If you have eve had any doubts about the inhumane treatment of animals in puppy mills, you must read the story below.

This happened in Pennsylvania.

Instead of opting for minor vet care, two kennel owners shoot and kill 80 dogs, and it's legal.

"This was a profit-based decision, where he did put profit over the welfare of the dogs," says Jessie Smith, Special Deputy Secretary of the State Bureau of Dog Law.

Elmer zimmerman, the owner of E&A Kennel in Kutztown, Berks County, the place where he reportedly shot 70 small breed dogs and threw them onto a compost pile. His brother, who owns a kennel next door, also shot 10 dogs.

The brothers' weapon of choice, a .22 caliber rifle. As a hunting cartridge it's used primarily for small game, like squirrels, but the Zimmerman brothers used it on 80 dogs because the state ordered vet checks for 39 of them.

What bothers Smith the most is that her office's dog warden had offered to take Zimmerman's remaining dogs to shelters to be adopted. She says, "Mr. Zimmerman indicated that he did not want to do that, and that's truly sad because these dogs could have been given the minor vet care that they needed and gone to other homes. There was no reason for these dogs to die."

Shooting your own dogs is legal in Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell has proposed sweeping legislation designed to not only limit euthenizing to licensed veterinarians, but to improve conditions for dogs kept and sold in Pennsylvania's large scale commercial breeding facilities or puppy mills.

Advocates urge you to contact your legislator to get this law passed.

As for the slaughter of the 80 dogs in Kutztown, a candelight vigil is planned for Friday night at 8 p.m. It'll be held at the intersection of Kutztown and Hottenstein Roads in Kutztown.

Reported by: Ben Russell
Email: benrussell@cbs21.com

Locate a Veterinarian and make a new puppy appointment. When selecting your Veterinarian ask friends, neighbors and fairly if they have someone they are pleased with. Contact the Veterinarian's office and ask questions with regard to the hours of operation, services they perform and their experience with the brred you will be obtaining.

Sign up for a puppy socialization or puppy training class. Socialization will help you determine the puppy's personality and how well it will get along with other dogs. Training classes assist you in the ability to control your puppy and proper techniques that should be used for training.

Arrange your work day so that you can come home at lunch time or make arrangements for somone else to do so. Puppies do not have the ability to go all day without going potty.

Purchase basis supplies; Crate, food bowls, proper food, (such as Purina Pro Plan puppy food) treats, toys, leash and harness.

Puppyproof your home garage and basement. Make sure all hazardous chemicals are out of reach, items are not left laying around to be chewed on and baby gates used to prevent the puppy from falling down any stairs. Check the outside area for area where the puppy can escape or be injured from loose concrete piled up or brush piles. Keep in mind puppies are inquizative and will explore everything.

Discuss with everyone living in the home what basic rules there will be for the puppy.

I would like to commend you for adopting a dog from a shelter; you may have saved his life.

Many dogs that come from a shelter have some behavior issues.

Because many shelter dogs arrive at the shelter and there is no information available about them, the shelter personnel or foster family may name the dog. Unless the dog has been there for some time or someone has worked with it, the dog may not know his name. Work with the dog to teach it the name you have chosen. Use his favorite treats or toy and a leash to get started. (Do not use a toy he has access to other than during training) Take him to an area without distractions, place a leash on him. When you call his name and he looks at you or comes to you, say "yes" and reward him with the treat or a brief play session with the toy. Repeat the exercise until he looks at you every time. Gradually increase the distance from him. Once he is responding continuously, introduce some distractions so that he can react in all types of environments. Gradually decrease the treats and toy and continue to say "yes" and give verbal praise.

Training the dog to walk is important. Allowing him to pull on his lead only lets him know that it is acceptable. With the use of a proper collar (check with a trainer to determine what type will work best in your situation). As he lunges forward, stop, as he stops praise him and then move forward. For difficult dogs try moving a few steps backward to show him he will lose ground by pulling.

Do not fall into the spoiling routing out of guilt for the poor boy that was abandoned or turned into a shelter. If you already have, begin a program that restructures behavior to what is acceptable. Remember the longer you wait to begin the retraining the harder it will be to retrain. For example, the dog that begs at the table. Teach him to "go to his place".

Often times dogs have fears as a result of their past. Do not attempt to determine what it was that made him that way. Contact a trainer for help. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations.

Dogs that are rescued from the streets or who have lived in someone's yard only know when it is time to go, it is time to go. You must monitor the dog. If you are unable to monitor him he should be confined. Use a leash in the house to keep track of his whereabouts. Do not scold him for his accident. It happened because you were not monitoring him. Let him out on a regular basis, hourly to start, ask him do you have to go out to make him familiar with the procedure. Give him praise and possibly a treat when he does his business outdoors.

Persistence is the key to training, Good Luck!

Michigan Veterinary Specialists Charitable Foundation

Compassionate programs for our pets and the animals that serve our community

HE'D SAVE YOUR LIFE. CAN YOU SAVE HIS?
Protecting your dog’s health begins with an understanding of basic first aid techniques. This informative one and half hour video, presented by a board-certified veterinarian and specialist in internal medicine, will equip pet owners with emergency action plans and hands-on techniques from how to clean and bandage a wound to what to do if your dog is choking. Heat stroke, eye injuries, poisoning and even how to stop the bleeding of a nail with common household items will be covered. CPR techniques are demonstrated and pet owners’ most frequently asked questions are answered. Yours with a $20 donation to the Foundation (of which, $10 is tax-deductible) through PayPal.

BUILD A FIRST AID KIT
It’s important to have a first aid kit on hand should your pet have an emergency. The items listed below can be found at your local pharmacy, outdoor sports store and pet supply store.

Cohesive, flexible bandage wrap
Roll Gauze
Roll Cotton
First Aid Cream (e.g. a triple antibiotic cream such as Neosporin)
Eye Wash (e.g. saline solution)
Peroxide
Rectal thermometer
3x3 Gauze Squares
1” Medical Tape
½” Medical Tape
Emergency Blanket
Chloride Toweletter
Scissors
Forceps (or long-handled, blunt end tweezers)
Ice Pack
Nylon Leash

Michigan Veterinary Specialists Charitable Foundation
29080 Inkster Road, Southfield, MI 48034
Ph. 866-964-2483 Email: info@mvscf.org