The Puppy Protest: It’s a Stitch

By
Jack Wu
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Editor’s Note: When originally posted, this article was attributed in error to Roger Bloom. The author is Jack Wu. We apologize to our readers and to Jack for the error.

I’ve grown up with dogs all my life, with my first dog being a Japanese Spaniel that my grandmother bred and showed.  No Puppy Mill there, although her eyes were a bit wonky.

While at the University of Hawaii, I adopted a mutt who was abandoned over on the rocks by Kaena Point.  No Puppy Mill there.

Then my horrible greedy nature started when I bought my beloved Beagle from Petland in Huntington Beach.  She lived until almost her 14th birthday, passing away the week between Christmas and New Years in 2009.  I still miss her…

A year after getting Snoopy, my ex and I drove across Orange County to another Petland to buy a Basset Hound.  Chloe lived 12 years, spending eight of those years with her own name badge as a Therapy Dog over at CHOC.

Snoopy and Chloe came from a place accused of buying from Puppy Mills.  And we loved them, and they loved us.

So I supposed with all my meat eating (seen my gut lately?), my leather shoe wearing, and my puppy mill buying, I probably couldn’t care less about the protesters out at I Heart Puppies in CdM.

But not only do I not care less, my fiancée and I spent THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars this past Saturday (the day before the “Protest”) to buy the newest member of our family, SPECIFICALLY going to I Heart Puppies to buy a French Bulldog named Stitch.  But more on that later…

As of June 2011, the unemployment rate in California is 11.8%.  In the US of A,, 9.1%.  This means that finding a job in California is more difficult than finding a job in the rest of the Country, overall.

So we have three lovely ladies take their hard-earned dollars to sign a lease in pricey Corona del Mar, invest thousands and thousands into all these fixtures and computers, apply and pay for the City’s permits, and join the local CdM Chamber of Commerce, all with the intention of selling cute little puppies to the public.  Just as the Free Market Society goes, if there is a demand, then the store will stay open.  If no one wants little cute puppies, then the store will close.

Simple, right?

The last thing these three ladies need are anything else out there to keep them from earning a living, I mean, Big Government already has its hands so deep in the small business owner’s pockets that staying open is hard enough.  During these tough economic times, they should be PRAISED for taking the risk of starting a business.

So enter the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), which exists solely because of donations from other people who actually WORK for a living.  They go around and, “actively addresses the abuse and suffering of pet shop and puppy mill dogs through investigations, education, media relations, legislative involvement, puppy mill dog rescues, consumer assistance and pet industry employee relations.”

That’s great, right?  Puppy mill dogs are bad, right?

Yes they are, but does that mean that Snoopy and Chloe should have been shot on sight just because they were purchased from Petland instead of a reputable breeder?  Should Snoopy be punished just for being born with a small head and a big body?  I’ve known plenty of other dogs from shelters and “approved” local breeders that had FAR more health problems than my two Petland dogs ever did.

And does that mean a hundred and a half people should go and protest a small business just because they supposedly bought ONE dog from an accused Puppy Mill?

The folks at I Heart Puppies told me that in the month they’ve been open, they’ve sold more than 20 puppies.  The day my fiancée bought Stitch, they had justsold another puppy a few moments earlier.  It appears as though the Free Market has spoken.

The only enemy they should need to deal with now is the Government, not “Nonprofit” groups who professionally beg to keep their doors open.

But with all that said, I want to thank the Companion Animal Protection Society for HELPING my fiancée buy a puppy from I Heart Puppies.  The irony in what they’ve done is that they’ve given this brand new store the publicity and advertising that MONEY CANNOT BUY, advertising that they probably could never have afforded on their own.

You see, had CAPS not put I Heart Puppies in the press on a weekly basis, we would not have known about this pet store.

And just as repetitive marketing helps ingrain the name of a store into one’s psyche, CAPS’s repeated shenanigans with this fledgling small business helped ingrain I Heart Puppies into my psyche, enough that when we were spending a lazy Saturday afternoon window shopping, we specifically drove into Corona del Mar to see what all the fuss was about…

…and we left with the newest member of our family.

Thanks to CAPS for bringing us Stitch, the French Bulldog.

And Stitch thanks you, too!

Stitch the French Bulldog out for a walk in his new neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

 

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116 COMMENTS

  1. Wow- this article is truly sickening!!! Clearly the authors only concern is the animals that he buys. As longs as he has the hottest, most expensive purebred, to hell with all the others. What a monster. He understands the misery that humans cause to the canine race & is promoting it. That is so much worse than someone who is completely ignorant to the facts. I really hope this idiot didn’t reproduce only to teach the next generation his cruel, inhumane ideas.

  2. You are beyond stupid, words can’t describe what an idiot you are. Heartless, don’t you get it that the mother of your French Bulldog, had her belly cut open, probably by some hack redneck/hillbilly to get your puppy that you bought. Not only do you support animal cruelty your are guilty of killing many dogs, dogs in mills and dogs in the shelter. You are obviously in kahoots with these owners so good luck to you and your dog. We will never stop educating the public that all pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills. Again you are a heartless ignorant creep. FYI, HBO will be airing a documentary “Madonna of the Mills” August 24th all about the puppy mills and that ALL pet stores purchase their puppies from them, I pray everyone watches this and gets a clue to the cruelty behind those cute little puppies. These women should have done their research before they invested their money in this gross store, they are obviously stupid too, they need to go back to the gym business in Utah. Soon an ordinance will pass in Orange County and they will have no choice but to go humane.

      • JANICE, WRONG…I THINK IT APPLIES TO YOU BECAUSE YOU SUPPORT TORTURE OF ANIMALS IN PUPPY MILLS. I AND 99% OF THE PEOPLE COMMENTING FEEL THE SAME WAY AS PAM…YOU PEOPLE NEED TO GO TO A FACTORY FARM WHERE THESE BREEDER ARE…THEN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK.

        • I agree with Debbie. With the huge overpopulation problem we have with companion animals, anyone defending puppy mill vendors condones cruelty and unnecessary death to scores of innocent animals. (and see, Janice, I didn’t even call you a nasty name. . . )

    • You would cut her belly open to pull out her uterus instead!! Everybody should mind their own business. Talk about animal rights!! you are animal wrong. People are always going to want pets and it is not up to you to play God and stop them. We live in the United States and we have the right to our pursuit of happiness. You sound like you would like to live a miserable life without pets and you have the right to that. Like a religious fanatic you have the right to your beliefs but you do not have the right to FORCE it on everybody else!!

  3. Roger Bloom, you were given the facts, your were given USDA inspection reports, you have had access to undercover footage of the hell hole that supplies this store. You have contributed to the torture of dogs in an inhumane breeding factory. And to top it off, you brag about it.

    The sad irony is that your dog Stitch has the perfect name. Smoosh-faced dogs like Frenchies, Pugs and English Bulldogs cannot give birth vaginally. They must endure cesarian sections, a painful procedure by any standard (ask any mom). In the case of commercial breeding facilities, the mother dogs are not given proper veterinary care and often, the owner will cut the dogs open without a vet and stitch them up with no pain killers.

    So your dog’s name is perfect. It reflects the pain of his mother.

    Now you, Roger Bloom, don’t know about all this because you have not investigated over 1000 puppy mills like CAPS has. This is not your area of expertise. But I have personally pulled caked, blood and puss encrusted old string from a breeding dog’s abdomen. We pulled that dog out of a mill in Southern CA. She survived and is living in West L.A. now with a very nice woman who treats her kindly.

    These large head breeds do not last long in a mill because their bodies cannot withstand the trauma. They die young after having a few years of litters so that a stupid man like you can contribute to their pain.

