istock.com

By Victoria Fisher

On April 4, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" spotlighted the puppy mill industry and how it affects animals and animal care organizations. Millions of viewers got a first-hand look at some of the deplorable practices mills used to mass-produce purebred puppies and designer dogs. The show also turned viewers’ attention toward shelter dogs. Now, shelters are reporting a noticeable increase in adoption interest.

In the weekend following the show, shelters across the United States saw an influx of visitors looking to give dogs and cats new homes.

The episode featured a report on the horrors of puppy mills by investigative reporter Lisa Ling, special correspondent for the "Oprah" show, a conversation with The Humane Society of the United States' President and CEO Wayne Pacelle, and animal advocate Bill Smith from MainLine Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania.

On its website, the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau of Lancaster, Pa. (a county with a high concentration of puppy mills) also called for increased efforts to shut down puppy mills following the show.

"The quickest way to eliminate the puppy mill problem is to cut off the demand," said PA Dutch CVB President & CEO Christopher Barrett on the site. "Many of these dogs are wholesaled to pet stores around the country; others are sold via the Internet. It's important to ask questions and know where a puppy has come from."

Shelters Report Spike in Visits, Adoptions

For more than four decades, The HSUS has been working to bring mass dog-breeding operations to light. With the release of three HSUS investigations in the past year and the recent boost of national attention, Americans are getting hip to puppy mills—and finding out more about shelter adoption.

While the connection between Oprah's focus on puppy mills and the increase in pet adoptions remains corollary for now, one thing is clear—the nation's shelters reported heightened adoption interest after the show.

The Coastal Humane Society of Brunswick, Maine, reported that it was "inundated beyond capacity with folks visiting" after the show aired April 4. The shelter estimated that about 60 percent of its visitors said they were visiting as a direct result of the "Oprah" show. The Coastal Humane Society had seven dogs put on hold that day, pending application approval. Four pets went to new homes on Sunday.

In the episode, Oprah told her viewers to get informed before they visit an animal shelter and adopt a pet.

Rochelle Michalek, executive director of Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS) Chicago said 100-200 people go though the shelter's adoption center on a given weekend. The traffic increased 50 percent after the airing of the "Oprah" show. An additional 15 pets were adopted from the shelter last weekend, according to Michalek. PAWS hopes to find homes for more than 3,000 pets this year.

The shelter attributed the increase in volume of adopters to the show, Michalek said.

"Seeing reality made them want to adopt," she said.

Moved to Take Action
 
Others who aren't looking to adopt a pet were calling The HSUS's offices after the show aired to learn more about what they can do to stop puppy mills.

"I'm getting many calls from outraged members of the public concerning the puppy mills side of the issue. Some of them are in tears. They cannot believe this is happening in America and that most of it is completely legal," said Kathleen Summers, puppy mills program assistant in the Companion Animals section of The HSUS. (See sidebar for what you can do to stop puppy mills.)

"Shelters in many areas are dumping grounds for unwanted breeding dogs who are either dropped at the shelter or abandoned by the road or in the woods, and later find their way to the shelter as strays," she said. "Of course, when a puppy mill is shut down, shelters also bear the burden."

Allison Miller, adoption supervisor at the Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control Fort Wayne, Ind., said the shelter almost doubled its number of adoptions last weekend from an average of 10 to 19.

The Rockbridge SPCA in Lexington, Va., typically has 60 visitors over a weekend but reported 100 visitors at the SPCA last weekend—resulting in the adoption of three dogs and three cats. SPCA officials said they couldn’t tell if the show had an immediate effect on people visiting and adopting pets.

The shelter had 70 dogs and 100 cats at the shelter still looking for permanent homes at the time this story was posted. 

Victoria Fisher is the outreach communications coordinator for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.