LeeAnn C. (finnsmom) reviewed Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This book should make everyone think twice before even stepping foot in a pet store, let alone giving them business. As I told my husband, after reading it, I want to stand outside of a pet store and tell people "Wait. You need to read this book before you purchase anyone from this store." So educational. Although I knew a lot about puppy mills prior to reading this book, it gave true insight into the raids conducted and the deplorable conditions these poor dogs were found in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Eva Marie L. (babyjulie) -
Helpful Score: 3
I hate waiting to review a book because I'm bound to forget certain things but here goes and I only finished this yesterday so maybe I will remember all I wanted to say.
This first thing is I actually met a Cavalier King Charles from deplorable Mike-Mar kennel that is no longer in business thanks to a lot of local heroes. Yesterday I went to the vets office to get my dog his pills and saw the beautiful little dog. I'd have went over anyway because I love all dogs but since I was currently reading Saving Gracie I mentioned it to her. She wrote the name of the book and the author down and when I told her more of what it was about she asked me if this kennel was talked about! I told her it was the main kennel featured. Then she proceeded to tell me this little dog I was petting was a survivor from that same, sad kennel. I plopped right down on the floor and spent some time with her and talked to her person. How much of a coincidence is that?!
About the book, unless you're an expert on puppy mills you'll be enlightened. I knew what a puppy mill was, I knew there are a large amount and the highest concentration in Lancaster, PA., and I knew Missouri is the other "main" large place where they exist. Everyone knows the conditions are horrible, that the dogs meet with much abuse, that they need to be gone for good.
I didn't know a lot of other things, for example, how much PA Governor Ed Rendell is a dog lover and did so, so much towards helping these animals. I didn't know about all of the heroes in the day to day business of saving animals - right down the street from me.
Real quick I want to add that I think Bradley did a great job with this book, there is nothing biased or similiar about it. She told many great things were credited to Rendell and also wrote about where and how he fell short, along with others. That impressed me because so many animal lovers are so passionate they forget to give the whole story and the complete truth in their quest.
**4 million dogs a year are put to death. FOUR MILLION dogs a year. Yet we have breeders all over the country breeding dogs to exhaustion. I'd love someone to explain that to me.
I never knew much, or cared much, about my pets being AKC registered so I never cared much about the AKC. If people knew how much of a hand the AKC had in the PA puppy mills they wouldn't think it was such an exclusive and well-rounded organization. I also assumed, because of what they claim to do, that their rules and regulations are air-tight. They aren't. As long as you tell them the parentage of a dog that's good enough for them basically. Sometimes proof is needed. If you breed a certain amount of litters for example. The rest? No proof. Yet they claim that an AKC registered dogs parentage is 100%. They couldn't care an iota less about dogs. They care about their dues and making money and that's it.
The very people whose jobs it was to check these kennels out passed them even when the kennels were atrocious. (This is an example of how Rendell stepped up in PA. He fired the entire group of them and hired all new people and all of a sudden the horrible kennels were being shit down. Maybe breeders stopped on their own instead of taking the chance on losing out in the form of jail time, monetary loss in one manner or another, etc.
In one case in Virginia, rescuers took just under 1,000 small breed dogs (twice as many as the breeder was licensed to have). The breeder was convicted on animal cruelty and neglect charges and his sentence? To pay slightly under $5,000 in vet bills, a 12 year suspended sentence, probation and the agreement that he won't own any more than 250 dogs. Another judge upheld this verdict after an appeal. F*%& the 250 dogs I suppose.
St. Francis of Assis, patron saint of animals - "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with with their fellow man."
I haven't spent much time on the site yet but www.anewstartonlife.com looks like a good one to learn more and possibly help out. Bradley mentions this site and at least one of the sites creators in Saving Gracie.
If you're an animal lover of any kind Saving Gracie will touch you. I'm so thankful that I found this book and I only wish I had known much of this information sooner. I will never set foot in another pet store than sells animals. Never. I had already made up my mind on this a long time ago but this book only reinforced my resolve that I will not buy another fullbred puppy unless it's at a shelter. Probably not even then. Luckily I love dogs enough that I'm far from being done with them and I have the chance to help some. I'll be buying an older dog from now on because the puppies are the first ones to go and the older dogs also much deserve a good life and home.