    Given what I know of your deliberate and willful ignorance of facts, it is astounding that you are editing a newspaper. You are a stupid, stupid man.
    Carole Davis

  4. First and foremost, you just got ripped off! I have a dear friend with 4 PUREBRED french bullies, given up by a breeder that closed shop and guess what? All she wants is a $150 adoption fee and to know the pups are going to a good home. So, point #1, you are not a financial genius. Point #2, please explain to me what your million dollar dog does differently than mine. Does is poo golden piles? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?? Will everyone know your dog was purchased for thousands of dollars? Does she wear her price tag proudly? Here’s an idea, why don’t you walk through a shelter, look at those faces and tell me they don’t deserve a chance. Tell me buying a dog is much better while others rot away and die. Why don’t you do further research and meet the mother of your new Frenchie…I bet you’d be pretty shocked to see the condition she is in. But then again, maybe not. Maybe none of this would bother you, because you are a sub-human piece of crap.

  5. Wow. You admit that you would rather support sleazy puppy mill breeders who ignore federal licensing and breeding standards, that allow breeding parents to live in filthy neglect, who cheat the government from millions in taxes, who breed dangerous diseases, dump toxic waste into our communities, and overrun our county shelters. You support all of this rather than supporting a hardworking, legitimate breeder who cares about their dogs. Why do these women deserve to have their classless business succeed over a good family breeder? Why would you rather support the poor breeding standards and continued misery of the puppy mill breeders? Pathetic article that spouts mindless babble. No one here blames the poor puppies in this spectacle, but god knows I won’t feel bad for you when your puppy gets sick. Then again, you’ll probably just euthanize him and support the free market by buying another puppy mill dog. I suppose you support sweat shops and child labor as long as it supports the free market as well?

  6. I think Roger is right, when I bought my Korean baby, she was just the sweetest little thing. I mean, what if I didn’t buy her for $10K, she would STILL be in a Korean orphanage! If it weren’t for my huge heart and giant wallet, little Daisy would be killed on spot. Granted, she had a lot of health problems, but the black market seller assured me that she was just the best little human the world could imagine. And she was right! I could have adopted an unwanted baby, but a bred little human just seemed so much more “capitalist,” don’t you think? These damn organizations trying to educate the world on human and animal rights issues, CAPS, those people don’t even work! Okay, maybe they do work, and have had successful careers, and now devote their lives to others, but seriously, they should get jobs and buy living creatures, like me! I Heart Puppies is a wonderful store that sells abused dogs, but aren’t they just the greatest little business, filing wrongful harassment suits against Carole Davis, and then wondering why their business is being protested.
    Roger, you are ignorant and heartless. You could have adopted a wonderful french bulldog from a shelter. But instead, you decided to take a stand for a pet shop that sells puppy mill dogs. Shame on you, and the woman that wants to marry you.

  7. Roger Bloom – The article you wrote is an embarrassment! Your opinion is not helping you in any way! You’re making yourself appear very ignorant, but if that’s what you’re going after, congrats, it’s working! Next time educate yourself (we all know you’ve been given the facts) before you write another article and waste everyone’s time with your nonsense.

  8. This is an appallingly ignorant, petulant rant that brings shame on this publication.

    Yes, Mr. Bloom, for knowingly contributing to the puppy mill epidemic and supporting puppy millers, “I Heart Puppies” deserves the harshest criticism — as do you and your fiancée.

    Your suggestion that CAPS and other groups are punishing the dogs is ridiculous. Nobody is suggesting that Snoopy or Chloe be shot. They are blameless. So are the millions of dogs being euthanized in shelters every year, and the hundreds of thousands of dogs languishing in torment, filth, and misery in puppy mills. All of these pets suffer horribly because of the actions of greedy, callous individuals who believe that profits justify cruelty to animals.

    Your astoundingly ignorant and condescending remark that charities “professionally beg to keep their doors open” is an insult to every man and woman who has devoted countless hours, time, and effort into helping those who cannot help themselves, who make personally sacrifices to improve the world around them.

    It is these humanitarians who deserve our praise and support — not animal abusers who enable the torture and death of helpless animals.

    I hope you and your fiancée will come to realize that by becoming a puppy mill customer, you have personally contributed to the suffering of animals just like Stitch.

    I hope that you will come to understand that while Stitch lies comfortably at the foot of your bed, thousands of dogs just like him are shivering in cold wire cages piled high with filth.

    I hope that when you take Stitch for a walk, you will think about the thousands of dogs just like him who will never walk on any surface other than jagged chicken wire.

    When you take him to the vet for a checkup, I hope you will think of the thousands of puppy mill dogs suffering from agonizing, untreated, and sometimes fatal medical conditions. (Many of these conditions are hereditary; if Stitch came from one of those puppy mills, you may learn about these conditions firsthand.)

    And I hope you will discover that the majority of people in this country — and the majority of readers of this paper — will not tolerate animal cruelty, or those who support it.

  10. I’m not sure I understand what the person writing this article is saying. You are thanking an animal rights group protesting a store for actually making you want to buy a puppy mill-bred dog at the store because of their protest? So you are trying to show that their protest ironically backfired with you or something? It’s such a shame you spent all this time writing a story in which you explain that people are trying to raise awareness of a problem but you basically don’t care about the problem and you are proud not to care. Why not spend the same time, and use your influence as a writer, to actually help explain what the problem is and how it can be solved? It’s really sad to proudly tell people in newspaper that you spent a lot of your own money to promote animal cruelty.

  11. I would love to see I Heart Puppies, Roger Bloom, et al., complete the same type of in-depth reporting and research done by CAPS (and others re: puppy mills). Or better yet, volunteer with HSUS, ASPCA, Animal Rescue Corps and the like to help at the next puppy mill crackdown. I direct my comments to them. How was the meeting with your reputable breeder? How was the condition of the sire/dam that your pup left behind? How long are they kenneled in a 24 hour period? Was their kennel and home clean and well taken care of (and away from extreme temperatures)? What type of health/genetic testing do they conduct? Did they explain when their sires/dams were retired? Was it nice to meet your reputable breeder, shake their hand, and tour their home and breeding facility? Oh wait…those things never happened?? Exactly. Because reputable breeders allow and encourage this, while yours do not. We have so many instances on video, (including breeders that I Heart Puppies supports) that show the horrors of mills. So, I Heart Puppies and Roger Bloom…how about videotaping yourselves and your reputable breeders and their facilities, along with their sires/dams?? If you and they have nothing to hide and are proud of your extensive research and purchase(s), this should be no problem. In fact, YOU should allow and encourage it. And Mr. Roger Bloom…we have no problem with you wanting a puppy or a purebred or even getting one from a REPUTABLE breeder, should your free will or rights dictate as such. But to patron a business that knowingly supports mills?? Your flippant attitude in your article lets the reader know that it just doesn’t matter. Heartbreaking. You thank us for Stich. We won’t thank you for your ignorance and complete lack of research and education that perpetuates the horrific cycle that we know as the puppy mill.

  12. WOW Roger Bloom, It’s one thing to be unaware about puppy mills but to know about the horrors that exist in puppy mills and then turn right around and eagerly support that animal cruelty with your wallet? It is an abomination and you are no humanitarian by any stretch of the imagination.

    Your job is to be an unbiased source of reporting. After reading your right-winged, talking-slants rant you call an article, your self-serving -I’ll do what I damn well please- are a prime example of how and why America has fallen deeper into the gutters and sewers of a true Idiocracy.

    Since you somehow fancy yourself to be a “real” reporter, might I suggest you submit an application to Fox News. You’re perfect for the job.

  13. I am all for people making money and running their own businesses. There are many pet stores that are still open today and profitable that either work with local rescues or professional breeders (not Puppy Mills) to get their animals. I am happy for you that your animals are healthy. You should love them and take care of them to the best of your ability. What you are missing is how these animals came to be. Remember the parents who are living in these torturous situations. That is what is being asked to stop. I do not want any business to fail, especially in this economy, but what they are doing is WRONG! Every day that you see your beloved Stitch please remember how he came to be. Think of the life he could have had if he was asked to stay at that mill and breed. Truly a sad day when anyone thinks that Puppy Mills are a good thing!!!

  14. You are so ignorant, it’s horrifying.

    Puppy mill *dogs* are not *bad* dogs and no one has EVER suggested they be shot. ?!?!?!

