Sunday, November 30, 2014

Newport, Virginia Bans Tethering Dogs Outside...Way TO GO

After years of pressure from #PETANewport News, Virginia has FINALLY BANNED tethering dogs: http://bit.ly/1tjdDq2 
 The city of Newport News will soon prohibit dog owners from tying their animals outside unattended for more than one hour, the City Council decided Tuesday night.
The council had discussed the idea for more than a year, with opinions ranging all over the spectrum, but the version of the ordinance passed Tuesday was unanimous.
Under the ordinance, dog owners who obtain a dog license as of Jan. 31 will be exempt from the new tethering rules, under a "grandfather clause," which several people who gave public comments asked the council to reconsider.
"We hope you will consider doing away with the grandfather clause and begin enforcement before this winter, not next summer, as currently proposed, because dogs don't care if they're licensed, they care if they're loved, exercised and respected as members of the family," said Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA's senior vice president of cruelty investigations.
The ordinance will go in to effect July 1 — another detail some asked the council to amend so it would be in effect in time for the winter. However, council members said they wanted to give residents enough time to learn about the ordinance and install fencing if they need to.
Some council members agreed with the public, but said the ordinance was a good start.
"This is not a perfect ordinance, no one is saying that," said Vice Mayor Rob Coleman, who has been a supporter of a tethering ban. "But it is a great move forward."
About 40 people attended the meeting to show support for the ordinance, wearing yellow stickers that read "unchain Newport News dogs."
Several council members urged those who came to speak to the council at the meeting to channel their passion for animals into other community issues, such as homelessness and at-risk youth.
"You all have the same passion for dogs that I have for children," said Councilwoman Sharon Scott, who has been a critic of a tethering ban. "I hope you all come out to the food banks. ... We have something in common."
Councilwoman Saundra Cherry said, "The same passion you have for dogs, I have for homelessness. I don't have a problem with the ordinance, but I do have a problem if you don't come back and stand in the same numbers to help us support something regarding homelessness."
"And the children," Scott added.
Newport News is one of the last Hampton Roads localities to adopt a ban after Norfolk-based PETA and other animal rights groups have been putting pressure on localities to do so in recent years, asserting tethering can cause aggression, illnesses and other issues.
Hampton and Suffolk have outright tethering bans, while Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach restrict the practice to no more than three consecutive hours. Chesapeake enacted a similar ban earlier this year. The Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors voted against a tethering ban in 2012. Poquoson does not have a tethering ordinance.
State laws require animals to have adequate food, water and shelter, while a local ordinance regulates the minimum length of rope that can be used to three times the length of the animal from its nose to the base of its tail, Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Michael Poplawski said.
There are about 12,800 licensed dogs in the city, Poplawski said.
City to repave asphalt pad for $1M
In other business, the city will spend nearly $1 million to repave an asphalt pad at its compost facility, the council appropriated Tuesday.
The pad is used for vegetative waste to be stored and processed into reusable compost and mulch products.
The 440,000-square-foot surface has suffered significant damage during the past few years, a memo from City Manager Jim Bourey to the council stated.
A simple overlay was scheduled in 2007 for $250,000, but other priorities delayed the work, the memo said. The unusually cold winter last year caused severe damage to the base, resulting in a higher cost.
The funding will come from a bond authorization.

Arthur Wins The Hearts Of A Race Team




Tuesday, November 25, 2014

A Pet Is A Long Term Commitment That You Must Be Prepared For .....

A powerful picture of a man and his dog taken 15 years apart--same man same dog. Owning a pet is a lifetime duty. If this is not what you had in mind you might want to consider not getting a pet. 

Pets For Life.....Keeping Animals In Loving Homes & Out Of Shelters.......

