Thanks to the courage and conviction of pet rescue leader Bill Smith, Oprah recently set the air waves on fire with her program about the horrible animal cruelty discovered by Lisa ling in undercover footage of puppy mills. People responded in droves. Many picketed outside pet stores with calls to Adopt Not Shop!

Oprah re-aired the program on Friday with an update that said that the Governor of Pennsylvania was going to lobby for legislation put in place to shut down puppy mills. Great news for everyone following this story!

While Oprah and Bill Smith were busy airing this important program, a new spokesperson for the cause was busy in the background. Enter Jana Kohl with her special pet pal Baby who inspired the “end-puppy-mills” crusade.

Jana and Baby are on a mission to raise awareness about the cruelty of puppy mills. Their destination? Washington where they intend to try to persuade Congress to introduce legislation that would end puppy mills once and for all. Check out their YouTube video here.

Baby is an adorable three-legged spokesdog…a beautiful little white poodle called Baby who knows firsthand about the horrors of a puppy mill. Before she was rescued, Baby had her vocal chords cut out at the puppy mill so that her barking and crying to get away would not disturb the owners. She has a number tattooed inside her ear… to show her place in the inventory. She was malnourished and as a result has severe osteoporosis. Now Baby is Jana’s pet and is the face of fighting the cruelty of puppy mills.

Featured today on Good Morning America, Jana spoke about her new book, A Rare Breed of Love, which is a star-studded collection of celebrities from many walks of life who support her in her “Adopt Don’t Shop” crusade to make people more aware of the importance of adopting shelter animals or buying from registered pet breeders instead of buying pets from pet stores or from the Internet.

A quote from Judge Judy about puppy mills…

There must be a special place in hell for you (owners of puppy mills) but until that time you’ll have to deal with me!

Now that you are aware of the puppy mill problem, please do your part to support the momentum of this initiative to close them down.If you are thinking of getting a pet, please check with your local humane society to adopt a shelter pet. If you are looking for a purebred pet, they are always available at the local shelter or at breed-specific rescue centers. The other option is to buy your new pet from a registered breeder… not from a pet store or an online ad. We can all make a difference and put puppy mills out of business! Learn more about puppy mills here and buy Jana’s book!