    PUPPY MILLERS themselves are the disgusting scum of America. Do you have ANY idea what goes on at puppy mills? Where those pet store puppies actually come from? Check out thewrongpuppy.org and then see if you can honestly congratulate yourself for “supporting” this small business. You are just adding money to the pockets of wretched humans who continue to mistreat suffering animals.

    Check out the homepage of frenchbulldogrescue.org right now. Would you believe that many of those poor frenchies came from pet stores like yours and the puppy mills who send them puppies? They did.

  15. Bloom — you are a moron. This “article” is filled with obvious prejudices — people who “work” for a living? You think the protesters don’t work? You are wrong. You are wrong that anybody suggested shooting puppy mill puppies (though the mill owners do shoot used-up breeding dogs, like the mother of your puppy). You are wrong that employing people and opening a business EXCUSES cruelty and pain and suffering caused to OTHER dogs in order to SELL you a dog. You are obviously a stupid person whose mind is weak and who is simply predisposed toward any business venture no matter what kind of misery it is rooted in. “I HEART BABY TEARS is opening soon! Yay! They beat babies to get the tears, but they bought computer equipment! WHAT GREAT job creators! Welcome to Orange County! And the tears are delicious!” Up yours you clown. You are on the wrong side of history here. Maybe once you stop getting stroked by the store owners, your erection will go down and allow enough blood back into your tiny brain for you to wake up to the facts of puppy mills and puppy stores — to wake up to the fact of the pain and cruelty that brought you your THOUSAND dollar dog. Idiot. Oh and by the way, CAPS is not responsible for your oblivious purchase any more than a person whose protest of a Slave Auction is responsible for some moral degenerate going there and buying a slave. Get it!? Get your fat head out of your huge bubble butt, goofball.

  17. “Jack” on http://www.coronadelmartoday.com comment section of the puppy protest story, is Roger Bloom’s sock-puppet.

    Wouldn’t even use his real name. **BOK BOK BOK**

    People like Jack, excuse me *Roger*, are exactly the type of over-the-top-cheap-labor-capitalist that is OK with child and slave labor too.. As long as he can get what he wants… no matter the cost as long as it’s sexy-white America selling the goods. Perhaps Jack/Roger hopes these Utah women are into the whole polygamy thing. For people like him the enslavement and abuse of women and animals go together like stars and stripes on the flag.

  18. “My fiancée and I spent THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars this past Saturday to buy the newest member of our family, SPECIFICALLY going to I Heart Puppies”–Congratulations, you WIN for the most IGNORANT comment.

    “During these tough economic times, they should be PRAISED for taking the risk of starting a business.”–They are in a business that perpetuates animal suffering and cruelty.

    By reading your article, it is clear that you haven’t a clue about what is going on in the world as far as the immense suffering these animals endure. Congratulations on being a heartless idiot.

  20. Stupid is as stupid does and Roger Bloom proves that point! He is an antagonist and one thing all antagonists have in common is a desire to control. Dealing with antagonists teach us many things about us. It teaches us about our strengths, our weaknesses, our leadership styles and, among other things, the relative strength and character of our faith. We have faith that the truly caring people of Corona del Mar and other cities will educate themselves on the plight of breeding dogs held captive in puppy mills all across America and the world, and choose not to patronize a business that supports the cruelty they endure.

  22. Apparently it was Mr. Wu not Roger Bloom who wrote that biased letter. I ask that he visit the “breeder” where his overpriced, ill bred Frenchie came from and still see if he stands by his comments. Surely his friends at IHP will give him the name and address. Come back in a few years when the genetic problems start showing up. I’ll bet he will change his tune!

  25. Ha. Well, if the editor of the Newport Beach Indy would rather read CDM Today (even if anonymously), sounds like the free market is speaking to me….

    I love people who love the “free market” but don’t seem to understand it. The free market IS WORKING when people buy eco-friendly, sweatshop-free, fair-trade or cruelty-free products! Right now in the pet business, there is information asymmetry (helped along by the consumer fraud of places like “I Heart Puppies” making claims about the puppy mills they purchase from that are, frankly, unsupported by fact). Consumer education is an essential part of correcting information asymmetry and drives the free market. It is essentially a market FAILURE when people purchase one “product” of which there is an excessive supply (surplus) at a price well above the “market” (which, in this case, is free or $100 adoption fees).

    Go back to counting your “THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS” of dollars (my what a big man you are!), knowing that now you’re a few “THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS” shorter than me.

  26. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated ” Mahatma Gandhi

    So guess what ROGER you are one of those supporting the horrific trade of puppy mill business with buying a dog from a store which we are protesting for a good and right reason!! We do have undercover investigation/information evidence and choosing to still buy a dog from them w/o having YOUR OWN investigation done/nor evidence is just ignorant.

    There is so much information out these days that ONE can not hide anymore behind the sorry excuse of “I DID NOT KNOW” any longer..these days are over since souls who love animals and care for their well being are speaking up for them and spreading the word/hearing their cries.

    Ignorant people just show me where we are as a society again and again…and keep me and my family going since it is sickening to me to know that so many of your ignorant kind are still out there helping the horrible breeders continue their business.

    Miracle awakenings do happen …maybe you do Yoga 😉 and your Kundalini energy will come through & make you see finally the truth + a few videos from horror puppy mill raids on top could help too in order to understand people like us/anybody who stands up for the helpless!
    Blessings,

  27. This guy isn’t ignorant. He knows what puppy mills are and he’s fully aware of the pet overpopulation problem, large euthanasia numbers and the costs to us taxpayers for an increasingly overburdened shelter system. But he doesn’t care. He’s just a shallow narcissist who doesn’t deserve anything but complete anonimity and irrelevance.

  28. Since the author likes to quote statistics here are some for him to ponder. We have the cold hard facts on our side. Each year, over $250 million dollars is spent housing and euthanizing homeless dogs and cats in California. Approximately 1 million dogs and cats enter California’s shelters each year, and over half of them are euthanized (killed) simply because there are not enough homes. For every animal euthanized, there is a person who is responsible. He and IHP are part of the problen and WE are part of the solution.

    Five million dogs and cats are euthanized every year in our country,
    that’s over 13,000 pets a day, every day. We could stop it by
    adopting vs. buying at pet stores (puppy mills) and spaying & neutering our animals.

  32. Hilarious. Editor Roger Bloom admits a mistake. His mistake? Taking the blame for yet another moron who “writes” for his “newspaper.” That is so funny.

    Jack Wu, now substitute Roger Bloom’s name with yours. Read all the comments. Read and learn.

    Sarah Hall, thank goodness is a journalist. Sarah, you might want to go write for a paper that has some credibility. You were beginning to get into the facts. You are surrounded by complete nitwits.

    Jack, you are a creepy lightweight. You don’t know the professions of all the people who came to protest the store. You didn’t even ask. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, producers, writers, investigators, engineers, I could go on. Jack Wu, no one ever said any puppies ought to be punished. Can you wrap your head around the facts? It’s not even about the puppies. It’s about their mothers. I think you are mentally challenged, empathy-challenged and a really lousy writer.

    Roger Bloom, mark my words: the sale of factory-bred pets WILL be illegal soon. And not just in your beautiful city. All over the nation. And you have made your mark as a knuckle-dragging apologist for cruelty to animals by printing these lies, this drivel, this misinformation. In the history of animal rights, you will go down like the people who resisted the Gay rights movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s sufferagist movement, and the abolitionist movement. One of the spineless wimps who did nothing and allowed this sort of cruelty to go on.

    • So, what you’re saying is that you obviously have no compassion for the suffering that takes place behind the making of your shoes, the gut under your leather belt, or the puppies that you so foolishly purchase. You’re proud of this? I have never before heard anyone brag about being devoid of compassion. As long as you’re satisfied, you selfish, uncaring excuse for a human being, the rest of the world can go to hell. You are the personification of evil.

