Our organization was born from a student project that ended up on the internet. Everyone associated with us are strictly volunteers who care deeply about the wellbeing of animals.
Our organization works to teach others about the dangers of puppy mills. Once the dangers are noted, we then work to spread the ways to avoid supporting puppy mills and how to end them.
Advocates for Ending Puppy Mills was founded by Shyanna Dotson in 2015. Started with a school project that turned into something more!
Our mission is to spread awareness of puppy mills, and how to properly care for dogs. We also provide information about how to end puppy mills, and why it is important to our society.
Who We Are:
What We Do:
History:
Mission:
About Us
END PUPPY MILLS NOW
Did you know hundreds, even thousands of dogs suffer their entire lives in puppy mills all over this country? The dogs are inadequately cared for. Dogs who live in these facilities are often locked in small cages, but it gets worse. Female dogs are bred constantly until they die, with no recovery between pregnancies. Reasonable living conditions do not exist in their worlds, neither does adequate food and water. These dogs never escape these prisons that they are bred into. Puppy mills are horrible places, worse than prisons for humans. What can we do to stop these puppy mills?
 Dog Listening |  Tug of War |  Shih-Tzu at Beach |
|---|---|---|
 Twin Dogs |  Lazy Dog |
This is such a vital issue to me, personally, because I knew a dog who was a product of a puppy mill. I experienced the long-lasting issues these animals acquire, firsthand. Some of these effects include excessive barking, skittish behavior, bad bathroom habits, and even lasting health issues.
When I was younger my family owned a dog named Sergeant. Sergeant was a very skittish and he was afraid of everything. He barked more times than he was silent, and ended up being given to a nice man who needed a companion. Sergeant just was not cut out to be a family dog, and it wasn’t his fault. My parents saw an ad on Craigslist for this cute dog and eventually went to see him. But when my parents arrived, the location was more than a surprise. Sergeant was a product of a puppy mill breeder.
Ending puppy mills should be important to others because it is an issue that is relevant within today’s society. If more people knew where their dogs came from, they would learn ways to avoid supporting puppy mills. This would also benefit the dogs, so they wouldn’t have to live out their lives in cages.
My Personal Story
Black and Tan Basenji Dog. 2009. Dogguide.net. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. <http://www.dogguide.net/dog-pictures/basenji-photo-gallery-pictures-of-basenjis/
Meeka by Becky Dietz
Cappy by Joycemarie BeDore
A little over two months ago, I took in my first "foster" dog for Adopt a Boxer Rescue. Mindy (now Meeka) was turned over to rescue by a puppy mill in Pennsylvania when she was no longer profitable as a breeder. Sharing in her new life has been the greatest blessing I could have ever imagined. Watching her enter my home that first day, I knew I loved her, even though she wanted nothing to do with me. She paced the yard looking for a place to try and sneak under the fence to escape. Who could blame her? She had multiple types of worms, ear mites and a scar on her neck (my vet believes from a shock collar) and had never known love. I thought earning her trust would not be anywhere in our near future.
The short amount of time it took for Meeka to trust me is a true testament to what a beautiful spirit she has. It took about two weeks, but the first time she looked at me and wagged her tail...I burst into tears! In the beginning, she was terrified of stairs, the TV, the house, me. Now she loves snuggling on the couch and bed, running in the yard, playing with toys (she didn't know what they were!), walks, car rides, treats...Life!
I adopted Meeka and I couldn't imagine my life without her. It still breaks my heart the way she takes anything soft she sees (blankets, towels, pillows) and drags them on the couch and curls up with them. I've been told that comes from having her puppies taken too soon. She is home and instead of being used for her babies, she is now MY baby!
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Cappy is an 11-year-old West Highland Terrier who a puppy mill was going to destroy because at five months old, he was no longer "cute" enough to sell like the other Westies the puppy mill had and they did not need another breeding male.
When I met him, he had tumors on his leg, an ear infection and he was black from living on newspaper. Cappy also had no idea, at five months, what grass was and it took several months to get him to walk on it or go to the bathroom anywhere but on pavement.
He has been a wonderful and faithful companion. When we took in a five-week-old kitten, he took her under his wing and they became the best of friends. One September evening the neighbor's wild cat attacked our cat and then went after me. Before I had time to blink, Cappy had the wildcat pinned and was growling and baring his teeth as he never had before. In 11 years Cappy has only been aggressive a few times when the situation was appropriate. I have three dogs now, all rescues, they are the best.
