The talk show host superhero Oprah went to a puppy mill in the desert in California. She was stupid enough to FILM it and put it on her website.
Two things on her site. One is a photo set where the description says "where dozens of Golden Retrievers awaited new homes" Um, hey stupid, don't the "dozens" of animals tip you off somehow? http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200509/20050919/slide_20050919_350_201.jhtml
Or, maybe, just maybe, all these puppies in little pens for her to choose from? Just watch the fun filled video of all these poor animals!
http://www.oprah.com/video/200509/tows/tows_20050919_2.jhtml
Even worse, the breeder let her take THREE dogs home. I don't know a single good, responsible breeder who would let someone take multiple puppies home with them. It's damn hard to train one puppy, let alone three. And just because Oprah has a team she can hire to take care of the work, still doesn't make it a good choice. Also, way back when, before she had her Cockers, she had Goldens. That were littermates or something, and they died of cancer. Well, guess what? Goldens still have issues with cancer. It's genetic. And I bet all the money in the world that that crummy breeder certainly didn't follow pedigrees and breed as best as possible to dogs that didn't croak of cancer at a far too young age. Also, I think that the Cocker that Stedman gave Oprah had Parvo, which is another clue that that dog came from a crappy breeder. I'll have to dig up that site where I read that.
Oprah, you should know better. You could have just plugged in some words in Google and found out all about puppy mills. You like to seem so knowledgeable on your show, and your fans now think that the way you got your dog is the way to go.
Plus, screw you Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and Mischa Barton and all the "starlets" who have gotten dogs recently from the pet store, one of the most hideous places you can get a dog. Soon, a post that shows how it goes from miller to pet store, oh, the horror.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
Great now there will be a glut of overpriced, undertrained "white goldens" running around. They can play with the labradoodles, cockapoos, puggles and all those other "designer mutts." BLEHCK! Want a mutt- go to the pound! They NEED a home and you won't have to pay $1500 for them!
Oh and was it me or did that puppy not look so much like a golden? Something about the face...
Speaking of pet store buyers- I have a lovely story. I was taking my sheltie to the self serve dog wash and there was a couple with a young sheltie pup. I said hi and they promptly asked me what breed of dog I had with me. I said a sheltie, and the lady let out this audible gasp and said no one told me they got long hair! I'll give you one guess where they got their dog... she said they went there and it was so cute that she just had to have it. Way to go impulse shopper. Her repsonse to the eminent long haired problem- we'll shave her b/c I can't have a long haired dog! I wanted to pick that poor puppy up and walk right out.
GRRR!
Yeah, some people have said that the dog is mixed with Great Pyrenees. I just think that since the breeder was breeding for volume, she didn't keep to the standard, she just bred for light colored Goldens. Since she didn't breed to the standard, the physical shapes of the dogs shifted. It happens easy enough in just a few generations of breeding.
I can just imagine the sort of problems that white goldens are going to develop in the future. I thought when I got my mutt I was off the hook for genetic problems, but when she started scratching I took her to the vet and she said "Oh yes, white dogs have more skin problems then other dogs." So my poor girl goes through rounds of benedryl and steriods to keep her allergies in check.
I saw one puppy waddling around that I swear must have had some sort of dwarfism. Legs too short, at least if it really WAS a golden. Anyone notice the woman also has several bird cages? I see a horder in the making...
Also, from the vid it looks like they gave the puppies a bath before leaving the BYB's house...don't you think someone trying to sell quality dogs would have spruced up the puppies BEFORE someone came to see them?
Er, a good breeder would have no need to spruce up the puppies at that age. They arent mashing themselves into the food dish, the only dirt they'd get on themselves would be if it were muddy outside.
Did she even meet the momma dog?
And no grass, super hot weather (aren't Goldens a cold weather dog?) no wonder they're stuck in some creepy kennel room.
Wow. The ignorance she displayed by thinking THAT was a reputable breeder is just stunning. I can't believe no one on her staff warned her that wasn't a good idea.
Kern County is hoarder/BYB paradise...the local animal control are useless, the shelters are horrifying. That's where all the BYB's and hoarders from L.A. go. Google Chihuahua Rescue if you really want to be scared. That's where she went when the heat got to be too much in Burbank!
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Moontoad. I had a boxer for a few months before my Great Dane owning, breeding & judging aunt told me they are a vets dream dog.
I got her for free as she was the runt of the litter, and without papers which I didn't care about. I had her fixed right off the bat before her first heat cycle. She didn't have many of the problems I hear of many other boxers having, but I got lucky.
