A dog's life can be really ugly. It's wrong.

A “stray” from our normal coverage to one that deserves attention always: the plight of domestic dogs in this country. There are too many homeless, abandoned, and abused dogs in this country.

Dogs give their humans the benefit of companionship and unconditional love. Humans often give them much less in return. Dogs are sold for research purposes, and HBO in their new documentary “Dealing Dogs” delves into how some dogs met a cruel fate even before they reached a research facility. HBO’s lead in on their website sums it up like this:

“Dealing Dogs: Each year, 42,000 dogs are sold to veterinary schools and research labs by Class B dealers, who are required by federal law to buy the animals from pounds, shelters and small breeders and to treat them humanely. However, many Class B dealers violate the law. DEALING DOGS exposes the abuses that took place at one of America's most notorious Class B dealers - Martin Creek Kennel in Arkansas. Premieres Tuesday, February 21 at 10pm (ET/PT)”

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/dealingdogs/index.html

HBO continues further to say in their synopsis “Four years in the making, DEALING DOGS follows the undercover investigation of Martin Creek Kennel by the animal rights group Last Chance for Animals. A young man who goes by the name of "Pete" in the film wore a hidden camera while he worked a low- level job hosing kennels at the dog dealer. Over the course of six months, Pete secretly filmed activities at Martin Creek Kennel, including the beating and shooting of dogs, and recorded footage of animals that were left to languish in their kennels and suffered from malnourishment, life-threatening disease and injury, among other abuses. Dog corpses are shown piled up on the property and in trenches after being butchered for their organs.”

This isn’t an easy documentary to watch, and you may have tears tears running down their face by the end of this documentary which will haunt you. Be sure to visit Last Chance for Animals here: http://www.lcanimal.org/ and the Humane Society here: http://www.hsus.org/

WCBS in New York reported recently on what they refer to as a puppy pipeline – pets shipped into the U.S. in horrible conditions:

“NEW YORK Thousands of puppies enter the United States each year, many shipped in filthy, crowded and perilous conditions that leave hundreds of them sick - and scores dead on arrival, WCBS2.com has learned.

A shipment of 25 puppies arrived at Kennedy Airport from Hungary last week. The pups were dirty, shivering and afraid but they were alive. The week before, five puppies weren't so fortunate. They arrived frozen to death. CBS) NEW YORK Thousands of puppies enter the United States each year, many shipped in filthy, crowded and perilous conditions that leave hundreds of them sick - and scores dead on arrival, WCBS2.com has learned.

A shipment of 25 puppies arrived at Kennedy Airport from Hungary last week. The pups were dirty, shivering and afraid but they were alive. The week before, five puppies weren't so fortunate. They arrived frozen to death.....We've just seen a couple of cases where they were shrink-wrapped" Galas said. "Sometimes they're completely covered so you won't be able to, the dog can hardly breathe in there."... Puppies are also shipped without food or water, in filthy, overcrowded kennels or in crates that are too small.....Puppies bound for JFK are airborne for 10 hours or more. They come in from Ireland, Holland, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, China, Korea, Colombia and Brazil. No federal agency tracks the number of pups entering the country.”

Full text: http://wcbstv.com/seenat11/local_story_048230121.html

Closer to home, animal rescue groups have been involved recently in rescuing dogs in Chester County, PA:

Two Chesco men accused of cruelty involving 337 dogs
County SPCA officials conducted a raid after a tip from a customer. No animals were euthanized.

By Bonnie L. Cook
Inquirer Staff Writer
Excerpt:
“Humane officers filed 402 cruelty charges yesterday against two operators of a Chester County dog-breeding kennel for allegedly keeping 337 dogs in unsanitary conditions.

The charges were filed on the same day that the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, part of the Department of Agriculture, charged the two men with operating an unlicensed kennel.

Michael Wolf, 65, and Gordon Trottier, 42, both of Oxford, were accused in district court of illegally running a "puppy mill" called Mike-Mar Cavaliers in the 1700 block of Old Baltimore Pike, an SPCA official said.

Chuck McDevitt, spokesman for the Chester County SPCA, said the agency had not handled a case involving so many animals since its inception in 1929. The SPCA chapter filed the criminal charges.”

Full text: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/chester_county/13882712.htm

Of course, almost as expected, the owner of the Chester County kennel claims he isn’t a puppy mill. As the Daily Local News aptly points out, “A "puppy mill" is the name given to a facility that breeds large quantities of purebred puppies.

Some of the inhumane conditions that puppy mills have been accused of are over breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, overcrowded cages, poor food and lack of socialization with humans, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Female dogs are forced to bear litter after litter and are frequently killed once their reproductive life is over.” (Full text: http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16164805&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6 )

One of our local rescue groups, Main Line Animal Rescue http://www.mainlinerescue.com/ has a fabulous anti-puppy mill campaign in place. In founder Bill Smith’s own words “Years ago, I met a woman who was playing cards at a Senior Center. She told me that, as a young girl, before she came to this country; she had been arrested along with her family and held against her will for over three years. Suffering unspeakable acts of brutality, she told me that she prayed everyday that the walls of her prison would turn to glass so the world could see her suffering and witness her pain.

Her words came to me recently, as I traveled through Lancaster County. Past the little white farm houses and the fenced meadows, among the idyllic pastoral settings of Pennsylvania's Dutch Country.

Driving by the massive silos of corn and around the black buggies somberly slowing the traffic, I could see their barns with walls of aged wood and heavy plank doors locked to the outside world. And if I could, I would turn those walls to glass. So the world could see the suffering and hopelessness inside. Hundreds of registered, and unregistered, dog breeding facilities can be found in Lancaster County and they are known far and wide, as Pennsylvania's notorious puppy mills.” ( http://www.mainlinerescue.com/puppymills_1.html )

http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ is a great website to check out on this heinous aspect of animal cruelty.

But back to the Chester County saga. The Chester County SPCA is helping the dogs rescued in Lower Oxford, Chester County. All 335 of them as far as we know. They are in need of donations due to the obscenely large amount of animals rescued. If you want to send a donation send it to The Chester County SPCA can 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380 . You can check out their website for further information here: http://www.ccspca.org/ . They may need supplies as well. But you’ll have to ask them.

“It’s a dog’s life” is a phrase that historically alludes to the sense of “a life of misery, or of miserable subserviency” . ( http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-its1.htm ) It is up to the humans to stop the madness and reward all that unconditional love and devotion a dog gives with a happy life. Rescue a dog if you can, send a donation to the rescue group of your choice if you can’t. And if you are a dog owner already? Go home and hug your pet tonight. Treat them right. All they want is for us to love them. Is that so bad? Is it so hard to love them back? NO.