Pets for Life: Keeping Animals in Loving Homes and Out of Shelters

The Hurricane Katrina crisis – 10 years ago, next year – was a wake-up call for our movement on so many levels. One takeaway: most disadvantaged and underserved people with dogs or cats love their animals, but typically they have been unable to afford or access basic services for them. Many of the animals we rescued from neighborhoods in New Orleans and other communities were not spayed or neutered and had never been inside a veterinary clinic. But it wasn’t as if they didn’t love their animals. There was a gap between what the caretakers wanted and what they were able to provide, mainly because of economic means. A lot of us who went down to New Orleans got a lesson in not making judgments about people and staying focused on providing services to sync up the compassion of people in poverty with the actual care their animals needed.
Ming Ming
Thanks to Pets for Life, Ming Ming's scratched eye  was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. Photo: Valerie Gardner
An estimated 23 million pets in the United States are in homes where their caretakers live at or below the poverty level, and that typically leaves the animals without access to veterinary care. That’s three or four times the number of pets who end up in shelters each year. Spay/neuter rates among these animals average less than 20 percent -- the exact opposite of the national average of 80 percent. Almost 90 percent of pet owners in these high-poverty areas have never reached out to their local shelter or animal service providers, and close to 80 percent of their pets have never seen a veterinarian.
Our Pets for Life program is aimed at addressing this circumstance, by taking veterinary care and services to some of the country’s most underserved neighborhoods. By bringing these services, including spay and neuter programs and wellness care, to neighborhoods with the most pressing needs, we are working to both cut down on the population of homeless pets and to provide a better quality of life for the animals themselves, ensuring they remain in loving homes. And thanks to our partner, PetSmart Charities®, which has invested almost $2 million in this program since 2013, we have just managed to extend this lifesaving program to five new jurisdictions.
To help implement this program, the Central Oklahoma Humane Society in Oklahoma City, the Nevada Humane Society in Reno, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society, Humane Ohio in Toledo, and the Washington Humane Society in Washington, D.C. will each receive $50,000 from PetSmart Charities, in partnership with The HSUS. From The HSUS they will receive hands-on, in-depth training, consistent guidance, and ongoing support. This expands the reach of our Pets for Life Program to more than 25 cities across the country.
The HSUS has been running our Pets for Life programs on the ground in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles since 2011, focusing on community outreach and securing very tangible results. Through October of this year alone we have provided direct care services to over 15,000 dogs and cats and spayed/neutered over 10,000 – for the benefit of the animals and to the joy of the people caring for them.
We first identify an area of focus where a large percentage of people live at or below the poverty level and where there are little to no pet care resources – animal care “deserts,” as we refer to them. We then reach out to the community directly with services and information. Our teams go door to door in the neighborhoods, we often provide transportation for the dogs and cats to their spay-and-neuter and wellness care appointments, and we keep showing up. We aren’t just there for one day, we maintain a continuing presence and become the trusted resource on pet issues. We also focus on the humans along with their companion pets.
Recently during a day of outreach, knocking on doors in Atlanta, members of our Pets for Life team met Valerie and her dog Ming Ming. Ming Ming’s eye was swollen, red and irritated. Instead of assuming Valerie didn’t care or that this was a situation of cruelty or neglect, we talked to Valerie and found out she was very worried for her dog, but she was unemployed and didn’t have the money to get Ming Ming’s eye looked at. So PFL stepped in and we took her to see a veterinarian. Ming Ming had a scratched eye that was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. “Ming Ming’s eye is healing nicely!” Valerie wrote to our team shortly after. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” 
In addition to such direct community outreach, and perhaps even more importantly, we’ve been mentoring dozens of other dog-and-cat care organizations in how to implement the program, developing a new, risk-based strategy that is one of the most viral ideas in our movement. These groups are now actively extending their own reach to underserved areas and putting these practices to work, so that every pet – regardless of where he or she lives – has access to wellness services, spay-and-neuter, and other critical information and resources.

What NOT To Feed Your Pets On Thanksgiving


Monday, November 24, 2014

Take Your Pet To The Vet Immediately If They Do This ....

