Preaching to the Choir

People who work animal rescue have a lot in common with artists. None of them would devote so much energy and love unless they were passionate about the animals. Nor could they manage to save so many without finding some very creative ways to fund raise and promote their adoptables.
So its the height of romanticism to expect everyone in the rescue community to be on the same page all of the time. Even so, they generally stand together on certain issues:

• The need for a low cost/ high volume SNAP ( they might not all agree about TNR, but they do agree about that)
• Humane education is one of the most effective ways to encourage responsible pet ownership and of course
• Puppy mills need to be shut down and banned. They might not always agree on the how, but they all recognize that puppy mills create a heartache for unsuspecting pet owners and an unnecessary burden on animal rescue.

Many of the folks who read this blog are already part of the animal loving community. That doesn't mean that I'm just 'preaching to the choir". It is a natural thing to talk to our friends and family about the things that interest us. The whole point of this blog is to encourage folks to do just that.

So I would encourage you to let your friends and family know that tomorrow, CBC Marketplace http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/ is doing a feature called "HOW NOT TO BUY A PUPPY" If you live here in NS, that should be on at 8:30 pm on CBC. If you miss the show, you can always catch it on their web page.

Some people just don't get the picture until they see it in the media. Pretty much everyone reading this blog is at least acquainted with the issues and has been to http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/.

The only folks who have been arguing in favour of the puppy mills are the big commercial breeders who do not want to see restrictions placed on their businesses. It is not in their interests to see the laws changed.

Yet, it will take more than changing the laws to permanently put puppy mills out of business. Retailers have learned from experience to never underestimate the power of the educated consumer.

Please encourage your friends and family to watch this show. Every person who is awakened to the issue is one more person who will be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.