  34. ATTENTION READERS: do not bother to read this article. the author is obnoxiously attempting to goad people by bragging about eating meat, wearing animal skin, and giving thousands and thousands of his cash to people who will use it to buy dogs from mills. he reminds me of a boy i knew back in elementary school who acted out because of some home issues. he suggests that animals rights protesters would want his dogs shot to death. if you are going to read anything, read the comments left on this article by people who truly love animals. i honestly doubt that this author even bought all these dogs he speaks of. anyone can get a picture of a healthy dog and claim whatever about its origins…. just as the women over at ‘i heart puppies’.

  35. Jack Wu you clearly don’t have any respect for life other then your own. So I will speak to you from the only selfish perspective you might understand. If you really cared about the economy and the unemployment rate you would also care about the BILLIONS of tax dollars going to house and kill animals that are in shelters. Animals that were PURCHASED from breeders, puppy mills, etc and then dumped like trash for the rest of us to pay for. If you have no humanity for life, as clearly you don’t, you should educate yourself about the waste of tax payers dollars!!!

  37. Remember, this is Jack Wu, a typical moron from Hawaii who spend most of his life smoking pot, catching rays and waves and thinking the world owes him a vacation. Thus, now, with the notion that he has a voice, he tries his hand at City Council and surprise surprise, no one elects him. Maybe it’s because of his meat-filled fat gut or maybe his meat filled ignorant brain… anyway, you see where this is going. Jack Wu, a middle aged crisis Harley driving agitator, decides to buy puppies to spite society. Obviously, for someone who implies that they successfully rescued a dog in Hawaii to go on and spend “THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS” of dollars on puppy-mill bred dogs knowing full well the implications, clearly has contempt for society. The notion that a small business that gets a license and rents expensive real estate should be allowed to do whatever they want. Perhaps it’s okay also if they sold packs of cigarettes. For what is interesting about Jack Wu is that he took issue with the “Republican City Council” banning cigarette smoking from public beaches. How dare they! I mean, don’t we all love to light up under that hot sun and bake those lungs! Not to mention those butts are nice to find along with shells. Jack Wu, a guy who actually ran for political office. A guy who made sure to support those lifeguards draining the state of California millions of dollars in out of proportion pension plans… this guy thinks that supporting puppy mills is a DUTY OF CALIFORNIANS! Supporting puppy mills actually will lower unemployment! How dare you protestors condemn a small business! You must be part of the 11 percent of the unemployed! And I am just getting started. This guy, Jack Wu, in Hawaii, was responsible for … nothing. Having graduated from the University of surfers, he essentially moved to of all places… Huntington Beach where he could support lifeguards and puppy shops!

  38. Furthermore — what every reader that has as much disgust for Jack Wu as I do — is to find every business that advertises in this newspaper. Let them know that you will not support THEIR BUSINESS unless this guy is fired.

    Why should Imus be fired because he made a comment about a girls hair style (racism) and this guy who goes out of his way to agitate his readers by essentially saying it’s okay to help California be overrun with more dogs than we can feed, shelter, keep warm.. etc etc. After all, he needs a perfect bulldog! His little daughter who is about 5 years old (getting weird Jack) must be really proud to have this man be her daddy. Here honey, take a perfect bulldog. It’s okay, it will need a C section one day. But that’s cool. Let’s catch a wave.

    Roger, aren’t you proud too! I mean, you actually apologize to Jack in the italics because the readers pointed their animosity to you instead of your employee.

    As someone who has rescued two dogs and actually suffered for it, I would not think of abandoning my dogs nor would I every just spend money to buy a perfect dog. As a matter of fact, my wife and I spend thousands helping those two get better from the abuse they suffered both in shelters and also in the streets of LA. We feel good about this even with the personal risk. My wife is on the board for Genesis Awards. We will make sure they know, along with the American Human Society and the Humane Society, what this newspaper promotes. Is Newport this heartless or Costa Mesa for that matter? Get real. You just started a huge war. I will make sure as a film director to see to it that your newspaper, in an already fragile economy, is run out of business.

    Seriously. Hiring a guy from Hawaii is suspect. Then again, we all did with this fabulous president of ours.

    Nice article.

  39. Roger Bloom is barbaric, immoral and merciless! I am shocked this man is running a source of media in our ehtical and beautiful city that as highly contributing tax payers, work extremely hard maintaining its reputation. The NewportIndy is fully aware of the excruciating and cruel conditions of these puppy mills! Roger Bloom, not only befriends the mill owners themselves, he brags about his financial contribution to knowingly perpetuate animal torture. The Newport Indy has full knowledge of evidence from USDA violation reports that are the suppliers of I Heart Puppies,which is owned by profiteering fraudulent peddlers (That are NOT citizens). I am a Native of Newport and many fellow citizens are appauled as they should be, of these disgraceful immoral women setting up shop in our city and committing fraud against its citizens! Nonprofit beggers?!!..My friends and family own and run corporations that pay 75% of the taxes in the United States..these women are invading our community, and are law violating profiteers for their own greed at the health and financial expense of our citizens and our city! They are a fraudulent disgrace to our business district, and the Newport Indy is repulsive journalism. Many citizens will no longer be patronizing this incompetent trash in the form of media. Your businesses contribute nothing, dont lie or fantasize to sell yourselves amongst our many ethical Humane corportations that contribute to the growth and quality of our community..You do nothing but ride our backs for your own benefit and greed, and it will not be tolerated. We are powerful, influential, established citizens with integrity that stand outside your store, Sit for a while.. and think about that….

  40. CLEARLY these idiots are friends of Bradford & CO. Idiots do seem to travel in packs, you know.

    And all the free “advertising” CAPS is giving this lame store is the WRONG kind – the kind that HURTS a business. Keep up the great work CAPS and I look forward to the day when I read here “I Heart Puppies has closed it’s doors forever.” -which is inevitable.

  41. Jack, my family recently got a new dog, too. She’s a purebred Boxer. She’s a great dog – happy, well-behaved, housebroken, and wonderful with everyone she meets. She was scheduled to be euthanized the day she was rescued. That’s what’s great about this country – we have choices. I chose to save a dog’s life and my $250.00 adoption fee was used by a volunteer-run rescue group to save more lives. You chose to buy a dog and the ”THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS” of dollars you spent will be used by the lovely ladies at I Heart Puppies to buy more dogs from brokers who source them from commercial breeders in the Midwest. The folks at CAPS have also made a choice. They’ve chosen to educate people about the link between pet stores and puppy mills. And to help people understand that this county kills millions of happy, health animals every year (in 2010, the O.C. shelter alone killed 3771 dogs). I’m sure your dog will turn out to be as wonderful as mine. But when you consider that I spent $250.00 dollars and saved an incredible dog from certain death, I think I got the better deal.

    • Thank you, Mark. And for everyone’s information, CAPS has never targeted hobby breeders who love the breed and who treat their animals like members of the family. We promote adoption of homeless animals first and we urge people who want a show dog to go to a hobby breeder IN PERSON and get on a waiting list for a show dog. 20 to 30% of the dogs at the shelter are purebred dogs. I have a purebred Cairn Terier and a Bichon Frise. Both look like show dogs and they are most likely both from puppy mills. Someone bought them in a pet store or on the Internet and then dumped them. They are happy and safe now.

      Mark made the ethical choice to save the life of a dog who would have surely died at the shelter unless he stepped forward. Orange County is overrun with homeless animals and it is our ethical duty to do something about it. As Mark stepped up for his dog, Jack Wu and the owners of I Heart Puppies continue to make thoughtless and heartless choices that have deadly consequences for animals.

      Bravo, Mark, we need a few million more people like you.

  42. Keep it in perspective – Jack Wu is a contributing writer for the Newport Beach Independent, he’s also a local businessman, former Newport Beach City Council candidate and active in the Republican Party, according to his bio. I assume he’s still lusting for that missed city council seat, and this newspaper gives him plenty of soap box opportunities to spit his venom and gain any political exposure.

