For the past month, a Western New York nonprofit has been raising money to save and rehome puppy mill rescues.
Puppy Mill Rescue Team is a 501c3 nonprofit based out of Brockport. For years, the group has worked to eradicate puppy mills entirely. As part of this work, they rescue retired breeders and puppies from abusive facilities. Afterward, Puppy Mill Rescue rehabilitates the dogs and gives them medical attention. Finally, foster homes and shelters take in the newly rescued pups. Besides that essential work, the group also educates the public about the harsh realities of breeding purebred designer dogs.
Shoes for Rescues
Spectrum News 1 reported on the recent shoe drive the group coordinated. For the past month, Puppy Mill Rescue teamed up with Funds2Orgs to raise money to keep housing rescued dogs. Aside from donation boxes all across western New York, there were also adoptable dogs. Among them was Whitney, a 4-year-old Frenchie rescued as a puppy. Many of the dogs are shy and reserved around people since they haven’t been socialized. Still, their sweet personalities shine through.
One volunteer, Jessica Ziomek, spoke to Rochester First about her own experience with puppy mills: her dog Maurie was rescued from one at only 6 years old. Maurie was slow to warm to Jessica, but eventually his bright, energetic self came through.
Ziomek also spoke about how the drive helped people around the world. In exchange for their gently worn shoes, Puppy Mill rescue would get to keep rescuing neglected dogs. With all the shoes collected, Funds2Go would give them to families to help them start small businesses. Alongside that, the organization also gave business coaching and management help to ensure they succeeded.
Again, Dogtime always advises against purchasing dogs from breeders. The dogs’ living conditions are difficult to verify, and the practice is ethically dubious. As always, we recommend that you ‘adopt, don’t shop’.
If you’d like to donate to Puppy Mill Rescue, you can do so with Paypal or a credit card by following this link.