I urge people to do some research and find out more about this subject. the more people with the knowledge the better. Maybe one day we can be assured no more dogs are living in sub-standard conditions like the ones attributed to the kennels in Saving Gracie.
This first thing is I actually met a Cavalier King Charles from deplorable Mike-Mar kennel that is no longer in business thanks to a lot of local heroes. Yesterday I went to the vets office to get my dog his pills and saw the beautiful little dog. I'd have went over anyway because I love all dogs but since I was currently reading Saving Gracie I mentioned it to her. She wrote the name of the book and the author down and when I told her more of what it was about she asked me if this kennel was talked about! I told her it was the main kennel featured. Then she proceeded to tell me this little dog I was petting was a survivor from that same, sad kennel. I plopped right down on the floor and spent some time with her and talked to her person. How much of a coincidence is that?!
About the book, unless you're an expert on puppy mills you'll be enlightened. I knew what a puppy mill was, I knew there are a large amount and the highest concentration in Lancaster, PA., and I knew Missouri is the other "main" large place where they exist. Everyone knows the conditions are horrible, that the dogs meet with much abuse, that they need to be gone for good.
I didn't know a lot of other things, for example, how much PA Governor Ed Rendell is a dog lover and did so, so much towards helping these animals. I didn't know about all of the heroes in the day to day business of saving animals - right down the street from me.
Real quick I want to add that I think Bradley did a great job with this book, there is nothing biased or similiar about it. She told many great things were credited to Rendell and also wrote about where and how he fell short, along with others. That impressed me because so many animal lovers are so passionate they forget to give the whole story and the complete truth in their quest.
**4 million dogs a year are put to death. FOUR MILLION dogs a year. Yet we have breeders all over the country breeding dogs to exhaustion. I'd love someone to explain that to me.
I never knew much, or cared much, about my pets being AKC registered so I never cared much about the AKC. If people knew how much of a hand the AKC had in the PA puppy mills they wouldn't think it was such an exclusive and well-rounded organization. I also assumed, because of what they claim to do, that their rules and regulations are air-tight. They aren't. As long as you tell them the parentage of a dog that's good enough for them basically. Sometimes proof is needed. If you breed a certain amount of litters for example. The rest? No proof. Yet they claim that an AKC registered dogs parentage is 100%. They couldn't care an iota less about dogs. They care about their dues and making money and that's it.
The very people whose jobs it was to check these kennels out passed them even when the kennels were atrocious. (This is an example of how Rendell stepped up in PA. He fired the entire group of them and hired all new people and all of a sudden the horrible kennels were being shit down. Maybe breeders stopped on their own instead of taking the chance on losing out in the form of jail time, monetary loss in one manner or another, etc.
In one case in Virginia, rescuers took just under 1,000 small breed dogs (twice as many as the breeder was licensed to have). The breeder was convicted on animal cruelty and neglect charges and his sentence? To pay slightly under $5,000 in vet bills, a 12 year suspended sentence, probation and the agreement that he won't own any more than 250 dogs. Another judge upheld this verdict after an appeal. F*%& the 250 dogs I suppose.
St. Francis of Assis, patron saint of animals - "If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with with their fellow man."
I haven't spent much time on the site yet but www.anewstartonlife.com looks like a good one to learn more and possibly help out. Bradley mentions this site and at least one of the sites creators in Saving Gracie.
If you're an animal lover of any kind Saving Gracie will touch you. I'm so thankful that I found this book and I only wish I had known much of this information sooner. I will never set foot in another pet store than sells animals. Never. I had already made up my mind on this a long time ago but this book only reinforced my resolve that I will not buy another fullbred puppy unless it's at a shelter. Probably not even then. Luckily I love dogs enough that I'm far from being done with them and I have the chance to help some. I'll be buying an older dog from now on because the puppies are the first ones to go and the older dogs also much deserve a good life and home.
I urge people to do some research and find out more about this subject. the more people with the knowledge the better. Maybe one day we can be assured no more dogs are living in sub-standard conditions like the ones attributed to the kennels in Saving Gracie.
Kirstin E. (HausMaus) -
Helpful Score: 1
Read this book in less than 1 day - it should be required reading for anyone considering adding a pet to their family, for legislators deciding on whether to pass animal cruelty laws, and for all who care about animals. Informative yet not preachy.