This is something every pet parent should know about!
Take a close look at the photos below. When a dog or cat does this, it’s a potential sign that they are sick and need to go to a veterinarian. If you notice your dog or cat pressing their heads against a wall, floor or other object for no apparent reason, your pet could have a dangerous medical condition.
This information was originally written by DogHeirs.com. and republished here because this is definitely something that is Reshareworthy.
headpressing-6
The behavior is called “head pressing”, and it is characterized by the compulsive act of pressing the head against something solid for extended periods of time.
Head pressing generally indicates damage to the nervous system or a neurological condition or illness and it is very important that you take your dog or cat to a veterinarian for diagnosis.
headpress-3
The causes of head pressing behavior can be varied, but may include:
• prosencephalon disease (in which the forebrain and thalamus parts of the brain are damaged)
• tumors (e.g. brain or skull)
• liver shunt
• toxic poisoning (e.g. lead poisoning)
• metabolic disorder, such as hyper or hyponatremia (too much, or too little sodium in the body’s blood plasma)
• stroke
• encephalitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Many things can cause encephalitis. Infectious causes include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and tick-transmitted disease).
• hepatic encephalopathy (metabolic disorder as result of liver disease)
• infection of the nervous system (rabies, parasites, bacterial, viral or fungal infection)
• head trauma
headpress-2
Head pressing should not be confused with normal behaviors like a dog or cat affectionately “head butting” a person.
headpress-7
Head pressing can be just one symptom among other behaviors and symptoms of neurological problems. Other behaviors and symptoms can include:
• constant pacing
• walking in circles
• face rubbing (pushing head into ground)
• getting stuck in corners
• staring at walls
• damaged reflexes
• visual problems
• seizures
headpress-8
By recognizing head pressing and other neurologically-related symptoms in your dog or cat, you could potentially save their lives.

Read more at http://www.reshareworthy.com/recognizing-head-pressing-could-save-your-pets-lives/#lmqkS8UWKIMzrkQe.99

The Rewards A Animal Rescuer Gets ....

I Want To Go Out Today TO My Local Shelter After Seeing This Short Video

Find Incredible Loving & Adoptable Dogs In A Shelter By You ......




Saturday, November 22, 2014

Women Saves Two Dogs From Being Killed

Woman Saves Two Dogs Then Posts This On Craigslist. Someone Give Her A Medal.

...

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Way to GO PETS PLUS

Pets Plus stops selling animals raised in puppy mills

A Philadelphia-area pet store chain has joined a program of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to stop selling commercially raised animals from puppy mills and to save lives.

Puppy mills notoriously breed puppies in “horrendous” places and the puppies when rescued are in terrible health, have mangled hair, are malnourished and, in many cases, are injured, according to John Moyer, outreach coordinator of The HSUS Puppy Mills Campaign.

Four of nine locations in the Pets Plus chain have been converted into stores that offer puppies for adoption. They are: Jenkintown, Lansdale, Conshohocken and Northeast Philadelphia. An additional five stores are slated to be converted: Quakertown; Bensalem; Fairless Hills; Delran, N.J.; and Lawrenceville, N.J.

Pets Plus offers adoption contracts to people. Background checks are done and they ask for a veterinarian’s review. If the dog is ever needed to be surrendered, the Philadelphia SPCA will take it back so it will not be euthanized. There may be a situation where someone is moving out of state or perhaps a senior citizen is moving into housing and cannot take them to their new home.

The puppies, which are adopted through Pets Plus, are rescued by HSUS from facilities in Kentucky. Also, the company has a new partnership with a New Jersey resident who goes to Georgia herself and saves puppies. Her organization is called Animal Aid of New Jersey. Soon, Pets Plus and the SPCA will work with the state of Pennsylvania to save puppies’ lives.

There are so many puppies, they would otherwise be euthanized.

Bruce Smith, who co-owns Pets Plus with Mark Araeia, said he was compelled to switch over to adopting animals to his patrons instead of selling them because of a meeting he had with Moyer.

“He told me how many puppies in the South were being euthanized every day,” Smith said. “Once I found out that puppies were being euthanized, I agreed to move forward with the program and that we would help to save lives.”

The reaction from the public has been “huge,” Smith said. “Our Facebook has been getting ‘Thank-yous’ all over the place. We’re getting thank you letters written to us personally and we also have been getting new customers who support us.”

