Puppy Mills on Oprah and a short pregnant man follow up

OK, so the plan was to watch Oprah yesterday to see the pregnant man interview and post a summary about that for those of you who weren't able to see the show. While I was watching, I saw many commercials for today's Oprah show which was about the horrendous conditions of puppy mills. I thought to myself...wow, that's 2 shows in 2 days that I really want to see. Considering I can't even remember the last time I watched Oprah - I am a Dr. Phil person. Anyway I couldn't get to post the pregnant man update last night because hubby was doing his homework on the computer so I figured I would watch the puppy mill show that was on the DVR and post about both stories at once. Can I just tell you that after seeing today's show I could give 2 craps about the pregnant man.

Basically all I have to say is that all of the photos online that I have seen actually looked manly, however this person was obviously born as a woman and after they showed all of her photos growing up (she was a beauty queen so definitely very good looking), it was like looking at a woman with a beard for the rest of the show. Even though this is an extremely weird scenario, everyone involved seems to be fine with it and after seeing the show, it seems more like a same sex couple having a baby together. Obviously this decision is out of the ordinary and not for everyone, but I just hope that for the family's sake that people leave them alone & let them live their lives. Also I hope that the baby (it's a girl) can live her life without being harassed constantly.

And now onto the serious business of today's show on puppy mills...
First of all, I consider myself an animal person. Even though I have never had a dog in my life, I love them and can't wait to move to a place with more space and a big yard so I can fulfill my lifelong dream of having a dog. I don't think I have ever met anyone who didn't LOVE dogs (other than my mom who is extremely allergic and about 100 pounds so she has been knocked over by many dogs in her day). But she still will look at them from a distance and has nothing against them. I have never seen a show that I feel would make every person who saw it sick to their stomach until today when I watched the hidden investigation of puppy mills. In fact, I had to keep rewinding as I was watching because I had to keep getting up to get more tissues...

Here are the basic points everyone should be aware of:
Puppy Mills are operating in every state in the US, however most are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the midwest. There are 10,000 puppy mills currently operating. 99% of dogs in pet stores AND dogs sold online come from puppy mills-no responsible breeder would ever sell to a pet store! These dogs receive no exercise, no vet care, and no affection for their entire lives. They are never walked (many of them do not know how to walk) because they live their entire lives in wire cages. They live outside all year round and are never washed. Adult females are forced to breed every time they are in heat and one dog may produce 140 puppies in 7 years. Currently this practice is NOT ILLEGAL!! The people who own the puppy mills do it for the money and they consider the dogs to be crops, livestock, or a "product"-not pets.

Points to be aware of about animal shelters:
4 million dogs and cats are put down every year due to overcrowding in shelters - when a new animal arrives, an old one that has been around for a while has to go. Only 4 out of 50 dogs that end up in shelters get adopted. Shelters are a great place to get a pet - they have all ages and 1/3 to 1/2 of dogs in shelters are pure breeds.

Many dogs have to be killed every year because of overpopulation. This could be easily avoided if people would spay and neuter their dogs. It is better for their health to be fixed. Both males and females have a reduced risk for cancer. For males especially, they become a much better house pet after they are neutered. If you are worried about the expense of the surgery, there are many free or low cost clinics that you can go to.

The main point here is do not support these puppy mills-DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE! I know I am guilty of going into many pet stores and staring at the cute little puppies for sale. Let me tell you something-now that I have seen the conditions that the mothers of these puppies have to live with, I would never buy one because the cycle will just keep going and going...If you are looking to get a dog, start at your local shelter. If you are looking for a specific breed, you can also go online and find a breed rescue organization in your area. It is also acceptable to buy from a RESPONSIBLE BREEDER. There are some out there but you have to do your homework because obviously no one is going to tell you that they are a puppy mill. A couple of things to look for-a responsible breeder will want to meet/interview the family to make sure the dog will be getting a loving home, they will be willing to take the dog back if there are any problems, they will be more than happy to take you around their facility and show you all of the dogs on the premises (make especially sure that you see this puppy's mother and all of the breeding females-these are the dogs who have it the worst!)

