Someone forwarded this to several of us, and I thought I'd post this, knowing how much people here love animals, all animals. Just the thought of puppy mills makes me sick and sad:
Friends of Hearts United for Animals,
My heart is very sad tonight. It's frigid in Pennsylvania tonight and there
are dogs who are suffering beyond anything that any one of us will ever know.
Perhaps if we were to sleep in our garage without a blanket tonight we
might know 1% of what they suffer. I have attached a photo of one of the
kennels at one of the facilities. Please look at it. If the dogs can live
in those conditions, you can look at it. Please send it to everyone you
know.
Over the weekend in Pennsylvania it poured rain, thundered loudly and hailed
in addition to the freezing weather. The dogs are imprisoned in raised wire
cages with no heat. There is no ceiling over most of the cage to keep the
rain off. The rain could easily go into the wooden boxes. I had my door
open for my dogs for a few minutes this weekend and the rain was so hard and
the wind was blowing so much that my floor was drenched. These dogs were not
only cold but wet and cold. Every single second of every single minute of
every single hour of every single day they suffer. They probably pray to
die. These are small dogs - short haired Dachshunds, Toy Spaniels, Boston
Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers, Cocker Spaniels.
There is no one to help these dogs. The State Department of Agriculture is
supposed to enforce the law, but they don't. The United States Department of
Agriculture is supposed to enforce the law, but they don't. The law requires
that there be heat if the temperature is under 55 degrees but the federal
inspector told one kennel owner that he "should just throw in some hay."
And so these dogs suffer all for greed. Not even livestock is cared for as
badly as the dogs. One man testified at a zoning hearing that he wanted to
breed dogs because his 30 year old chicken coops were too small for chickens.
The breeders have testified under oath that the dogs will never get out of
the cages. The breeders said that the cages were big enough for exercise. The
dogs will never get off the wires and never touch the grass. At one of the
kennels the man testified that the dogs were not debarked but when we went on
the site visit it was obvious that they were. Do you know how most dogs in
commercial breeding facilities are debarked? They stick a metal pipe down
their throat and hit it with a hammer. Yes, some of them die. Of course
this is without anesthesia - not because it's illegal for them to administer
anesthesia but because it would cost too much.
Hundreds of you wrote letters in response to the last email I sent. Thank
you so much. I am so grateful to you for your compassion. But there are
thousands and thousands more of you who can write. The letters have already
had a huge impact. The kennel owners complained publicly about them at a
zoning hearing. The Visitors Bureau is sending the letters they get to the
State. The Amish are a very closed society and the publicity and attention
that they are getting because of this is causing them great distress. It is
the subject of discussions at their meetings. It is also being discussed at
political levels.
There is a big convention in February to discuss tourism in Lancaster
County/Dutch/Amish Country. We have an ability right now to make a huge
difference in this discussion. Please write the letters I ask for.
I know that this is a very busy time for everyone. But this is the season of
love and compassion. Please write these letters. Download the photo and
then write the letters. The dogs are begging you please to help them.
The letters should be sent to:
Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitor's Bureau
501 Greenfield Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
David E. King - Amish Breeder
329A Centerville Road
Gordonville, PA 17529
J. Samuel King - Amish Breeder
3527 West Newport Road
Ronks, PA 17572
Editor of the Lancaster Intelligencer
8 W King Street
Lancaster, PA 17608 (you have to give your phone number so they can confirm
that the letter is legitimate or they will not print it)
Copy to: Hearts United for Animals Box 565 Westtown, PA 19395 so that we
can take the copies to hearings.
I don't know how many other ways I can beg you. We can make a huge
difference. Things have started to move but we have to keep the pressure on.
Please write the letters. If you need to be further persuaded, please go to
the webpage for Hearts United for Animals at http://www.hua.org. Go to
Prisoners of Greed and read about puppy mills. Or go to Looking for Love and
read the stories of so many dogs who have been saved from mills. Read about
Dinah and then write the letter.
Forward this email to everyone you know, to every list and newgroup. Beg
them to help these dogs.
Thank you,
Lee Wheeler
Hearts United for Animals http://www.hua.org
The Sirius Shoppe http://www.ihelppets.com
The store where all the profits go to shut down puppy mills.
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