Puppy mills are horrible places that all dog lovers should be against. However, many people don’t even know what a puppy mill is. In fact, many dog parents have supported a puppy mill without even knowing it. Therefore, the world needs to be more educated about these heartbreaking places.
So, to help people of all ages to understand the horrors of puppy mills, an organization called Harley’s Dream has created a fall awareness initiative called “Take a Bite out of Puppy Mills!”
What’s so Bad About Puppy Mills?
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the concept of puppy mills, there are some things you should know. First of all, a puppy mill is a place where puppies are continuously bred for profit. The people running the puppy mills don’t typically care about the wellbeing of the dogs, so these poor dogs are often kept in wire crates their whole lives, breeding over and over again until they can’t anymore.
When these dogs are rescued from puppy mills, they are often afraid of everything. They have never seen the world outside of their cage, so they are unsure what to make of it. This often causes them to be hesitant to trust new people because no one has ever treated them with love before.
Even if you think you’ve never supported a puppy mill before, there’s a possibility that you have. Most puppy mills sell their puppies to pet stores. Actually, about 90% of the puppies found in pet stores are from puppy mills, regardless of what you are told. There are some ways to tell if a puppy is from a puppy mill, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Adopt, don’t shop!
What is Harley’s Dream?
Harley’s dream is an organization that is dedicated to putting an end to puppy mills. It is named after a sweet Chihuahua named Harley, who lived in a puppy mill for 10 years of his life. While he was there, he even lost his eye when his cage was power-washed. Luckily, he was freed from that horrible situation, and he lived on for five years to educate both children and adults about puppy mills.
Along with Harley, there is another Chihuahua that is often featured on the site named Teddy. He lived in a puppy mill for 7 years, and he was Harley’s best friend. Sadly, both Harley and Teddy have now passed away, but their legacy lives on through Harley’s Dream. Their stories are able to inspire those around them to put an end to puppy mills. The website also features stories of many other puppy mill survivors.
Harley and Teddy both personally helped with freeing over 700 puppy mill dogs across the Midwest. They have held many fundraisers to help raise money to save more. Harley would often visit classrooms to help educate children about where pet store puppies really come from. He even won the 2015 Hero Dog Awards!
What is “Take a Bite out of Puppy Mills”?
This October, Harley’s Dream has started a unique awareness initiative to spread the word on puppy mills. Ideally, it is to reach out to kids this Halloween.
When children see a puppy, all they can think about is how adorable that puppy is. They don’t worry about where puppies come from, and they never see buying a puppy as a bad thing. After all, kids are the ones that are always begging adults for a puppy. So, Harley’s Dream decided that children were the perfect audience to focus on. The sooner kids can be aware of this sad truth, the more dogs that can be saved.
So, for this “Take a Bite out of Puppy Mills” event, Harley’s Dream is selling a wide selection of items. Each item has a cute photo of Teddy in a vampire costume and the slogan, “Take a Bite out of Puppy Mills,” written on it.
There are items that can be handed out to trick-or-treaters, such as bookmarks, stickers, lollipops, bracelets, and temporary tattoos. Also, there are multiple different clothing items that can be selected as well. All these items are meant to spread the word and get both adults and children interested in learning more.
Every little thing we do to spread the word could help a dog in need. Therefore, take advantage of this awareness initiative and educate as many people as you can. It doesn’t just have to be this month either. Raising awareness about puppy mills should be an ongoing thing. So, if you know anyone that it looking to buy a puppy from a pet store, inform them about puppy mills and encourage them to adopt instead. If everyone works together, maybe one day puppy mills will be gone for good.
Featured Image: Harley Facebook
H/T: harleysdream.com
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