    He’s intentionally written this sarcastic, ignorant article to stir up people’s emotions. This forum gives him an inexcusable platform since the more web hits his article receives, the more pro-chamber of (painful) commerce exposure he can take credit for.

    IMPORTANT WARNING! Upon various visits to read articles and view videos posted on this website, my Norton Antivirus Software had picked up and blocked numerous attempts to download malicious java and image files. I suggest anyone visiting this website should update their software and scan their system, just to be safe.

  43. Are you kidding me? Besides purchasing your puppy there did you also go on their payroll?

    Most of the so called beggars outside protesting are saving dogs out of pocket, dogs like the mother of your dear pets. Unlike your new little love who will be surely pampered and cared for, the mother dog is likely to have had at least 11 litters by the age of 6, live in a small cage and never know the love of a human. The owners of the store you regard so highly doesn’t see Stitch, they see product and profit., they have to keep their doors open after all that investment right? Who cares about the suffering of the parent dogs. Who cares that having litter upon litter doesn’t give the mother dog a chance to recover. Would you have your wife keep bearing children year after year only giving her the 6 week break after the baby is born before starting again? Would you do it even if you could sell the babies at a good profit?

    Drug dealers put up a great deal of money, have employees and that money does get into the economy and into Uncle Sam’s pockets…

    Is there some reason you wanted to avoid the questions and background check done by private breeders? Pet stores are cash and carry. Here’s your puppy and anything else we can sell you before you go out the door. They do not care whether you take it to a vet, abuse it, dump it in the street when it wets the carpet too many times nor do they care if you have had animals taken away from you in the past because you neglected or abused pets in the past. Small private breeders do. They love their dogs like you have loved yours, they want to see good matches and would prefer you bring the dog back if it doesn’t work out. Try that at your beloved pet store.

    Your dogs may have been lucky to have you for an owner, the parents of your pride and joy, not so much.

  44. This man is craving attention. He is clearly disturbed and I think someone should watch what he does to that dog. To support cruelty, abuse and neglect is a sure sign of getting off on it. These pet stores sell to anyone with a visa card so maybe someone should keep an eye on him. Did anyone do a backround check on him?

  46. Just read Wu’s ‘illegal alien’ diatribe in the archives here.
    Doncha just love it when our ethnic citizens rant about the Great Illegal Conspiracy when most of them would be ‘illegal’ themselves were it not for some lucky break of time and place?
    Newsflash: Unless we are American ‘Injuns’ WE ARE ALL illegal.

    What IS it about these Mepublicans havin’ to tramp all over the less fortunate and helpless among us…human and animal?
    Born bullies, the lot of them.

  47. I’m submitting the following link for Mr. Wu and I Heart Puppies (in the hopes that our comments and suggestions are being taken into account and read). http://madonnaofthemills.com/puppy-mills/ “Madonna of the Mills” is required viewing on August 24, 8 p.m. on HBO for you, Mr. Wu, and I Heart Puppies owners/staff. I also stand by my prior suggestion that you meet your breeder and tour the grounds, Mr. Wu. A dedicated and thorough journalist commits to due diligence and immersing themselves in education and you, Mr. Wu, seem to pride yourself on your well thought out choices/decisions. Your dedication to view this documentary (among many on puppy mills) as well as finding out the true source of your new pup should speak volumes. Question is, are you reporter (and man) enough to do so??

  48. This author is obviously not getting the point. No one who protests these kind of places is saying that the puppies themselves are “bad”. Those that create the puppy mills are bad and should be stopped. He comes from the same place as people who say that protesting the war means that you are anti-troops. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Get your facts straight before you go public with this kind of editorial. Congratulations. You have now convinced many uneducated (I didn’t say stupid) people that buying puppy mill dogs is okay, and have now sentenced the dogs that are forced to over breed to a life of torture.

  50. I have never read a more sad and uninformed article pro-puppy mill stance in all my life. You live in a hole, your head is in the sand. Get involved and learn a little about the life of the dogs who produced your “Stitch” and millions of other puppy mill breeding dogs. You only look at your end, not the front end. The torture, the horrible lives of puppy mill breeding dogs. Forget whether or not the dogs produce cute puppies, what about the suffering of the breeding stock? You are just plain short sighted. I hope you keep this article, get educated on the REAL world of puppy mills and then come back here and print your apology for your ignorance.

  54. Clearly you missed the point of this protest; which was that puppy mills are bad for dogs. The conditions these animals are bred and born into are deplorable, not to mention THOUSANDS of dogs die every day in shelters. With the money you spent at I <3 puppies you could have given literally 100 dogs a home from the shelter. Not old, ugly, mangy dogs either, many are puppies, designer mutts like chiweenies, malti-poos, and chihuahuas that i heart puppies would charge thousands for. The difference is that you are supporting an establishment that condones and makes puppy mills profitable. I heart puppies could rescue puppies from the shelter, adopt them out for 10 times what they pay to rescue them and still make an outrageous profit while having CAPS support, they chose not to. One visit to ocpetinfo.com shows they have over 80 dogs available for adoption, with 45 of them being under a year old and almost all small breed dogs. If you had your heart set on a frenchie there are many rescues that save them from shelters, mostly because they have health problems related to their puppy mill deplorable breeding conditions. Like this poor deaf french bulldog puppy that has a cheery eye. http://www.adoptapet.com/pet6024337.html For the $400 adoption fee your money would have been spent supporting responsible rescuers and not adding to the puppy mill problem. Moreover, as a member of the "press" what good does this article do for the public? This is an absurd opinion piece better left for your self-indulgent blog than passed off as newsworthy. Where is the responsible journalism in this article? I pray that your beloved Stitch never knows the horrible health problems that are so prevalent with puppy mills and you realize how much more responsible it is to rescue or adopt your next animal.

  55. Where does this biting anger come from? Over pet population is a horror… we kill 4 mill. Dogs per year in the US of the 10mill. That go into shelters….why would it be so outrageous to ask that pet stores get their puppies from rescues and shelters to help the problem instead of hindering it? What happened in your life to create such a cruel, uncaring individual? I’m sorry for your pain, only anger came from this article, no compassion for those who don’t have a voice. 🙁

  58. bet he does not have 11 children in six years.. and dogs don’t either.. hysteria and falsehoods abound here.. selling puppies is not illegal.. and your science is sadly lacking, Male dogs cannot be forced to breed females that are not ready to be bred.. female dogs only can be bred a few days out of every YEAR.. Dogs are not humans.. they cannot be raped nor can they be coy.. females dogs will only allow males to breed them when they are ready to REPRODUCE.. not for pleasure and not by force..if dogs were left to their own devices they would breed on every season ( usually twice a year.. but some only once) from onset of heat cycles to the end of their reproductive years ( usually around 7-10 years old depending on breed..
    Looks like the owner got a very nice puppy. I wish you and him a long and happy relationship.

  59. Science not Emotion, ever heard of a “Rape Stand??”
    You also might want to brush up a bit on your reproduction stats: I’d start with Feldman E.C., Nelson R.W. Canine and Feline Endocrinology and Reproduction, and Ptaszynka M. Compendium of Animal Reproduction.
    Starting with her first season at 6 months, and having 2 litters a year up until the age of 8 (more or less), she can have 15 or 16 litters. With an average of 5 puppies per litter (depending on the breed), she can have 75 – 80 puppies in a seven year period. I won’t even go into mortality rates as these numbers increase. And with the thousands upon thousands of animals in mills across the U.S., these numbers (births and mortality rates) increase EXHORBITANTLY. But what is your point, really?? That animals would reproduce if allowed? Of course they would; and as such, our country continues to gass, heartstick, and euthanizes millions of animals per year. But again, what is your point?? That Mr. Wu purchased a very nice puppy? I’m sure he did; hopefully one without health or genetic issues. But what about the sire and dam left behind? I would suggest you become familiar with those faces. Volunteer with a local rescue group or a larger national organization during the next mill rescue. Or even better, seek out someone who has direct experience with a sire, dam or pup that was rescued from a mill. It might make you change your tune.

