Time Giveth and Time Taketh Away

I get posts and cross-posts from many rescues and coordinators who are desperately trying to place dogs in foster or forever homes.  I also read posts about neglected, abused and mistreated dogs daily.  The problems are huge and they are everywhere.  People need to understand the gravity of this problem and to realize that many healthy, sweet, adoptable dogs are being euthanized for lack of space or because of local politics.

I have not posted for a while.  I needed a break.  These poor dogs need some breaks.  Their lives are in our hands.  There is no good reason to buy a dog from a commercial breeder or even a hobby breeder if it is just a companion animal you want.  Go to www.petfinder.com and look for almost any breed, age, gender dog that suits you and your situation.  Adopt, don't shop...but think this decision over carefully.  These dogs need us and not just for today but for their lifetime.

What is Time?

 Every year, the "Time is up" for 12 million 

companion Pets.  Do you have the "Time" to make a difference?

A Shelter Dog asks God...

  

Dear God,

What is "Time"?

I hear the sadness in the voices of workers here. 

They say my "Time is up", that they have to make 

room for yet another dog.

My "Time" is up. I don't know what that means, God. I 

only know that my new friends are so sad, and the more I 

wag my tail---the harder I try to make them feel better--

-the sadder they become.

I know I have heard that word "Time" before, but I don't 

understand. When I was younger, my people would 

say "Time to play!" They would throw the ball, and I 

would run fast. Sometimes I brought it back to them, but 

other times we'd end up chasing each other having fun.

I remember "Time to eat". My people would put down a 

bowl of food, and I would enjoy dinner, wagging my tail 

in joy. There was also "Time for your walk". My boy 

would put my leash on, and we would go walking together,

visiting the neighborhood and enjoying each other's company.

When I was younger I thought "Time" meant fun.

Or maybe Love?

I don't understand. "Time" must mean something else, but 

how can it change, God? Before I came here, I heard my 

people say, "No time to feed you now, boy. Later, when I 

get home." Sometimes my family would forget, and there

was no food in my bowl.

Does "Time" mean when my belly hurts?

My people said there was no time for walks. I tried to 

hold it all day long-- but God, I just couldn't anymore. 

When I finally had to go, it made my family very angry.

Does "Time" means anger? Or maybe Loneliness?

My family said they didn't have "Time". They didn't have 

time to play, or time to take me to the vet, or time to 

go for walks. They didn't have "Time", 

so they brought me here.

Maybe I was right... They said they didn't have time, 

and if "Time" means Love, how did they lose it?

Did I do something wrong?

God, I think my new friends are sending me to you. Do 

you have "Time"? May I sit on the couch?

Am I a good Dog, God?

Is it "Time"?

More on the Amish

It MUST Be Stopped!
More than 400 kennel licenses are issued in Holmes County, OH alone. Puppy sales have turned into big business! Few are legitimate, well-kept kennels where the breeders limit the number of dogs they have, maintain their physical and mental health and, best yet, care for them like the loving pets they are. The rest are puppy mills.


What is unbelievable is there is no limitation on how many dogs a kennel can have. In Holmes County, there are puppy mills with from 75 to more than 100 dogs.
This is outrageous. How can anyone possibly give this many dogs all the care they need both physically and emotionally?


Even if these puppy mills were to give adequate physical care to their animals, what kind of quality of life do these poor dogs have? These animals are certainly lacking in love, nurturing and companionship. Isn't that the reason we have pets?


When their usefulness is gone, these dogs are dumped like garbage into the dog pound where they try to undo all the damage that has been done. Or worse, they are taken behind the barn and shot, or drowned in the family pond. Their puppies are sold as pets, but the parents of these puppies are not treated as pets. They are nothing more than livestock to the perpetrators of this disgraceful act. As 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) said..."We can judge the heart of a man by the way he treats his animals."


It's imperative that we stop this inhumane process. The best way to stop puppy mills from continuing their abuse is for consumers to stop buying the puppies they breed. Many people think they are rescuing a puppy by buying one. Don't be fooled. You're just creating space for another puppy to be sold.


Never buy a dog unless you can see for yourself where it was born, how the parents are kept and what condition all the dogs are in. A reputable kennel owner and breeder will never sell to a pet store, and they will willingly give you the name of their veterinarian as a reference.


Another way is to contact your county dog warden and your commissioners to make sure that they are enforcing what is enforceable. Call or write your state representative. Changes must be made through the law in order to protect God's loving, innocent creatures from this kind of abuse.


All of us here at NJM are passionate when it comes to dogs everywhere. It has become our mission to raise awareness of any issues that affect them, from their health, food and nutrition and training to their welfare. Canine advocacy is something that everyone who cares about dogs needs to be aware of and we all need to share that and raise our voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.


But the cruelty is not limited to Pennsylvania or Ohio. There are also Indiana's Amish Puppy Mills. When people think of the Amish, they tend to think of a people who live according to God's word and religion. But watch the following video and you will see a side of the Amish that you never knew. You will see cruelty, heartlessness and greed.


I warn you, there are some graphic images on the video. But if you care anything about the problem of puppy mills, you will force yourself to watch this. Many things have touched and saddened me through the years, but nothing like this. I pray that as you watch it, your tears of sadness may turn into tears of determination.

The Truth About AMISH COUNTRY

The Amish (and Mennonite) community are known as "The Gentle People". Amish Country is known for its wonderful restaurants, craft shops and well-kept Amish farms. Beautiful fields where bearded men in wide-brimmed hats lead teams of shaggy plow horses tilling the soil. Hay fields dot the rolling hills of Amish country, and the fields that sustain the simple lifestyle are mostly bare. But one crop the most important crop to some remains: Puppies.

