My Friend Lent Me this Book...

After wading through my recent epidemic of puppy mill posts, my friend Daria offered to lend me her copy of Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills. An avid reader, I of course said yes, and couldn’t wait to get the book home to dive in.

What I expected to read was a heartwarming memoir about a rescued Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Upon opening its cover, I discovered that Saving Gracie is no memoir.

While the book does highlight the individual story of Gracie, a single dog who ‘escaped’ a puppy mill after languishing for six years in horrific conditions, what I really found myself reading was an eye-opening exploration of the insidious world of puppy mills, unearthed by newspaper reporter Carol Bradley.

I’d like to introduce you to just a few of the amazing people you’ll find in its pages, all of whom have made significant differences in the lives of animals suffering under the ‘care’ of callous breeders. The person who stands foremost in my mind is Governor Ed Rendell, a man who chased many a puppy mill proprietor from his state of Pennsylvania. Sadly, my local readers might be horrified to know that when Governor Rendell cracked down on these ‘breeders,’ many of them fled his state – and moved right into our backyard – thanks to New York’s more lenient animal welfare laws.

The next person of note that I’d like to draw attention to is Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, a man who has saved thousands of animals on his own dime. He is also the person who prompted the above Governor Rendell into action, and later convinced Oprah Winfrey to air a show about puppy mills which opened a lot of eyes to the suffering that goes on inside shadowy barns and kennels throughout the Country. I’d love to tell you how he creatively caught both of their attentions, but I don’t want to spoil the book.

And finally, no review of Saving Gracie would be complete without the mention of Cheryl Shaw, a humane officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), who set the events in motion to close down Mike-Mar Kennels, one of the most horrendous puppy mills to date. Her actions freed Gracie, along with several other hundred dogs, from further torture.

Along with these, and many other amazing people who populate this book, Saving Gracie also documents the lives of countless animals that have suffered in the hands of heartless breeders.

It’s a worthwhile read if you are in the market for a dog, if you are curious about dog related legislation and animal welfare, or if you want to learn more about the plague of American Puppy Mills and what is being done to fight them. That said, Saving Gracie is not a book for the faint of heart. Throughout its page you while unearth the unspeakable horrors that are going on behind closed doors, every hour of every day. It is a book that will make you want to both cry, and cheer.

P.S. For those who are waiting on Meadow's Rally video, the second song Nick chose was copyright protected as well. (Unfortunately, you don't find these things out until after you spend hours uploading footage.) He hopes to add a new song tomorrow...we'll let you know when it's up. Sorry again for the continued delay...