    • oh yawn.. “suggest you do rescue. work at a shleter” etc. as if you know i have never done that.or if I had then I would change my mind about “rape stands”. “rape stands”.. I have one.. it is called a breeding bench or breeding stand.. it protects both dogs from potential injury.. dogs cannot “rape”..they breed when the time is right for BOTH of them Only humans view reproduction as an “entertaining” and bonding experience. or even sadly a violent one. Dogs are geared to reproduce.. not to have a “marriage” or the have fun..when a female is not in season neither the dog nor the female will have any interest in breeding. Dogs breed to REPRODUCE not to rape or “have fun”. Dogs chase balls to have fun.. or eat a treat.
      Shelly.. learn that dogs cannot “rape” nor does a breeding bench cause a dog to “rape” another. It is a convenient term used by animal rights people and dog fighters to describe a piece of equipment used to protect animals from harm.. You want me to go to a shleter.. how about you watch a breeding using a breeding bench. See how it protects the dogs from harm.. ever see a dog who has been torn from a tie? The dog penis is not like a human one.. but then why would I expect any of you to know that when you think a dog can “rape” a female dog..?? Rape is a human concept.. and so is the term “rape stand”.. but it plays well in animal rights circles

      • I suppose the dogs climb willingly into your “breeding stands” or do you force them to so they can breed for your profit? You make me sick. You clearly do not care about the suffering dogs caged in puppy mills for life or until their usefulness is over and they are killed. Some are inseminated, some moms have C-Sections without benefit of anesthesia and some just die from malnutrition and neglect. I suppose you also agreed with concentration camps or don’t you believe those existed????

    • @caps.. your assumption is that every natural animal will reproduce is a false one.. many people ( look at Europe) keep natural pets without them reproducing. CAPS thinks people are too stupid to keep a natural animal without it reproducing. It just is not so. Besides AVMA stats show that over 75 percent of owned dogs are neutered ( both sexes). That should tell you that people are not as dumb as CAPS want you to think they are
      @Danjou.. puppies suffer a 30% mortality rate no matter where they are born, at home, in shelters ( yes puppies are born in shelters, some have even been bred in shelters ( see the Dan Christen case)), at a commercial kennel or in the wild… so the extreme rate of reproduction is false..yes our country continues to kill why because that is what we do.. killing for space in a “shelter” is almost unheard of in other countries.. and so is mandatory castration..it is a disgrace that we still kill for space…and that we have pet limits and other laws that kill dogs.support no kill

  60. Science Not Emotion….dissapointing that your reproduction facts are a little skewed. But what point are you trying to make here? Animals may be able to mate should they choose to do so, but when you think of the hundreds of thousands of animals breeding every day in mills across the country and the millions of animals we kill per year in U.S. shelters alone (not to mention the deplorable mill conditions these sires/dams live in), why do those stats matter?? But even if we took yours for face value, again, I’m still missing your point. Come with me on the next puppy mill crackdown; you won’t find one red cent worth of hysteria and falsehoods there. What you would see would turn your stomach (and break your heart). It might make you look at stores who support mills a little differently. Oh, and one last thing…learn what a “rape stand” is.

  61. If all these pet shop puppies were so mistreated by their alleged puppy mill breeders as CAPS people and other similiarly mis-informed lost souls would have us believe, then the puppies would all be defective and sick and bad-tempered and the stores would lose their customers. In fact, pet shops who sell sick dogs and/or who keep them in substandard conditions do wind up going out of business pretty quickly. Otherwise, no one has a moral right to harass a legal,
    well-managed business out of business. If shelters are really putting to sleep
    two or three million dogs a year, then why are they importing 300,000 or more dogs every year from third-world countries who raise their dogs in conditions that make the worst dog kennels in the U.S. look like the Plaza Hotel? If shelters are really putting to sleep all those allegedly unwanted dogs, why
    have dog thefts right out of people’s back yards risen 11 percent just this year?

    The dirty little secret that the animal rightists don’t want to admit (because they’d lose their unifying propaganda) is that nationally, there is a shortage
    of dogs. Better the heavily regulated commercial breeders and their retail outlets (pet shops) help with that shortage than having it filled with sick
    dogs from third-world countries.

  62. I totally get where everyone is coming from but think about the puppies in the pet shop for on minute. There life is only slightly better than a shelter dog since if they are not adopted they will still be there next week while the shelter dog is put to sleep. But the pet shop dogs sit in a cage, they depend on a lazy worker to clean out the poop from their cage and if the worker doesn’t feel like doing it the pup has to sit in it. They too have to crowd in one or more pup to share their space with and their cages are in the stuffy room air how often do you think they see fresh air and feel the warm sun?? These pups are in need of getting out too. But if the protests continue as they do your not only hurting the workers the puppy mills but the dogs too, are rescues and nonprofits trying to help the dogs. There seems like there could be other ways to stop the puppy mill cycle rather than trying to scare people away from saving a dog from captivity. If a pet shop dog doesn’t get adopted it doesn’t mean they stop growing, these are ways for them to get deformities and then who wants them you have just prevented a life from finding a home and a likely trip to the shelter. My neighbor got a Doxie which is a smaller dog so thee growing isn’t much of an issue but he sat 6 months of his young life in a pet shop cage till someone came to adopt him in hard financial times the dogs are sitting longer it seems harsh that they would have to wait their turn to run And play because of protests too. I never go in to pet shops because they are from puppy mild that doesn’t bother me as much as seeing them in a small space behind glass water bowls empty begging for attention to find their forever home too. I know as much as you all do the shelter stats as I volunteer with rescues but there will never be a win win as one or the other will lose. Shelter dog will die, pet shop put remains in his cage another day and the only ones doing better are the rescue dogs in foster homes so it seems like more time and efforts should go to finding fosters andd saving those that need it. Advertise fostering in front of these stores rather then scaring people away from buying or adopting.

    • @messenger.. you don’t really think these protesters care about what happens to the puppies do you? They want you to feel bad.. they want to force their “business model” on everyone…your point is very well taken..why don’t they advertise fostering in front of the store..in fact why don’t they open their own pet store.. selling shleter pets.. they get them for free.. not bad.. get them free and vet them and sell them..ask them why they don’t do that..and do it the right way.. drive the “pet store” out of business with their won store.. hmmm

      • Perhaps it’s the overhead… oh yes, some malls have offered discounted or free space to shelters and they gladly take it. However, rescues rarely sell their pups for $2K+… hard to cover your overhead at full bill if you aren’t making much of a profit– especially with vet bills, which these pet stores don’t have to consider..

  63. Sookey, you are misinformed. Your numbers were made up by a coalition of animal enterprises that profit from factory bred animals. Your numbers are totally false. Please go to your local shelter and check that out for yourself. We do not import dogs to shelters. The sad fact is, people are dumping animals at the shelter all day and night.

    In addition to that, no one ever made the claim that owners of I Heart Puppies were treating their puppies badly. It’s the puppies’ mothers we are concerned about in the factories that manufacture dogs for pet stores and internet sales. The don’t treat their dogs well, however.

    They were forced to install an alarm for fire safety. They did not do it voluntarily. Also, they have the pups inside tiny enclosures, way too small by humane standards. They also lack ventilation. They also do not care to check out WHO buys these dogs. A criminal could go in there and drop the money and they would sell him a dog. They do not do a home check like a rescue would. Also, they are selling intact animals that unless they are sterilized later, will add to the overpopulation crisis in our shelters.

    Your “dirty little secret” is false. You are spreading lies about the animal welfare movement. The dogs in the shelter are no sicker than the dogs sold on the Internet and in pet stores. Please learn about all the sick dogs sold in pet stores. They are full of diseases and genetic malformations. And they are the same dogs dumped at the pound when the vet bills become too high and the warranty is passed.

    Learn the facts, Sookey. You don’t seem to believe that shelters are killing for space. Go there. Look.

