, I was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and lived there until I began college. My mom is still there, as is my brother and most of my family from my father's side.

Cinnamon Landman
Founder/Director
CatAdoptionTaskforce

I have to wonder whether the "private breeder" you mention is actually a puppy mill operator on a small scale. There are plenty of those around – sometimes referre to a "backyard breeders".

Perhaps they don't treat the dogs too badly, but if their primary objective is profit, they're not a professional breeder of any caliber.

Any respectable breeder puts the breed first. Their objective is to further the favorable characteristics of the breed. And to this end they make careful choices as to the dogs that they mate together, treat their dogs well, feed them well, and provide appropriate veterinary care.

If they skimp on any of these aspects, to my mind, they're not a professional breeder.

Regards,
Brigitte

I couldn't agree more. As with any type of criminal activity, if the penalty is not sufficiently severe, it won't deter would-be offenders.

Regards,
Brigitte

TOMORROW I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF THE RESCUE AGENCIES.

DOLORES