By Rebecca Simmons

They don't have dressing rooms, stage names or million-dollar contracts. But make no mistake, Wilson and Homer look fabulous in front of the camera, no matter what they're wearing. However, there's one big difference between this famous duo and most super models—Wilson and Homer are pugs.

The photogenic pooches have teamed up with author Nancy Levine to release Homer for the Holidays , a book that has it all: adorable dog images, a charming storyline, and even a timeless message. You could say Wilson and Homer, during the course of their 96-page story, are on a mission–a mission to help spread the word about the dangers of puppy mills.

"I really hope that Homer for the Holidays makes people more aware of the puppy mill issue," says Levine, a former staff photographer for the Elmsford, New York, Humane Society, who published the surprise hit, The Tao of Pug, in 2003. "I don't think there's a lot of awareness now in the mainstream public about what puppy mills are, what they're doing and where puppies come from when you see them in the newspaper or the Internet or in pet stores. The truth is, most people don't realize that the problem even exists."

The problem is one that animal lovers simply can't overlook any longer. Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers. The puppies are sold directly to the public via the Internet or newspaper ads; they’re also sometimes available at the mill itself or even through brokers and pet shops, which purchase animals from the mill.

The well-documented problems at puppy mills include over-breeding, little to no veterinary care, lack of quality food and clean water, minimal shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowding, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this situation often means buying a puppy who faces an array of veterinary and/ or behavior problems. In addition, puppy mill dogs often have genetic problems that do not appear until years later.

Levine didn’t know much about puppy mills before she wrote Homer for the Holidays. She stumbled upon the issue while researching the storyline and quickly realized that raising awareness about puppy mills was exactly the kind of impact she hoped to make on her readers.

“I knew that pet stores were not a good source for dogs, that pet stores typically get their dogs from puppy mills. So that made me scratch the surface just a little bit, and the more I scratched the surface, the more insidious and diabolical I found that puppy mills were. That’s when I came in contact with the Humane Society site www.StopPuppyMills.com and wove the issue deeper into the story. I realized that I was in a position to further raise awareness and make people cognizant of what happens in puppy mills. I think so much of it is an awareness-raising issue—that people just don’t know that pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills.” (To hear more of our interview with Levine, click on the audio link above.)

While more people are becoming aware of the issue, thanks to projects like Homer for the Holidays, the vast majority remain uninformed. Animal lovers can educate themselves and help spread the word about puppy mills with these four simple steps:

1. Just Say No
Encourage your friends and family to avoid pet shops where puppies are sold. Buying a puppy through a newspaper ad or the Internet is equally risky. A large percentage of dogs sold in this manner are bred at puppy mills. Every time someone purchases a dog who came from a puppy mill, it generates more revenue for the industry and increases the market for even more dogs to be bred in these dangerous conditions. The best place to find a new dog, even a purebred, is at your local animal shelter where hundreds of thousands of dogs nationwide are waiting to find a happy home.

2. Get a Handle on the Issue
To learn more about puppy mills go to www.StopPuppyMills.com.

3. Curl Up With a Good Book
To order Homer for the Holidays check out The HSUS Humane Bookshelf.

4. Drum Up Support
Request a free “Help Homer Stop Puppy Mills” packet from The HSUS, which includes:

• Homer for the Holidays bookmark
• www.StopPuppyMills.com bumper sticker
• “How Not to Buy a Puppy” brochure

To order, send an e-mail with your name and address to officeservices@hsus.org. Please include “Help Homer Stop Puppy Mills” in the subject line of your e-mail.

No dog should ever have to experience the conditions inside a puppy mill or be without a loving family of his own. “My greatest hope is that every dog would have a happy, respectful home," Levine says. "But, more specifically, I hope that people become aware of the puppy mill issue.”

Wilson and Homer couldn’t agree more.

Rebecca Simmons is the Outreach Communications Coordinator for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.