  64. Sookey, where do you get your dog import facts?? Coming from someone who has friends at the US Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, Foreign Quarantine Program, that is pretty laughable; considering the quarantine laws, cost of mandatory veterinary health/rabies certificates, and duty/entry fees per animal.
    And since you seem to have a problem with our euthanasia rates (my guess is you don’t believe the staggering genocide rates happening all over the world, right??) then head down to your local shelter and volunteer at your local hospital wing. Count the numbers of animals arriving per day, as well as the amount you see euthanized in a one day period. Multiply that by 364. You can also check statistics with places like http://www.petpopulation.org/index.htm. You can also email your local shelter directors who have a pretty good idea of the amount of animals euthanized in their shelters alone. Or take it from someone who has volunteered at their local shelters and with rescue groups for years. Carrying back hundreds of animals to bins every week, despite your intense efforts to find them a forever home, is not only heartbreaking and devastating, but very real indeed.

  65. And your friends are getting paid?
    Try the following and note, I didn’t even get paid for this:
    http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april072008/pet_rx-4-7-08.php
    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3765973&page=1

    And those animals arriving daily in the shelters? You know how many
    are imported from other places? Check out the stats on your local
    shelter before you believe they’re all coming from your area. Or is
    your local shelter not recording this? Then check out how much effort
    the shelter is putting into actually finding homes. Not whining about it,
    but actively working to find homes. How many potential good homes
    are actually being turned away? How many sick senior animals are
    brought in to be killed because it’s cheaper to get it done at a shelter
    than the local vet clinic? How many of those animals being killed are
    feral? Is your local shelter actually holding the stats on that? If yes,
    then I, for one, would like to know the name of that shelter.

    For those of you who have done a good job of complaining in this
    comment section, how many of you have actually worked to get
    limit laws raised so that more homes are available? How many of
    you help seniors out with their animals? How many of you are
    helping out families and their pets in these tough economic times?
    How many of you give lessons, be it basic manners, obedience,
    grooming, etc.? How many have worked towards the goal of emptying
    that shelter through positive means? How many have actually
    walked the talk?

    I’m glad that Mr. Wu had a choice of where to purchase his puppy.
    That’s called freedom. Freedom to choose. Freedom not to be
    dictated to. I’m glad that he’s had past success with the dogs
    he has purchased, regardless from where. And that he supported the
    business endeavors of three individuals is also to be commended. You’re
    right, Mr Wu. The economy can’t continue on this “handout” route and
    expect positive results. And that includes shelters. They’ve made animals
    disposable. And too many who support that disposable concept. Shame
    on them. Shame.

  66. There IS NO QUARANTINE for rescues. Shelters are exempt from many import laws and have no federal requirements to quarantine the dogs or ensure that they are free of parasites and diseases before they place them.

    Six Massachusetts residents had to receive rabies treatments because a shelter imported a rabid puppy from Puerto Rico in 2003. The group involved was called “Save a Sato”. The puppy had no rabies vaccination, but shelters in the New England states need puppies to satisfy their customers.

    In 2004, a puppy imported from Mexico into LA had rabies. In 2007, a puppy imported into the US from India had rabies.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3765973&page=1

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1863-2378.2008.01107.x/abstract

    http://time4dogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-raining-dogsfrom-other-countries.html

    As to the shelters who still kill adoptable animals, they have no one to blame but themselves. There are over 17 million homes opening up for pets every year in the US, while between 3-4 million are killed in shelters under the lame excuse of “no space”. Do the math. Listen to the guru of the no kill movement, who is an animal rights activist and animal rights attorney. He knows the score. Pet “overpopulation” is bogus. Debunked here for your reading pleasure:

    http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=1390

  67. Carol, did you know the Helen Woodward Humane Society in San Diego imports dogs every month from ROMANIA? Read my response to aother poster further down for more documentation on the hundreds of thousands of dogs that are imported into the US each and every year.
    Rescues and shelters do not all do home checks. Many dogs are placed on the spot at rescue events. That’s a GOOD thing.
    A shelter survey on thousands of dogs showed that less than 5% originated from pet stores, and less than 2% from professional breeders.
    http://time4dogs.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-pet-store-aanimals-fill-shelters.html
    And don’t forget, pet store customers are protected from sick animals that they might purchase under the state’s puppy “Lemon” law. With shelter and rescue dogs, all bets are off. They are not covered by any lemon law.

  68. Jack,
    You bring up an excellent point about the depressed CA economy and record job loss. This is exactly why our animal shelters are over crowded and resorting to euthanasia. Some of these pets were also purchased at places like Petland and cherished and cared for but when a family loses their income and home, the pets can be innocent victims of hardship. They did nothing wrong, and deserve a second chance. Did you also know that America’s two largest pet retailers, PetCo and PetSmart have spent 100s of 1000s of dollars on feasibility studies that have determined it is not profitable or possible to be both humane and sell dogs? Why is it that 3 ladies in CDM feel they are superior business executives? And why is it that the income of these 3 ladies, which could easily be sustained by the sale of pet food and accessories, as so many other profitable business models in Orange County do, is more valuable to you than the many people who have lost their beloved pets? It’s fairly simple, really.

  70. Small business owners? These people buys these dogs, whom you think are well bred for probably around 500 dollars and sell them to you for 3,500 dollars. You should be ashamed of yourself. Ignorance is bliss but you sure paid a lot for that. And also even AKC doesn’t promote buying any puppy without seeing the parents first. But you I am sure are smarter than they are.

  71. JACK WU NEEDS A THERAPIST. THANK YOU JACK FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUFFERING OF YOUR NEW PUPPIES MOTHER…I THINK IF YOU HAVE WATCHED OR VISITED A PUPPY MILL YOU MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT COMMENTARY HERE. BETTER YET, WHY DON’T YOU VISIT THE THE FACTORY BREEDING FARM WHERE YOUR DOG CAME FROM…IF AT THAT TIME YOU STILL FEEL THE SAME, THEN WE KNOW YOU HAVE NO COMPASSION FOR A SUFFERING DOG OR ANIMAL

  74. I expect a reasonable journalist to exhibit even the slightest attempt to properly research the topic they are writing about– of course, this article was written by a common selfish schmuck without any regard for the truth. This article was a waste of my time and clear example of how unfortunately stupid individuals can be. Sorry, Jack Wu, I should hope I could expect more from an average individual. And no, the company should go out of business if they cannot conduct the requisite research to determine where they are getting their products and what they are providing the public.

  75. Not only has the author shown us that he’s a self-centered, clueless, “let them eat cake,” jerk, he’s also _terrible_ with money. I was volunteering at my local animal shelter this past weekend and saw dozens of purebred dogs — all for much less than _thousands_ of dollars he boasts about spending on the latest addition to his heartless home.

  77. None of the humaniacs here can respond to the points I posted a few days ago about the huge amounts of imports these “rescue” groups bring into the US…often times these dogs are sick and have parasites and even rabies. But supposedly, according to these fanatics, all USDA licensed and inspected breeders are no good and need to be shut down. That’s baloney.

    • Breeding dogs stuck in a cage for their entire lives so that their puppies can be sold in high priced pet stores has nothing to do with what you stated. One thing does not negate the other. The mother dogs are suffering for their entire lives so that IHP can make money. That is wrong and we are the voice for those mother dogs. In fact some of them have their vocal cords cut by the puppy mill owner shoving a pipe down it just so they cannot hear their anguished barking. If you did research on the USDA website you can look up a puppy mill to see the numerous violations against it. Why don’t you look up the puppy mill IHP gets their dogs from? The USDA is sorely lacking in enforcement. Come back here when you have something intelligent to say!

      • It is not “abuse” to have puppies any more than it is for a woman to have children. The dogs would choose that for themselves if left to their own devices. Neither is it abuse to be housed in a kennel.
        You should be glad that inspections are ongoing and that violations are issued so that these breeders can improve their animal husbandry practices. Enforcement can always be improved, but just in Missouri alone, since 2009, over 500 kennels have been shut down by the USDA for serious AWA violations. The current system is working. The claims that breeders perform their own C-sections or debark procedures are inflammatory and, if true, would demonstrate illegal activity. Report them. Otherwise, save the drama for your mama.
        Attacks on legitimate businesses are an affront to the very freedoms upon which our country was founded.

