Every time I pass by a pet store in a local mall, I cringe. The owners strategically place cute little puppies and kitties in the display windows to tug at your heartstrings (and purse strings as well), which coax you to step inside. Years ago, I just stopped going in there - it was just too damned depressing for me.

I have 2 cats and 2 dogs and all of them have come from local shelters and rescue groups. I have never bought a cat or dog from a pet store. I can’t - I know that those poor animals have come from mills somewhere, most likely under deplorable conditions. I just wish there was a way to outlaw all of those pet mills, and maybe limit private breeders for a few years until we can play “catch up” with all of the discarded pets that end up at shelters.

I read an article today on Yahoo titled Massive dog breeding farm rescue in Va.. This rescue was due to the diligence of the Humane Society of America and a 5-month investigation into puppy mills in Virginia. The Humane Society rescued nearly 1,000 dogs from Horton’s Pups, and now all of those dogs will need good “forever” homes.

Every time I read stories like this, I really have to cry. When are humans going to wake up and realize that God (or whatever higher power you subscribe to) never intended his precious creatures to become commodities and money-makers?! I really believe his intent was to give us the privilege of having all of His creatures teach us just what love means and how to become a more compassionate human race.

Even though these stories and their photos break my heart, I hope to continue reading them more often because that means that it’s a step in the right direction. I wrote an article on my company’s website about visiting your local animal shelter if you’re looking for a pet and help save a precious life.

I wish more people wouldn’t care about having the latest “it” dog or a designer dog (which keeps the puppy mills and breeders in business), and just go adopt a loving pet - there’s a lot of them out there that are counting on us to save their lives.

And I leave you with the conclusion from my article, “And please realize that whether these animals are pure or mixed breeds, they all have one thing in common: they just want to love and be loved. And that’s all that really should matter.”

Thanks for “listening.”

Michelle

Hi there! I’m new to the blogging world, but I find that I have a lot to say when it comes to animals and I also just love to write. So I thought that starting this blog would be beneficial to not only me, but other serious animal lovers out there.

Every day, I come across so many articles regarding animals. Some are really heartwarming articles about our furry friends, while others are very heart-wrenching and bring me to tears. It’s just amazing to me that in this day and age, animals still do not get the love, respect and ethical treatment they deserve from people.

The whole Michael Vick thing, for one. God - reading about that whole mess would just make me feel sick to my stomach! Now, I’ve never been much of a fan of pit bulls (thanks to their crazy owners), but I am of the firm belief that they deserve the same love and respect given to any other animal out there. What he and his partners-in-crime “allegedly” did to these poor animals is inexcusable and just disgusting.

Anyway, enough about that old story. The key to breaking this cycle is through education and knowledge. We need to educate not only our children about how to respect animals, but we need to educate adults as well.

So, I hope that I can ignite some serious passion about animals through this blog, and hope that I can count on some other animal lovers to join me!

Thanks for “listening!”

Michelle