Still when I lost her at 9 years old, I spent over $2K in three months and 6 trips to the vet. Relatively cheap, but still lost her to a genetic health problem.
Many folks who see the puppy in the window have no clue about the suffering going on behind the scenes that brought the puppy to that point. Many of them also have no clue as to the health problems associated with each breed. A little research would do them a lot of good BEFORE they go buying a dog.
My dog now has been with me since the week my boxer died. She is a mutt and the owners were selling the puppies to pay to have mom spayed. One litter too late, but my Abby is a grat girl. She's 10 this year, still going strong and always by my side if she can help it.
"I don't like eliminating her just because she has a little underbite. What is that, discrimination? The underbite is cute!" - Oprah
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
that was the most coherent response I could come up with.
The infuriating thing (ok, one of many) is that if Oprah had a clue she could do *so* much to educate the public and help so very many dogs.
You know, I knew Oprah got the dog with the underbite (the one that croaked on a smaller ball that the cockers have, oh where is your common sense Oprah?). But if you look at my other blog, you'll understand why I didn't realize that comment was actually made on film.
in other news that isnt even slightly new, oprah has less brain cells than whacky diet plans and is an amoral, self obsessed, bullshitting con artist. im surprised rick the kiger guy hasnt sold her something useless for six figures yet!!
if the handbag you keep your designer mini-fug-a-doodle in cost more than the damn dog, time for a long hard look in the mirror. the mirror that only replies 'you are the greatest fuckwit in the land!' *LOL*
It is disturbing that she thought it was a legitimate operation! How many puppies were they?! Ugh... I didn't know color breeding was as bad in dogs. I have horses - a palomino (dillute) and so people tell me all the time that I should breed her to a cremello stallion to get a cremello because it would be worth "a fortune". Our doggy came to us as a rescue. Before him, we had a rescue greyhound. They have all been rescues. Anyhow, the person who bred him thought he was useless because he is a Shih-tzu... and he was all the wrong color, cream and white. He also had a bad bite (which I know is normal, but his is terrible) and crooked front legs like you wouldn't believe. He was terribly matted they told us and they took him out of a trailer that was full of dogs. He is probably papered (ugh), but NOT breed standard - he's 20 lbs and no, he's not that fat, just big. It irritates the hell out of me that people do this!
Our pet shop at the college mall (I am a full time student) sells puppies and has "puppy sales". I HATE that. I refuse to go in there for any reason. I will take my business down to the petsmart where they have the local shelters bring in dogs to ADOPT. That is how we met up with our greyhound people. We loved that dog and just like with our Shih-tzu, the screening process was EXTENSIVE (and should have been). Even if that pet shop was selling quality dogs and was treating the dogs properly that they sell, they don't screen owners. It just really pisses me off!
BTW, our boy is fat and happy. He is fixed (of course) and is loved. He has a show coat and has done very well in showmanship with 4-H kids and does agility. He's the cutest little furrball and I wouldn't trade him in for another hundred like him, but the truth is, I wish his life had been easier.
JUST STOP BREEDING, PEOPLE!
They just recently replayed that episode on TV and I honestly didn't pick up on the puppymill aspect (smack me now). I did shake my head over the "Oh lets get three" but figures .. okay, she has staff cause who else would be there to do training on her many trips to Africa.
AND I did notice on the replay that two of the three dogs had died, and wondered what the hell happened. Given that the episode was dealing with training issues for the three dogs, I figured they had gotten out and run over or something like. Then reading about the genetic issues I wondered if it was health related.
AHHHHHH, they (or it) chocked on a ball????
I don't know about the "pups" from the Golden breeder, but know SOlomon Winfrey's breeder and he is NOT from a puppy mill! FUrther his breeder stopped breeding Chocolates after placing Solomon with them. (he was an older dog almost a year if I remember correctly). He got Parvo more than FOUR months after leaving the breeder (she has show cockers STILL) and it was from ignorance on Miss Winfrey's part. She openly (Oprah) admitted to her ignorance and did an entire show on protecting your dogs and taking care of them.
I would place TEN dogs with Oprah if I had them to place b/c they have DOG NANNIES and they would never be euthanized for lack of funds or not groomed b/c they couldn't afford it.
Luckily for ME It isn't an issue as I rescue and not breed! :-D
All said anybody who breeds MORE than a few breeds and more than a few individuals a year is on the verge of 'puppymillism' and like many other things it is a slippery slope!
Post a Comment