He noted some people did not stop in Pets Plus stores before and would not support them because they sold animals from puppy mills. Now, there is more incentive for those folks to come in. More people are going to the stores as a result of the adoption model.

“Now they are supporting us 100 percent,” Smith said. “We are very excited.

“We are in the process of moving the whole chain forward with this program,” Smith continued, noting they are investing money in their stores during the conversions. “We’re redoing our kennels. They’re a lot bigger. There’s more room to roam back and forth.”

Smith said people in Lansdale became so passionate about Pets Plus working on adoptions rather than selling animals from puppy mills that the chain appointed Dawn Bateman as an adoption coordinator.

In addition to puppies, Pets Plus will arrange adoptions for kittens.

“They’re coming from the Philadelphia SPCA,” Smith said.

Converting to the adoption model has a positive result for Smith and his business partner.

”We feel with us giving up the commercial dogs, we are helping to save lives,” he said. “We are hopeful that people will help support us, the local resources and the SPCA. Their main goal is to try and save lives across Pennsylvania and that people will hopefully adopt the puppies.”

Pets Plus will partner with the Philadelphia SPCA in a “round-up” program. If a customer’s bill is $14.50, that is rounded up to the next dollar. Pets Plus will donate the extra 50 cents to the SPCA to help them fund their projects, such as purchasing a new van to help fight animal cruelty.

Smith said kids, including his daughter, are excited about the adoption program and rescuing puppies from the puppy mills.

“She can’t wait to bring her friends in to help with the new puppies that are coming in,” he said.

Moyer cannot be happier about Pets Plus’ decision to stop selling animals from puppy mills.

“We’re thrilled that Pets Plus has made the humane decision to help these homeless pets rather than selling commercially raised puppies,” he said.

Moyer stressed that the chain is giving dogs a chance at finding a loving home.

“The community will have another great way to find a family pet,” he said.

The HSUS Puppy Mills Campaign has assisted eight pet stores in converting their locations to offering adoptable shelter pups and dogs instead of selling commercially raised puppies. Some of these stores are also offering adoptable shelter cats and other small animals.

“Additional pet stores across the country have converted their locations to more humane models, but they have done this on their own or with the assistance of other animal welfare groups,” said Moyer.

He had contacted Pets Plus to see if it would be interested in converting its store model to one that offered shelter pups and dogs instead of selling commercially raised puppies.

“They were open to the idea and interested in continuing our conversations,” he said. “I have been extremely happy to assist with their life-saving efforts to help more animals in any and every way that I can.”

Meanwhile, in the HSUS Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program, pet stores qualify if they sell pet supplies and do not sell puppies. The stores host adoption events or regularly offer adoptable shelter pups and dogs on a daily basis, instead of selling commercially raised puppies.

In addition to getting a welcome package, the stores receive a laminated sign: “We Love Puppies That’s Why We Don’t Sell Them.” Also included in the package are educational fliers to hand out to customers.

The program was started in 2008. Over 2,200 pet stores have signed the HSUS Puppy Friendly Pet Stores pledge since the inception of the program, including the eight stores that have stopped the sale of commercially raised puppies and are now offering adoptable shelter pups and dogs instead.

Part of the program is promoting public awareness and education.

“We hope that people will support these pet stores that are part of the Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program instead of stores that are supporting the cruel puppy mill industry,” Moyer said.

The HSUS Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program encourages pet stores to make it their official policy not to sell puppies.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization. For 60 years, HSUS has worked to protect all animals and confront all forms of cruelty.

HSUS is also the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year and prevents cruelty to millions more through its advocacy campaigns.

Animal rights advocates were asked to comment on what Pets Plus is doing.

Teresa Lynn Chagrin, animal care and control specialist for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said, “It’s always good news when pet shops stop selling animals from puppy mills and breeders, which contribute to the homeless-animal crisis by churning out more puppies and kittens into an already severely crowded world.”

She said that showcasing animals available for adoption from local animal shelters is a wonderful way to find homes for animals in need, as long as potential adopters are thoroughly screened so that impulse adoptions don’t land animals right back at animal shelters or, worse, in negligent or abusive homes.

