To the editor: Thirty years ago, I investigated puppy mills in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma for the Humane Society of the United States. We exposed the connection to California pet stores and implicated then-Senator Barbara Boxer. (“Inside California’s brutal underground puppy market: abandoned dogs, duped owners, huge profits,” Sept. 12)
It is clear that nothing has changed. The fact that this continues to happen is absolutely shameful.
It's time for a national referendum to ban puppy mills. A petition to change USDA regulations regarding dog care would be a good place to start.
We, the people, must insist on this reform. We must decide what we want to be: a cruel, money-based society, or a humane society.
We are better than this.
Lisa A. Landres, Venice
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To the editor: Thank you to the LA Times for the excellent investigative report on puppy mills. As a rescuer, I am sickened by the number of dogs and cats that die in our Los Angeles shelter system every day.
Many times, people have told me that they “had to get a dog from a breeder” because they wanted a specific breed. Our shelters are overwhelmed with breeds of all kinds and it is easy to find breed-specific shelters.
This article illustrates not only the cruelty and pain these puppies suffer at the hands of greedy out-of-state breeders and local resellers, but also the dangers, financial and emotional, of obtaining puppies this way. Most importantly, it has highlighted the role unwitting buyers play in perpetuating this abuse, simply because they wanted to love a dog.
Until we stop the killing and cruelty, please adopt from your local shelter or rescue group.
Kelli Jo Nicholas, Simi Valley
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To the editor: I am horrified by the capacity for cruelty that we humans possess. There is nothing more shameful than the mistreatment of innocent animals. I could not finish the article because reading it was too painful for me.
A year ago, my husband and I adopted a Shiba Inu. She is 4 years old and was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio where she was a breeding female. She was skinny and her coat was in really bad shape. She has a sweet disposition but still spends her time under our bed, and this is after we've had her for a year.
There simply needs to be legislation that will put a stop to these puppy mills permanently. Shame on the people who want these purebred dogs, like Doodles or French bulldogs, that come from these terrible places. These mills would not exist if people didn't buy these dogs.
Please be responsible and adopt a shelter dog.
Meg Fairless, Simi Valley
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To the editor: Thank you for the very insightful and heartbreaking article about what is happening in this country with our dogs. No, we are not eating them, thankfully, but we are overbreeding them and then killing them for lack of homes.
Contrary to our laws that state that animals are property and not persons, we turn these loyal and sensitive friends into commodities to make money. This must end.
Dogs are our best friends, but unfortunately humans are far from being theirs.
Patty Shenker, Woodland Hills
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To the editor: The quality and accuracy of the reporting is why I — and I hope many others — will continue to support the LA Times.
Those of us who adopt want to believe that we are rescuing dogs, and some of us have been fooled by bad actors. My hope is that this article will result in strong measures that will alleviate the suffering of these poor animals and help divert buyers to legitimate agencies and shelters.
Many thanks for the perseverance and courage of reporters Melody Gutiérrez and Alene Tchekmedyian.
Miriam Bookey, Santa Monica
