Waving signs that read "Puppy Mills Breed Cruelty," "Adopt From A Shelter," and "Prisoners of Greed," animal advocates protested outside in Aquebogue both Saturday and Sunday in an effort to raise awareness about puppy mills.
The demonstration was the second: In June, crusaders staged a similar gathering at the same spot on Route 25.
"We are educating consumers about puppy mills and the parent dogs left behind to suffer," said Barbara Dennihy of the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) on Saturday; her organization has been working to expose pet shops that allegedly use puppy mills to supply their stores.
"Many, many New York State stores use these mills or brokers who use puppy mills to stock their stores," she said. "Logic tells you that puppies don't fall out of the sky--they have to come from somewhere."
Although Scott Kaphan, owner of The Puppy Experience, was not available for immediate comment back in June, a manager at the store, John, who asked that his last name not be given, said at the time that CAPS demonstrators make stops outside many area pet stores.
"They didn't ask where our dogs come from," he said. "Our dogs come from breeders. I'd be glad to provide them with information if they would just come in and ask."
The protestors, he added, carried "horrible signs" and did not bother to give the store a chance to respond to their allegations. "They just lumped us in with everyone else -- that's what they do," he said. "We don't do anything wrong or illegal -- we just do business. I sleep at night because I get my dogs from a good place."
He added that the demonstation outside his store was just one of many scheduled stops; this weekend's was the most recent.
Dennihy said often, consumers are told the puppies they are buying are from local, professional breeders when "the puppy's health certificate tells a different story. Education of consumers is an important way to help make changes and expose the cruelty behind the puppy in the window."
Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, Kansas, and Iowa are the leading puppy distributors to New York State pet shops, Dennihy said.
I am a pet sitter, and care for a dog that came from the aquebogue store. The owners didn't think the dog was gonna get THAT big ( didn't pet store guy inform them??!!) and tied it out in the yard, and barely fed it. When he was rescued, his teeth were all ground down from eating ROCKS -- anything to fill his tummy. The wonderful woman who adopted him has nursed him to health and showers him with love. Hope the sleaze bag who made money on him is enjoying his corvette.
summer is the most profitable time for puppy-mill-fed puppy stores. it seems so easy to go in, buy a dog, and enjoy your outside time with him or her. ever wonder why we have teaming shelters here? dogs get dumped at the end of the summer by these casual, uninformed buyers, and become the burden of both the taxpayer (in the form of animal control, police when necessary), and the good will of people who work in shelters. these dogs are bred in factory conditions, unscrupulously, and with traits that cost the owners thousands in vet bills to fix (which again sees many dogs abandoned). these stores are dishonest in both transaction and intention. that this particular shop claims they collect money for shelter dogs, the benefit of whom they cannot prove, just adds to their dishonesty. perhaps you don't like dogs, or animals in general. perhaps you can simply wrap your head around unethical business practices to understand this is wrong. the result of said lack of ethics affects everyone.
Are you in favor of puppy mills? Do you think people have a right to abuse animals?
Be careful of slander,,, before you post certain time frames in respect to the verb.. allow for the correct tense to be used.