“PETA encourages everyone who is ready to make the lifelong commitment of adding a dog or a cat to his or her family to save a life by always adopting from shelters and never buying from pet stores or breeders,” Chagrin said.

Meanwhile, Carmen Ronio, executive director of the Montgomery County SPCA, said he is very happy Pets Plus is out of the business of buying and selling animals that are raised in puppy mills.

“It is also our hope that other pet stores will follow this example as this program will indeed help eliminate the needless suffering and overbreeding of animals raised in a puppy mill environments,” he said.

“We would also hope that Pets Plus sends its customers to organizations such as ours to adopt a pet,” Ronio said.

World for All, an animal rights group, put it simply: “Why shop when you can adopt?”

Pit Bulls Rock ...

Like any dog, pit bulls can be a loving addition to any family and many parents have looked past the misconceptions to see them for what they truly are, some of the nicest pups out there are. #PitBullWeek



Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Their Lives Depend On Us.......


Hudson Loves This Video




What To Do If You See A Pet Left Out In The Cold by the Humane Society

What to Do If You See a Pet Left Out in the Cold

It can be a crime to leave pets outside in extreme temperatures without food and shelter
Cold weather can be deadly for pets. As the temperature plummets in many parts of the country, The Humane Society of the United States sees a marked increase in the number of complaints about dogs and cats who have been left outside with no food or shelter.
We encourage you to contact local law enforcement agencies because pets left outside in extreme temperatures, especially without food and shelter, are at risk of hypothermia, frostbite and even death. Their owners are at risk of facing criminal charges.
The act of leaving a pet outside without food or adequate shelter often receives less attention than a violent attack against an animal, but neglect is a crime. "Especially in these cold months, it is important for people to bring their pets inside and for others to report neglected animals to law enforcement,” says Ashley Mauceri, HSUS manager for cruelty response, who fields these calls.
One of the most common forms of animal cruelty, animal cruelty is investigated more by police and animal control agencies than any other form of animal abuse. Our most constant companions—dogs and cats—feel the effects of winter weather as much as we do, only they are often cast outside to weather the cold or a storm owing to a misconception that the fur on their backs will insulate them from suffering. Without proper shelter, food and water, these domesticated animals’ chances of survival in frigid temperatures is greatly decreased. Any pet owners who aren't sure what protections their pets need during cold weather can read our cold-weather advice for keeping pets safe.
While views on animal welfare vary from region to region, there are laws in place in every state to prevent needless suffering. Callers to The HSUS report numerous cases across the country of animals left out in the cold, but the organization is also working with an increasing number of law enforcement agencies that recognize the importance of intervention in these cases.

The facts

  • Animal neglect is considered a misdemeanor crime in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
  • Felony penalties can be levied in Massachusetts and Oklahoma for any animal neglect case.
  • Felony charges can be applied in animal neglect resulting in death in California, Connecticut, Florida and Washington, D.C.

 How you can help

Saturday, November 15, 2014

November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month.....

Won't You Consider Adopting A Loving Senior Pet at your local shelter !!!

Don't Be Fooled This Thanksgiving ....


Thursday, November 13, 2014

If Your Too Cold They Are Too Cold ......

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Please Adopt or Foster If You Can ....

