Pets
Find Three Simple Ways to Help Local Dogs
Help protect puppies, say "no" to repeat offenders, and get tips on choosing your new dog
If you're like most of us, you see constant pleas online to help protect animals, but are overwhelmed by what to do. Here are three easy steps you can take to help animals right in our area.
1. Support the Bill to Protect Puppies and Kittens. Senator Spilka has filed a bill to require breeders to follow stronger regulations and to ensure pet stores don't work with breeders who have violated animal welfare regulations. The bill passed in the Senate and needs your support in the House.
Email Massachusetts House Representative Carmine Gentile at [email protected] and ask him to support the bill. Our community is no stranger to concerns about puppy mills. Concerns arose recently when Pik-A-Pup Kennel in Holliston and Laughlin Kennels in Oxford were found to have bought dogs from Iowan breeder J. Maassen Inc., who the Humane Society included on its list of the 100 worst puppy mill breeders in the country.
Find out what's happening in Sudburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
2. Sign the petition against reinstating the Greyhound Friends kennel license. The greyhound adoption group Greyhound Friends in Hopkinton, MA was found to be neglecting sick and injured dogs, according to a disturbing report by the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources. The state temporarily closed the kennel in January 2017 after inspectors found unsafe and unsanitary conditions on multiple occasions. Soon afterwards, a reporter uncovered records showing that Greyhound Friends has had decades of animal welfare violations. The group also reportedly adopted out a sick dog months after its kennel license was suspended.
Despite this, the organization is seeking to get its license back.
Find out what's happening in Sudburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
3. Get the facts when choosing your next family pet. You can adopt dogs of virtually any breed as well as many puppies through animal rescues. There are two animal shelters in town: Save a Dog, who finds homes for dogs and Buddy Dog, who finds homes for dogs and cats. Sites like Petfinder allow you to search for dogs to adopt by their breed, age, size, location, and other criteria. You can even search for dogs and cats based on their compatibility with children and other animals.
If you prefer to obtain your new dog from a breeder, here are some tips on ensuring that you are doing so responsibly and are not supporting a puppy mill.