Be warned ... the Amish life that is depicted for tourist is nothing like the reality. There is animal abuse among Amish in the form of puppy mills. A simple Google search for Amish puppy mills will return thousands of hits. For farmers, a big crop of dogs can gross up to $500,000 annually, with successful operations netting six figures. For critics, the men in the suspenders and bushy beards are masking a cruel form of factory farming behind the quaint and pure image of the Amish culture.

In areas of the U.S. where Amish dwell, there is a high number of puppy mills. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement lists 243 kennels in Lancaster County. Pennsylvania, 98% of them owned by Amish. Holmes County, Ohio, has 470 kennels -- more than any other county in the nation.

Do you know what puppy mills are?
Puppy mills are mass dog-breeding operations. They have been around for decades, but they continue to be a problem because unsuspecting consumers keep buying those adorable puppies in the pet store window or recently on some Internet sites and ads in local newspapers. But many times, these chanels masquerade the truth ... they are dogs purchased from puppy mills.

These canine breeding facilities frequently house dogs in shockingly poor conditions, particularly for breeding stock animals who are caged and continually bred for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever becoming part of a family. After their fertility days are over, breeding animals are commonly killed, abandoned or sold to another mill. The annual result of all this breeding is hundreds of thousands of puppies, many with behavior and/or health problems.

Daily existence for these dogs is a life of neglect, abuse, torture and suffering, and when they have outlived their usefulness, an often brutal ending! Disease, malnutrition, dehydration, sickness and death flourish in cramped filthy cages, freezing in the winter, scorching in the summer. Females bred and over-bred from their first heat cycle through every subsequent one until their bodies are so used up and broken down that death is a welcome release for them. They never know a kind word or a gentle touch. And this description barely scratches the surface of the cruelty. 

Do a Google on the Amish and puppy mills. Look at the pictures and read the newspaper articles that come up. Nothing has changed despite attempts to change the laws.
While the Amish landcape is among the most beautiful in the world, the puppies bred at the mills NEVER see the outside of wire cages that are usually stacked on top of each other in dark barns.

We are not throwing ALL the Amish into the same category. Actions of a select few is might sound prejudiced, but hold on! The puppy-mill breeders might be just a small fraction or a very small percent of the Amish population, but the majority of the population have chosen to ignore what is going on in their own backyards. NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO THEM! And we must remember the words of writer, political activist and Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel... "to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all." And the Bible itself says, in James 4:17, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.


"IF" the Amish faith opposed this mass production and torture of dogs, I would hope the people would rise up and take a stand.

But as they say, MONEY TALKS. The Amish have been allowed to continue their inhumane treatment of animals without pressure from the rest of the population because of the money that tourism brings to Amish businesses.

Most people who visit Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and Holmes County, Ohio go there to experience the Amish Culture. Yes, the Amish in general are a hard working, modest people. But ethical? NO! Hypocritical? ABSOLUTELY. Selling your religion for tourism bucks and international trade does not seem ethical to me. On top of that, they have others ("the English" as they call outsiders) post on the internet for them. Isn't it amazing how these Godly people who shun the outside world have no qualms about using a third party to do what God has forbidden them from doing. I would say that the majority of Amish are living double lives or have double standards.

The Amish continually breed poor quality pups and keep their breeding animals in a state that defies decency. They all should be barred from dog breeding as all they breed is poor quality dogs. They get away with it because people think that religious people would never do anything bad. We can't let their religion exempt them from humane treatment of animals!

SHOCKING!!!
In Berlin, Ohio, if it weren't for the constant yelping of 313 dogs confined in stacked cages in a room closed off to the auction block, it may have appeared to an outsider as just another run-of-the-mill day at the Amish Flea Market. But the Buckeye Dog Auction has grown into anything but run-of-the-mill. Some breeds are able to fetch more than a few thousand dollars, while others can net hundreds of dollars for the seller. The auction and the success of local breeders has convinced others to forsake their farm livestock for canines. Apparently, there's more money in dogs than cattle.

The auction house takes in a $10 registration fee for every dog to go on the block and a 10 percent commission on the sale. Mixed breeds will sell for as little as $25 while a purebred female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel might sell for more than $5,000.

Now that's putting your best paw forward!

God Humor on Sunday

It was a slow day in heaven so God phoned Satan 
to see what was going on down there. 
'It's slow here, too', said Satan. 
'Well,' God said, 'I think a dog show might be fun.' 
'Sounds good', says Satan, 'But why are you calling me? 
You've got all the dogs up there.' 
'I know,' answered God, 'But you've got all the judges.'

God made the earth, the sky and the water, the moon 
and the sun. He made man and bird and beast. 
But He didn't make the dog: 
He already had one.

American Indian saying

Weekend Fun

A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift

A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift

A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy and grace.

And makes the world we live in a better and happier place.

There is a miracle called friendship that dwells in the heart. You do not know how it happens or when it gets its start.

But you know the special lift it always brings. You realize that friendship is the world's most precious gift.

WHY GOD  MADE PETS:

They help out around the  house...

They  protect our children...

They look out for the smaller ones...

They show us how to relax...

They help  you when you're down...

They  are great at decorating for the  Holidays...

They have 'great' expectations...

They  are happy to 'test' the  water...

AND -  They know when we need a good  LAUGH!

HAVE  YOU SMILED TODAY? It is done by moving the corners of the mouth upward. LET  ME SHOW YOU HOW...

Let your pet know how much they mean to you every day!!!

Happy Photos with Music by Norah Jones

Sydney, the cane corso female who was rescued from the auction in MO surprised her new family with a litter a week after she arrived. There are 3 girls and 2 boys and all are doing well. These puppies won't ever know the life their mother endured as a puppy mill dog and that is something to be thankful for.