Puppy Mill Awareness - one day just doesn't do it

Saturday was Puppy Mill Awareness Day.

There was a Facebook page promoting it. PetFinder highlighted adoptable pets. Events were held all over the place. I'm sure there were walks, fundraisers, the works. I didn't note any of it in my newswrap columns, because frankly I think it's a pitifully stupid idea, exactly equivalent to Valentine's Day.

Yep, you read that right. Pitiful. Stupid. I could offer more adjectives if you like.

Here's where Valentine's Day enters into the equation.  I'm a pretty romantic guy. Just ask my wife. However, I long ago dissed Valentine's Day as a huge waste of time and money, with the following logic: If you understand the value of romance and show your partner day in and day out why they're the greatest thing that ever happened to you, overspending for roses, chocolates and insipid balloons one day a year makes no sense. And if you can't be bothered to show any semblance of romance the other 364 days of the year, Feb. 14 just highlights your shortcomings. Don't bother.

Now back to puppy mills. A day of awareness is great for raising funds to combat arthritis, breast cancer or cystic fibrosis.  A day to talk about puppy mills is a lot like a day to remind people to brush their teeth. It's not a one day a year thing, kids. For people who care about pets, this is one of the top two or three dangers we battle every day, every week and every month of the year.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day is September 18. So after that we should forget about it and go on with our lives, oblivious to the ongoing nightmare taking place under our noses?

I can't. Would you like to see the stories I read on an ongoing basis in putting together our newswraps about the appalling places stuffed to the rafters with wire cages?  The numbers are staggering, almost numbing. Breeding animals are kept in conditions that, if we were talking about people, would constitute crimes against humanity. International tribunals would be set up to prosecute.

I understand the idea of the day: Bring attention to the issue to people who are otherwise unaware of it. I get it, I just dispute its sense. If you're seriously going to put your money where your mouth is, it has to be an every day thing, not one Saturday in September. So no, I'm not going to waste my time or yours talking about events one day a year to promote awareness of the horrors and sickening degradations of puppy mills, some of which might be in your neighborhood.

Combatting the ongoing evil of the industry is part of Pet Connection's 365 day a year mission. We have fun gushing over how much we love our own pets, we highlight the irreplaceable bond between people and animals, we review vacuums, we promote the no kill philosophy, we remind our readers that manufacturers have a responsibility to keep faith with their customers, and we tell it like it is. Puppy mills are evil. At Pet Connection we'll be talking about it today, tomorrow, next month, and six months from now.

Now don't forget to brush your teeth.

(this post appeared on Pet Connection's blog Sunday night, September 19)

Photo credit: Mill dogs, flickr creative commons (Gumdrop Sweet)