WHCR: Hamilton, IL:  2 confirmed safe, others are either going to be PTS at animal control or are housed outside in the freezing temps!! ACO IS EUTHANIZING DOGS ON FRIDAY THIS WEEK!  RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO SAVE THESE DOGS BELOW!! We have no open kennels at the pound.  If you can help sponsor, adopt or rescue, please contact westhancockk9@gmail.com.  N. IL transport.  
cid:image013.jpg@01CFF15D.09A9A8C0cid:image016.jpg@01CFF15D.09A9A8C0$75 sponsorship!!! Holly Berry was found running along the highway.  Someone dumped her and the girl below.  She is horribly skinny and tore up, but so very sweet and social.  She is under a year old and around 35ish lbs.
cid:image018.jpg@01CFF15D.09A9A8C0cid:image020.jpg@01CFF15D.09A9A8C0$75 sponsorship!!! Pumpkin was found very close to where HollyBerry was along the highway, just earlier last week.  Both were dumped. Pumpkin is under a year old and around 50lbs.  Very sweet girl and loves everyone! 
cid:image003.jpg@01CFFD37.8F383D90Heflin, male collie/husky, 2-3yrs old, 40lbs.  Very handsome sweet boy!
cid:image005.jpg@01CFFD37.8F383D90Bobby, male hound/beagle mix, 2ish years old, 55lbs.  Very calm and mellow, Mr. personality!  Such a love bug!!!
cid:image009.jpg@01CFFD37.8F383D90Savannah, female pbt mix, 40lbs, 2yrs old, surrendered from a neglectful home.  She lived her life on a chain with no doghouse even!!  GRR!
KAHOKA, MO (N. East MO)>
cid:image012.jpg@01CFED72.03B211D0cid:image015.jpg@01CFED72.03B211D0Sophie, 1-2yr old medium sized mix breed.  Sweet and fine with other dogs.
cid:image025.jpg@01CFFA0A.E6920560cid:image026.jpg@01CFFA0A.E6920560$85 sponsorship each!!  Brother and sister husky/lab mixes, 6 months old, neglected and signed over the animal control.
cid:image028.jpg@01CFFA0A.E6920560Roxy is a heeler mix, 1yr old, spayed and vaccinations current.  Surrendered.
Mail Attachment.jpegRoscoe, male flat coat retriever mix, 2 yrs old, good with other dogs.
cid:image029.jpg@01CFFD37.8F383D90Howe, male boxer mix 1-2yrs old, very sweet and well behaved.  Fine with other dogs.
SAVE ME!!

The Hidden Suffering Of The Dogs Bred To Be Cute

The hidden suffering of the dogs bred to be cute: Adorable looks. Cuddly names like Labradoodle. But the trend for cross-breed dogs raises disturbing questions

  • Britain's dog lovers pay up to £2,000 for the designer cross-breeds
  • They are wooed by their cute names and celebrity endorsements
  • Dangerous myth that cross-breeds are healthier and more robust
  • But they are far more vulnerable to agonising illness and infection 
  • Wally Conron, creator of the Labradoodle in the 80s, says he regrets creating these 'Frankenstein' dogs

