Letters from readers: February 2009 Archives

From Humane Society of the United States:

Lisa Mullins didn't know she was purchasing a sick puppy when she bought her bulldog, Otis, from Bulldog Ravine. The Internet seller had a flashy website depicting cute, healthy puppies, concealing the true nature of its business.

It wasn't until after Otis became seriously ill that Lisa realized she'd been had: He came from a puppy importer who has reportedly sold unhealthy bulldogs from puppy mills. Sadly, Otis died at only 8 months of age.

Like many Internet sellers, Bulldog Ravine owner Brenda Moncrieff may have operated under more than one business name, using more than one website to market English and French bulldog puppies. These alternative business names and websites may include: B&E English Bulldogs, Heavenly French Bulldogs, APlusBulldogs.com, MNMBulldogs.com and GreenacresBulldogs.com.

If you have purchased a sick dog from any of these businesses, or any other such business or Internet site that markets French or English bulldogs, or if you otherwise have had a negative experience with any of these businesses, please contact HSUS immediately.

If you have friends, neighbors, or family members who have experience with any of these businesses or sites, we would also like to hear their stories. Please share this info with them and ask them to contact HSUS if they are willing to share their stories.

Unethical puppy sellers like Bulldog Ravine typically promise purchasers that they only sell healthy dogs who have been raised in a home, but often these people are in the business of selling unhealthy puppies from miserable puppy mills. They also may promise pedigree papers that they cannot deliver.

WBRE Eyewitness News' reports about these practices and Bulldog Ravine are available in Part One and Part Two of a series on its website.

If you believe that you have been victimized by puppy mill pushers, please tell us your story.

Thank you for your continued support in our campaign to stop puppy mills.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

From The Fund for Animals:

Today, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and its parent company, Feld Entertainment, Inc., will finally stand trial to face charges for the inhumane treatment of its Asian elephants in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The case has been more than eight years in the making.

In U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., The Fund for Animals and other animal welfare groups -- which together filed this groundbreaking lawsuit against the circus in 2000 -- will lay out overwhelming and tragic evidence demonstrating that circus employees used abusive training and discipline methods to control these highly endangered and extremely intelligent animals. Among the allegations, the circus is charged with routinely hitting the animals with sharp bullhooks and confining and chaining them for prolonged periods -- sometimes for days at a time while the animals travel between venues in cramped rail cars.

Their suffering has been -- and continues to be -- immense.

Together with our partners we have fought long and hard to get this case to court. Along the way, we were forced to fend off stall tactics and repeated attempts by Ringling Bros. to have the case dismissed. It's promising that the elephants finally have their day in court.

I encourage you to follow along as the trial progresses by reading daily courtroom updates from our legal team. And because it's costing several hundred thousand dollars to take on Ringling's army of corporate lawyers, I'd be grateful if you are able to make a special donation to The Fund for Animals today.

We know you join us in looking forward to the day these animals are out of harm's way.

Thank you for caring about animals.

Sincerely,

Michael Markarian
President
The Fund for Animals