In This Edition:

— Latest Events at Kamp K9
— Info Feature:   Puppy Mills: Not an Out-of-State Issue
— Photo of the Month
— Links

WHAT'S HAPPENING

IT’S ALMOST OVER…!!!

The bridge construction on Route 22 (Outer Congress St) over the Turnpike is nearly done, and will be completed within a month. Around the same time, the nightmare construction at the intersection of 22 and Spring Street will be halted for the winter. Certainly, this is coming none too soon.

START THINKING ABOUT BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY STAY

The phone has already begun to ring a little more often lately with people looking for boarding space over the holidays. If you’re planning on going away and need to board your loved ones, now is the time to start thinking about reserving them a spot here at Kamp K9.

Animals staying here over Thanksgiving will get turkey with their dinner (unless I’m notified not to by their owners).

Before I forget to mention it: The underbrush in the “back” yard has been cleared even more over the summer, so the space available to run outdoors is even bigger!

INFO FEATURE:

Puppy Mills: Not Just an Out-of-State Issue

Most people have heard the term “Puppy Mill” before, but not everyone knows exactly what it means. “Puppy mill” is generally applied to a dog breeding business that exists purely for profit, does not care about the improvement of a breed (in other words, they don’t take care to be sure that dogs with physical/genetic defects aren’t bred), and breed in mass quantities, to the point where females’ bodies are badly worn down. Also, many times these places have horrible living conditions for their breeding stock, who often are found living in absolute squalor. The puppies produced by such places are sold to pet stores around the country, and sometimes to individuals (or labs for testing and experiments).

Pretty horrible stuff. Most often we hear about puppy mills in the Midwest, where they are certainly quite prevalent. But to think that they don’t exist in Maine is a mistake. I personally have had a dog that was seized from a mill up in Hudson, Maine. Many of you have also heard about the mill in Buxton that was shut down by the state…but a lot of the story is not covered by the news on TV.

I offer you this link from the Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/maine_puppy_mill_101207.html

I’ll let the article speak for itself, and only add this: Buy only from responsible breeders with impeccable references, or better yet, adopt from a shelter! There are PLENTY of dogs out there, some of whom have had cruel lives up to now, in need of a home!

PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

It was a toss-up between this picture and the one at the top of this newsletter.