The trend for cross-breed dogs, including Labradoodles (pictured), has raised disturbing questions about their vulnerability to disease and illness
The trend for cross-breed dogs, including Labradoodles (pictured), has raised disturbing questions about their vulnerability to disease and illness
Over the past five years, a canine revolution has been seen in Britain’s parks, streets and gardens. 
Along with familiar dog breeds — the Labradors, spaniels and retrievers — dozens of new cross-breeds have appeared, from Chorkies (a Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier mix) to Maltipoos (Maltese and poodle) and muggins (miniature pinscher and pug).
Britain’s dog-lovers have been buying the new cross-breeds in their droves, spending up to £2,000 to secure the rarest, most bizarre mixes.
They’ve been wooed by their cute names, by celebrity endorsements, and by the dangerous myth that cross-breeds are somehow healthier and more robust than pedigree dogs. 
The cross-breeds’ popularity has been boosted further by the notion that they are ‘hypoallergenic’ and won’t trigger reactions in people who are usually allergic to dogs.
Only now is the tragic truth beginning to emerge. Far from being resilient to disease, many of these cross-breeds are, in fact, far more vulnerable to agonising illness and infection than pedigree dogs. 
Today, thousands of ‘toy dogs’ sit in freezing cold, cramped cages and filthy sheds across rural England and Wales, awaiting new owners. Many suffer from parasites, kidney problems, heart disease and respiratory disorders. 
Within several days of being bought by their new, unsuspecting owners, the unluckiest puppies will have to be put to sleep.
Earlier this month, the creator of the first Labradoodle — a Labrador crossed with a poodle — expressed his regret at creating these ‘Frankenstein’ dogs. 
The man behind the breed, Wally Conron, said that by inventing the first designer dog in the Eighties, he had ‘created a lot of problems’.
The 85-year-old crossed a Labrador and a poodle to help a blind woman, whose husband was allergic to most guide dogs, find a puppy that did not shed its fur. 
His kind gesture fuelled a new, lucrative and deeply harmful industry. The winsome-looking Labradoodle became popular among celebrities, including Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston, model Elle Macpherson, chat-show host Graham Norton, and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
Mr Conron, from Victoria, Australia, fears he opened a ‘Pandora’s box’. While the Labradoodle remains one of the most successful cross-breeds, some suffer from congenital defects, including eye disorders and hip problems.
‘Instead of breeding out the problems, they’re breeding them in,’ said Mr Conron. ‘For every perfect one, you’re going to find a lot of crazy ones. There are a lot of unhealthy and abandoned dogs out there.’
‘You can’t walk down the street without seeing a poodle cross of some sort. I just heard about someone who wanted to cross a poodle with a Rottweiler. How could anyone do that? 
‘Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine all of this would happen.’
A labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador and Poodle
A labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador and Poodle
Labradoodle dogs are (below) are bred from labradors (left) and poodles (right)
Labradoodles were first bred in the 80s, sparking a canine revolution which has gathered apace in the last five years
Labradoodles were first bred in the 80s, sparking a canine revolution which has gathered apace in the last five years
The heart of the problem lies in the false idea that, by crossing breeds, you get so-called hybrid vigour: that a greater genetic mix produces a healthier animal.
Instead, in the new, unscrupulous world of puppy-farmers, they produce much unhealthier animals, by breeding without the health checks long-term pedigree breeders have insisted on for decades.
‘It can be very dangerous,’ says Marc Abraham, the TV vet who founded the charity Pup Aid, which has launched an online petition to ban puppy and kitten farming in the UK. The ban will be debated in Parliament next month. 
‘You end up cross-breeding breeds which each often have their own genetic faults. So Labradors are prone to hip problems, and poodles to eyesight problems. Cross-breed them and you get puppies prone to both conditions.’
Mr Abraham has seen damaged cross-breeds pour into his Brighton surgery over the past five years. Tragically he occasionally has to put down the ones suffering the most because they have been so badly bred on the puppy farms.
‘I get sick cross-breeds all the time,’ he says. ‘People have fallen for the idea that they’re healthier than pedigree dogs, and that they’re hypoallergenic, which is complete rubbish. And they just love the names — anything with ‘-oodle’ in it sounds cute.’
Indeed, enterprising breeders have come up with the giant schnoodle (a schnauzer-poodle), the boodle (a bulldog-poodle) and the Dalmapoodle (a Dalmatian-poodle). And that’s before you even get to the Pekepoo (a Pekingese-poodle) and the Pomapoo (a Pomeranian-poodle).
‘Puppy farmers target young families, and the children immediately think they’re getting a “fun dog”,’ says Mr Abraham. 
‘The moment someone has one of these cross-breeds delivered on TOWIE or Made In Chelsea, you get a huge demand for them.
Cockapoos are bred from Cocker spaniels and poodles
Cockapoos are bred from Cocker spaniels and poodles
Dog breeders cross poodles (left) with cocker spaniels (right) to breed cockapoos (below)
Britain's dog lovers will pay up to £2,000 on the designer dogs, like Cockapoos (pictured). They have been wooed by their cute names, celebrity endorsements and the dangerous myth that cross-breeds are healthier and more robust than pedigrees
Britain's dog lovers will pay up to £2,000 on the designer dogs, like Cockapoos (pictured). They have been wooed by their cute names, celebrity endorsements and the dangerous myth that cross-breeds are healthier and more robust than pedigrees
‘It’s also much easier to get dogs nowadays, thanks to the internet. But that makes life much easier for the puppy farmers, too. They can deliver to your house — or even to a motorway service station. 
‘You never get to see how they’re bred as you do when you visit a proper pedigree breeder. And they’ll bring you a different dog to the one you saw online.’
The Kennel Club estimates that one in five puppies, bought via social media or the internet, dies before it is six months old.
‘Because of the massive over-production in these puppy farms, the puppies are poorly socialised,’ says Mr Abraham
‘Their mothers are imprisoned, pumping out puppies who are taken away from them far too young. So the puppies end up being nervous biters.’