        • “Attacks on legitimate businesses are an affront to the very freedoms upon which our country was founded.”

          …. or they represent consumer education to correct information asymmetry and allow consumers to make better informed market choices. Or I guess you hate both government regulation AND the free market? What are we left with?

  78. George, I was going to respond to yout posting but didn’t see how comments regarding importing dogs directly related to this article and/or puppy mills. If it’s in regard to disease within the breeding and puppy mill and rescue communitie(s), it’s pretty easy to see that you will find horrors everywhere.

    My question for you and or anyone who wishes to respond: your thoughts on puppy mills, your answer for eradicating them or why you support them, how to properly educate the public on them, and your views on businesses who knowingly support them??…..

  80. To all of you telling the community that all pet store puppies are from puppy mills, it is quite obvious that you stage your comments to appear as though you are not all attached to the same organization. You try and appear as though you represent a mix of our community, when your comments are so transparent. You have a message that you are trying to ram down people’s throats! You speak as though you represent the local communities, when my guess is, based on reading your back and forth nonsense, you are all part of the same group.

    Why are you all so intolerant of others opinions, wait, don’t answer that! I already know your response, more poison. You expect others to take what you say as truth, why would any intelligent, open minded, logical person believe you? why is your ‘truth’ truth??? It’s not! You speak lies and act like authorities on subjects you really know very little about, your crazed ‘passion’ for your cause is most apparent, however ‘passion’ does not usually equate into either truth or knowledge!

    It won’t surprise me when you respond with ‘more of the same’ it’s how you operate, ignorant people blindly following crazy ‘passionate’ leaders. Why don’t you do something responsible and productive with your time and quit spewing your poison into a world that needs more love and compassion?

  81. First, let’s clarify, it appears that you and all of your supporters in this comment section obviously believe and want others to take your word for your opinion that all breeders are ‘puppy mills’ . What a ludicrous statement!

    Why would a pet store support mills knowingly or otherwise. There are plenty of good and responsible dog breeders out there. The awareness of ‘puppy mills’ has benefitted and changed the entire pet industry, making it a much different industry. Pet stores are run by animal lovers not animal haters, it makes sense that they buy from breeders they know. Pet stores visit their breeders and buy from ones they see treat their animals with love and compassion. It is crazy to think these people would treat their animals without kindness, it makes no sense. And saying that breeders perform c-sections themselves, are you nuts! Breeders invest their time and thousands of dollars into their dogs and they entrust their care to good vets.
    Yes bull dogs do have to have surgery to give birth, so do many women. What is your point? Should those that need surgery to procreate stop doing so? Please stop making decisions for others. Are you suggesting that we allow the bull dog breed to go extinct? There are many people that would disagree with you. These dogs are amazing and have great lives with people that love them.

    I think your ‘end game’ is to end the inclusion of animals completely in the lives of humans. I know this sounds ridiculous to any intelligent American, however if you do your research and study the AR community I sincerely believe this is the goal. So I guess if your goals are realized and you stop the commercial dog and cat breeding industry American citizens will no longer be able to have a dog or cat in their life. Sound Un American! Remember all shelter/rescue animals are sterile so when the current population dies out there will no longer be any dogs or cats in the American home. These animals are on this earth for a reason, they share their unconditional love with us and make the world a better, happier, more loving place to live in.

    Please don’t start with your ridiculous idea that we as humans are using animals for our own devices, yes we are including them in our lives and giving them good homes. These animals that come from breeders are treated well, they have shelter, heat in winter and cooling in the summer. They are clean, healthy, appreciated, and well cared for. Remember dogs can only breed every 6-9 months and only for a few years, breeders manage this cycle to benefit the animal, not their pocket book. They care about the animals! When the animal is retired from breeding, they are placed in a home or they continue to live in their current home.

    You will probably dispute all that I have written because it exposes the truth that is real not your lies!

    I know what ever I say will not change you or the AR community, I just want to put the other side of this issue out there for the people that can think for themselves and do the research needed to form there own opinion.

    So, if you want to continue to have a cat or dog in your home you need to pay attention and talk to your local government officials, because the AR community is working very hard to pass laws right now that will stop the sale of dogs and cats to the public. If they have their way Pet stores will only be allowed to sell sterile rescue animals. Dog and cat breeders are being targeted, to stop breeding animals. They Are being targeted with violence to stop doing business as breeders. These are hard working, professionals, who take great pride in their facilities and the care they provide for the animals. The end result, if the AR’s have their way will be no pets in our homes.

    If this sounds Un American to you, if you don’t want your choice to have the dog you want in your life then do something before it’s too late!

  82. I love how all ARA’s are lumped into one category: breeder haters, wanting no person to have a companion animal,resorting to violence to get what we want, etc. So not true. And we aren’t lumping all breeders into the category of “puppy mills.” But the fact of the matter is, they are real and they are there; and they are not giving their animals love, attention, heat in the winter, cooling in the summer, proper vet care, and the like. Note that I didn’t say reputable or hobby breeders. I said mills. Which brings me back to my question; for those who are against ARA’s/protesters, what are your answers to getting rid of puppy mills and your thoughts on those businesses who knowingly support them?

  83. @ Tyler, I suggest you watch the HBO special “Madonna of the Mills” on August 24th to educate yourselves on the subject of puppy mills. It is apparent to me that you and the others who are PRO puppy mills are friends of the owners OR the owners themselves. You are blind to what takes place in puppy mills so educate yourself on the subject or SHUT UP!

  84. Gerlach Works to Protect Pet Owners, Crack Down on Puppy Mills
    (Co-sponsors legislation demanding humane treatment of dogs and greater oversight of breeders selling pets for profit)

    Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) co-sponsored legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prevent puppy mill owners from taking advantage of a loophole in federal law allowing them to avoid reasonable regulation.

    The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act (PUPS Act) calls for commercial breeders that sell more than 50 dogs per year to be licensed and inspected regularly. The measure also would require these large breeders to provide dogs 12 weeks or older with a minimum of two exercise periods totaling at least one hour every day.

    “Horror stories about the inhumane treatment and deplorable conditions that exist in large dog breeding kennels are all too familiar to Pennsylvania residents,” Gerlach said. “In addition to mistreating dogs, puppy mill owners often profit by selling sick animals to unsuspecting buyers. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Humane Society on this bill to make sure pet owners and dogs are protected in all states.”

    Congressman Gerlach has been a consistent supporter of puppy mill legislation during his first three terms. In 2005, he backed proposed legislation known as PAWS that would have given the U.S. Agriculture Department greater authority in regulating and inspecting large pet breeding operations. That measure never reached the president’s desk.

    Gerlach said recent high-profile animal cruelty cases could help build momentum for the PUPS Act.

    “I am confident that this bill will not hinder the operation of reputable and responsible breeders,” Gerlach added. “Instead, it is aimed at protecting dogs and making individuals who are motivated by profit over the fair and humane treatment of dogs accountable for their actions.”

    SOURCE: http://gerlach.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=103041

  85. Go to pet pardons and see what puppy mills are doing out in the environement 9 dogs are killed a minute in the US and the shelters (kill and no kill) are overloaded because of them and irrisponsable owners who could give a rats behind. Only someone who is an irrisponsable ignorant selfish jerk, and not done a lick of due dilligence would post something this unrefined. Grow up and read before you post a dumb article like this.

  86. I’ve known Jack for many years, and he’s always been willfully ineducable on this issue. I’m sorry to see that he still feels the need to spend thousands of dollars on puppy-mill pets to prove his contrariness and confirm his total lack of understanding of the subject at hand, and I’m embarrassed for the lack of self-awareness that makes him proud enough of this misguided position to write a chest-thumping op-ed on the topic.

    As my father always said, “Don’t parade your ignorance.” Jack would be well served to heed his advice.