Every day I sift through stories and blog posts about puppy mill dogs — kennels that have been raided, breeders who’ve been charged with animal cruelty, dog lovers who are grappling with a high-maintenance puppy mill rescue. The details can make for grim reading. But once in a while a story comes along that makes me want to cheer. The most recent example is an Associated Press piece about Jamie Katz, a former pet store manager in Los Angeles who got sick and tired of dealing with puppy mill dogs and decided to do something about it.

 

Katz had tried to address the problem where she worked, but the store owners wouldn’t listen. Then protestors representing Best Friends Animal Society began picketing the store. When the owners of Pets of Bel Air shut down in the wake of the bad publicity, Katz borrowed some money, rented the now-empty space and filled it with shelter animals.

 

The name of her business: WoofWorx. In a year’s time, Katz has sold 200 shelter dogs. The dogs have been spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, bathed and socialized.She offers grooming, training classes, teeth cleaning and other services.

 

“People fall in love with the dogs, not the label or breed,” Elizabeth Oreck, who headed the Best Friends campaign, told the AP. “The kids don’t know the difference. They just see a cute dog.”

Read the full story here: http://www.semissourian.com/story/print/1640207.html

 

The story comes on the heels of an AP-Petside.com poll in which more than half of respondents said they planned to get their next dog or cat from a shelter. More than 40 percent also said they thought pets sold in stores might suffer from undetected medical or emotional problems.

 

I’m finding a similar level of awareness among dog owners I encounter at the dog park in Great Falls. A surprising number say their dog came from a shelter — and, interestingly, it’s these dog owners who seem proudest of their pets. Which is certainly how I feel about our recycled pair.