'Because of the... over-production in these puppy farms, the puppies are poorly socialised. Their mothers are imprisoned, pumping out puppies who are taken away from them far too young'- Marc Abraham, TV vet who founded the charity Pup Aid
They are often so badly neglected, they don’t have effective immune systems. Soon after they arrive at their new homes, they develop eye, skeletal and heart problems. 
‘They’re often dead within two days,’ says Mr Abraham.
Helen Morgan, 52, is one of the puppy farmers’ victims. She bought a cockapoo (a cocker spaniel/poodle) puppy for £650 after seeing an advertisement online.
Two weeks later, the puppy, Milo, died an agonising death, after contracting suspected Giardia, an intestinal disease which thrives in unhygienic puppy farms.
After spotting the advert for brown cockapoos, Miss Morgan had met a dealer at his smart, detached home in Dorset. She was reassured by the well-spoken man, a married father and writer, who claimed to breed puppies in his spare time because of his love of dogs.
‘He showed me the supposed mother and said Milo was the last pup of the litter,’ says Miss Morgan. ‘He looked like a little brown teddy bear and I fell in love instantly.’
She did ‘everything right’, asking for Milo’s birth certificate and questioning him about the puppy’s parents. The morning after taking Milo home, however, he was violently sick and developed diarrhoea.
‘He was lethargic and crying. It was awful to see but, when we called the breeder, he said his dogs were healthy and refused to talk to us about it.’
Wally Conron, inventor of the Labradoodle in the 80s, says he regrets creating these 'Frankenstein' dogs
Wally Conron, inventor of the Labradoodle in the 80s, says he regrets creating these 'Frankenstein' dogs
She took the dog to the vet, who put Milo on a course of antibiotics. But, two days later, he took a turn for the worse. He was found to have intestinal worms and was placed on a drip.
Milo was tested for Giardia and parvovirus, which can cause intestinal disease, but died a week later, before the results were back.
‘I was devastated,’ says Miss Morgan, who has two children aged 15 and 21. ‘We only had him for two weeks, but he was a joy and became part of our family.’
A representative from the local authority later told her that several dogs from the same seller had fallen ill with Giardia. When she spoke to the other buyers, she found that puppies of different colours and sizes had identical birth certificates — suggesting they had been forged and that the dogs had been bred elsewhere. 

'You can trim a poodle's coat or brush a retriever's coat, but mix them together and you have a completely unmanageable, matted coat. It is irresponsible breeding and it is done purely to make money'- Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club
She took the breeder to court for the cost of the vet’s fees and the puppy, ‘on a point of principle, to stop him doing it again’, but lost because she could not conclusively prove Milo had died of Giardia.
The breeder is still selling dogs, but has since moved to Derbyshire. Campaigners have also raised concerns that puppy-farm dogs are being carelessly bred from two completely incompatible breeds, to cash in on rare mixes.
A prime example is the Gerberian Shepsky — a cross between a German shepherd and a Siberian husky — which is increasingly popular among the rich in search of an attractive guard dog.
‘If you cross a dog that has one instinct, with another that has an entirely different instinct, it will not know if it is coming or going,’ says Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club. 
‘It will develop mental health problems. The husky’s instinct is to hunt and the German shepherd’s instinct is to round animals up. If a cross of these sees a rabbit, which is it supposed to do?
‘The golden doodle is another example. You can trim a poodle’s coat or brush a retriever’s coat, but mix them together and you have a completely unmanageable, matted coat. It is irresponsible breeding and it is done purely to make money.’ 
The Doodle Trust, which rescues unwanted Labradoodles and other poodle cross-breeds, has also expressed concerns that owners simply aren’t able to cope with the exuberance of such dogs, which are energetic and easily bored.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564373/The-hidden-suffering-dogs-bred-cute-Adorable-looks-Cuddly-names-like-Labradoodle-But-trend-cross-breed-dogs-raises-disturbing-questions.html#ixzz3ItgCNDdr
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