Oprah to talk about Factory Farming today!

Do you ever wonder what "cage-free" or "free range" on the label really means? Lisa Ling gets a rare look inside some of America's farms to see firsthand how the animals we eat live before they end up on our tables. From chicken farms to pig farms, Lisa visits several very different farming operations to show us how some animals are cared for. Then, people from both sides of the issue share their views on how they think we treat the animals we eat. Where does our food come from?

Click here to find out what time she is on in your area!

Check out the Humane Factory Farming Association's website if you can't wait for her show.

Want to get your name on TV?

There is a new public service announcement on TV. Dogs Deserve Better is working with SaysMe.TV to get the word out about getting dogs off the chains. For $10-15 you can get your name on TV-unfortunately, there is a $100 minimum. You could get 10 commercials aired with your name in your area, or any other area you would like.

Check out the link below for more information.

http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/adrianzmedpsa.html

Michael Vick in the news again

Premiering on Animal Planet, Sunday, August 24.

Animal Witness
The Michael Vick Case
TV-14 (V), CC
For the first time, we go inside the dogfighting investigation that helped bring down star quarterback Michael Vick and expose the brutal sport that matches Pit Bull terriers in a bloody fight to the death.

Click here to be directed to the Animal Planet TV Schedule

After the show: Oprah on Puppy Mills

I just finished watching the Oprah Winfrey Show on Puppy Mills.

After years of hoping throughout the animal welfare community, Oprah has made a show about puppy mills. She has saved more dogs than we can ever know. Her celebrity status allows her to reach more people than we can and I think she did a great job of speaking out about animal welfare. I am very satisfied with the show; I think she provided a very complete view of how puppy mills contribute to the pet overpopulation problem.

This show documented, through undercover video, the terrible lives of dogs in puppy mills. They explained that the lives of the mothers are the most deplorable. The mothers are bred repeatedly with little or no break between litters and are killed after they can no longer can reproduce.

Oprah spoke with Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. Although I generally mistrust HSUS, I was pleased with the information he provided. He said that "as a nation, we are better than this" (this is not an actual quote, I cannot remember exactly what he said). I believe this was an excellent thing to say to really reach Americans.

I believe we are better than this.

A very emotional part of the show was when they showed a dog being euthanized. I am still not sure what I think about it but it was difficult for me to watch. It was not gory or violent--but still difficult to see. The dog appeared to be sleeping and the animal control officer of Fort Worth, Texas who allowed the cameras inside, stated that the dog was unconscious. They showed the dogs and how the animal control officers make the decision about which dogs will be euthanized the next day.

They also showed dogs in trash bags being thrown into a dumpster with a forklift. That image will stay with me for a long time. It was incredibly sad.

Overall, this show was excellent and very informative. The only thing I would have added to the show is that the same things can happen to cats. I wish that they would have focused on the fact that more cats are euthanized than dogs and can also be bred by irresponsible breeders--though much less. Despite that, the show was excellent and I am excited to see if anything positive happens because of it.



Click here to be taken to Oprah's Website.

HSUS MySpace Page | Stop Puppy Mills Website

Oprah Winfrey show to feature undercover investigation of Puppy Mills 4.4.08

This Friday's Oprah Winfrey Show will feature an undercover investigation of the hidden world of puppy mills.

Using a hidden camera, Lisa Ling will show the world where their puppies really come from. See the startling treatment of companion animals in this country.

Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate the show investigating abuses at puppy mills to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure.

"Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life," Winfrey says on the broadcast scheduled to air Friday. (Advance remarks from the show were released Tuesday by Harpo Productions.)

The show features special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills, which Ling calls "horrific" and "haunting."

Winfrey says the show is "for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment."

While Sophie was not a product of a puppy mill, and Winfrey's three current dogs were adopted from breeders, Winfrey says in the future she would look to adopt from an animal shelter.

"I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show," she says.

Click here to find where and when to tune in to Oprah's show.

Please click here to email Oprah.

Learn more about puppy mills:
prisonersofgreed.org
stoppuppymills.org/
hsus.org