If you would like more information on this topic or to fight back against puppy mills check out Oprah's website.

A bit of this and a bit of that

After reading Dana's post at Just Talk I started thinking about my first day back to school after spring break and Eliza being sick. I started my morning with one boy telling me his head has grown very large. He followed this be telling me it was hard as a rock. During morning message a rascally student eagerly volunteered the word CRAP to our list of -ap family words. I agreed that while Crap is in the ap family it is not a word we use in kindergarten. During guided reading the students were not listening to me so one of my group members declared, "Ms. Tamez is pissed!" I explained that we also don't use the word pissed because it is a not a nice word. He backtracked and just said I was getting angry. Before lunch one student decided to go #2 all over the bathroom. This is always a joyous event because the bathroom is in our room. It really leaves a pleasant odor for the rest of the afternoon. Anyhoo, I guess the toilet was broken because after lunch another little girl flushed the toilet and the water shot up all over her clothes. Let me say there is never a dull moment in my class!

After work I zipped home to get Eliza and took her in for a recheck at the pediatrician's office. At my appointment they informed me I would have to collect a urine sample using a urine collection bag next week. Directly after my collection I need to bring the sample to Quest Diagnostics for evaluation. A urine collection bag and a squirmy 6 month old. I can't think of anything that would be more fun! I think I will hand this one over to daddy Pete!

I did miss 90% of the Oprah show so I can't comment much on what was discussed. However, as strange as I think the situation may be, I don't think it is my place to pass judgement. I can't say if it is right or wrong. There are too many shades of grey. I just say live and let live.

More on Oprah-I am a huge animal lover. I am vegan for cryin out loud. Tomorrow her show is about puppy mills and I am sure it will be heartbreaking. If you share my love of animals be sure to tune in for this Lisa Ling special.

I always have the hardest time thinking of gift ideas and I am sure I am not the only one. I have been meaning to write about this great gift idea for some time. For my mom's birthday I had note pads designed from http://www.picpads.com/. They came out sooo cute. It is really an amazing gift idea. The deadline to order for Mother's Day is April 15. Here is the one I made for my mom. I says Nana's Notes.

I am tired of typing with a wriggly baby in one arm so I am outta here for now.

What do you watch? & Jumped the Shark

After the post from 5 Minutes for Mom yesterday I started wondering what shows all the moms in the blogosphere are watching. If it wasn't for DVR I don't think I would get to watch anything! Usually it takes me 3 times as long to watch one show because I need to stop, pause, and/or rewind to go and do something. Two shows that I DVR are Prison Break and Smallville. I guess I have a thing for the bad boys and for the good boys. A guy with superhuman powers always gets my attention. It is a toss up between Superman and The Green Arrow for me. I also love to watch House. When I was little I watched Hugh Laurie in some british comedies and I am a long time fan of his. I also really like to watch Ellen. I think she is funny, cooky and crazy. Plus, I think everyone should dance at least once a day.

All of this got me thinking about why I continue to watch shows after they have Jumped the Shark. If you listen to Howard Stern (please no negative comments- if you are not a fan- be nice) you probably have heard the term before. It refers to the point when a t.v. show has reached its peak (and also directly refers to when The Fonz literally "jumped the shark" on Happy Days). The website was founded by Stern Show's infamous rich nerd Jon Hein. Anyway, in my opinion Prison Break Jumped the Shark after the first prison escape but I continue to watch the long and drawn out mess the show has become. I also think that Deal or No Deal Jumped the Shark with the terrible million dollar mission. Why do they act surprised when someone picks a million dollar case? Duh! There are like twelve of them up there. One last show that I am afraid has reached its peak. OPRAH! If I have to hear Dr. Oz or Gail one more time...

So what are you watching? And which shows do you think have Jumped the Shark and why?