Oprah on puppies ...

Just want to encourage everyone to watch/set your Tivo's for Oprah's show tomorrow -- after lots and lots (and lots!) of calls and e-mails from animal rescues everywhere, Oprah will be doing a show on the hidden horrors of puppy mills.

This is an issue that's very near and dear to our hearts -- as our darling Norman was pulled from a puppy mill by a Good Samaritan. He ended up in a local rescue and then some very thoughtful person gave me a call (knowing that I organize the local French Bulldog Meetup) -- since she thought one of my members might want to adopt another Frenchie ...

{One of the first pictures of our little French Fry that was sent to me}

I thought that maybe my mom would be interested, since she was in love with my little guy Louis. But it turned out that my cute new boyfriend at the time thought Mr. Norman (previously named Knuckles, Francis and Mr. Magoo) was particularly swell -- so he came home with us. As if we could resist (good thing I'm marrying that cute boyfriend, huh?) ;o)

{Being spoiled rotten is a pretty rough life, as you can tell.}

{He worked hard for those beads you know ...}

Prior to his time with the rescue and of course his time with us now, Norman did not have a very good life. He probably spent most of his life confined to a very small cage -- his feet and legs are splayed from a lifetime of standing on a wire floor. He only has a few teeth left -- almost all of his teeth had to be pulled because they were rotten. I was told by one of his rescuers that his teeth looked like little green tic tacs. He has some lingering issues now -- he doesn't like to be held down, so it's a challenge sometimes at the vet and with the groomer. He's also insane about food -- he acts like every meal is his first and last -- and can get a little cranky if Louis gets too close to his dish.

But we like to think that he's mostly forgotten about his previous life. He now lives a life of leisure -- no longer just someone's property, living in horrific conditions as a stud dog. He's content to mainly snooze away his days with us on the couch, and occasionally wander outside and raise his face to the sun, quietly basking in the warmth and his freedom.

{Norm checkin' out the scene during our road trip to the Smoky Mountains -- he loves car rides.}

To learn more about puppy mills, click here and here and here. You can watch a preview of Oprah's show here. Click here to find out when her show airs in your area. Click here to "Sign the Stop Puppy Mills Pledge," courtesy of the Humane Society of America.

Please spread the word!

Comments

[julia]

Norm is the cutest thing ever! And this is a great post. It breaks my heart to think of Norm's earlier life. I wish I had TiVo now!

[Allison aka HaselBride]

I have TiVo and oh, my goodness. It is rare that Oprah brings me to tears three times alone in one episode. I wanted to run out and slap "STOP PUPPY MILLS" bumper stickers on every car in the neighborhood. I so wish we could afford a dog right now, but when we can I will NOT be purchasing one from a pet store. I will be heading to the shelter.

Thanks for this post; the shows often get deleted off my TiVo because I don't have time to watch them all. Because of your post I watched this episode and I am now educated on this horror!