My Initial Reply

Introduction

WHEN YOU BREED DOGS AND CATS AS A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS YOU ARE OPERATING A PUPPY MILL

The above is the world recognized standard as to what is a puppy mill. Dogs and cats are not chickens and cows, they are not bred to be eaten, lay eggs, or produce milk. They are bred to be loved and cherished as members of your family, and on occasion to work on your behalf as guide dogs, rescue dogs, sniffer dogs, or therapy dogs. A reputable breeder is someone who breeds 1 or at most 3 litters a year. They do so as a 'passion' to seek perfection (appearance and health) in the breed of dog or cat that they are raising, with money being a non existent concern. They are more likely to loose money than make money, considering the high costs of showing the dogs or cats that own them so completely at the various 'Shows' world wide. A reputable breeder will often do an extensive background check on you before allowing you to have the privilege to be owned by one of his/her dogs or cats!

You breed dogs and cats in your house and not a barn, they are not farm animals and never will be! The Paws R Us puppy mill currently has 24 puppy litters in the barn in cages ready to go (they most likely have never seen sunlight, played in the grass, or...).

If you ask the Paws R Us puppy mill about a particular breed picked at random (they have everything) you are told:

"...they were checked by a vet today and vaccinated, they will be ready to go on Sunday $450, the kennel is open to the public for viewing, pups are sold with a 1 year written guarantee against anything hereditary, 1st vaccinations, deworming, reg'd with papers, parent[s] on site, you are welcome to visit, and we do ship at buyers expense..."

Interesting how they say 'Kennel' instead of 'Barn', and 'anything hereditary' instead of 'all diseases' (most if not all puppy mill diseases are not hereditary - a reputable CKC registered breeder says 'all diseases'). Easy to see why most are easily fooled, and end up with costly Vet bills and broken hearts! :-(

Ottawa Citizen's 1st article (2000) on the Paws R Us puppy mill
Ottawa Citizen's 2nd article (2000) on Quebec puppy mill crisis
Ottawa Citizen's 3rd article (2000) on a real dog breeding kennel
Ottawa Citizen's 4th article (2000) on the Paws R Us puppy mill
Ottawa Citizen's 5th article (2000) on the Paws R Us puppy mill
Ottawa Citizen's 6th article (2002) Quebec Fears of puppy mills
Ottawa Citizen's 7th article (2006) on the Paws R Us puppy mill
Montreal Gazette's 1st article (2006) on the Paws R Us puppy mill
Once a Pig Farm, and now a puppy mill possibly relocated from Ontario.

So, how does this law firm proudly
introduce the owners of the Paws R Us puppy mill:

The Kennel is a commercial business.

This instantly translates for anyone who
knows anything about dogs and cats as:

The Kennel is a puppy mill.

Breeding dogs and cats can no more be viewed as a commercial business, than breeding humans can be viewed as a commercial business (at least in the civilized world outside of Québec)!

This law firm seems to place great importance on the fact that their puppy mill clients raise, breed and sell breeds of dogs which are registered with the North American Purebred Dog Registry!

The North American Purebred Dog Registry is a registry set-up for the benefit of puppy mills (who else would need a COMMERCIAL RATE?). This being a ploy to obtain legitimacy by providing 'official' looking registration papers to unsuspecting victims. Registration papers that are not even worth the paper that they are printed on, but allow the puppy mill operator to charge an extra $100 or what ever per dog. The only 2 genuine registrars being the American Kennel Club , and the Canadian Kennel Club. See the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies for more details. The CFHS Program Director says (responding to my email):

"I would have no problem stating that the North American Purebred Dog Registry is not an official registry of purebred dogs and there are several fairly obvious problems with this 'registry'. I believe that it is unlawful to sell or promote a dog as purebred unless it has a valid registration certificate issued by a breed association recognized under the Animal Pedigree Act. This NAPDR certainly does not meet this criteria."

So, yet again in their introduction this law firm has proved for anyone who knows anything about puppy mills, that their clients the proprietors of the Paws R Us puppy mill are operating a puppy mill. The other statements in their introduction are equally spurious and utterly meaningless. Of course puppy mills have contracts with a guarantee, and they would be of as much value to the customer as the registration papers (as so many have sadly discovered). Anyone can call themselves a Veterinary (and buy the medications online in bulk) if they wish, and this claim would only have value if the name of the Veterinary was provided. It is well known that like the registration papers and contracts with a guarantee, you can also easily print or obtain elaborate veterinary forms and certificates online or elsewhere.

"They have been in business for over 10 years", is nothing but a very sad statement on the complete and utter inhumanity and blind stupidity of the Government of Québec. Also the silence from the Québec News Media and the Public in Québec in general has been almost absolute in comparison to all the other provinces (a Google search in English and French gets you almost nothing)? A lonely outdated exception being METTEZ FIN AUX USINES À CHIOTS. Just over 2200 known puppy mills in Québec (most small and hidden) at last count and growing, while in the rest of Canada and the US (except Nebraska) they are in decline? Small Québec farms having discovered that there is more money and less regulation in breeding dogs than cows... This flood of new puppy mills may then explain why the Paws R Us commercial business is suffering financially, and not because of what I posted online! As everyone knows Farmers are Gods in Québec. They can do no wrong, unless of course it is a Pork Factory Farm in your back yard. Pork Factory Farms like puppy mills are sprouting up all over Québec (big farms going into the pork business, small farms going into the purebred dog and cat business), which might then explain the Québec Government's total silence??

A source at the Montreal SPCA says the following, which even includes a rather sad accolade for Paws R Us:

"Our inspectors have visited Paws r Us several times, it is a typical puppy mill... They are however one of the least gruesome (mills) in Quebec... As a matter of fact they have opened their operation to the public and proudly display their membership to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Counsel which in our opinion does not mean a thing! As long as Quebec does not create norms and standards for breeders, operations such as ('Paws R Us') will continue to flourish unpunished."

Ottawa Citizen:
PAWS 'R US KENNEL Reg'd puppies, N.A.P.D.R. USA, large small & rare breeds, written guar. Del. avail. 819-647-2118 www.pawsruskennel.com

Ottawa Sun:
PAWS ARE US KENNEL Registered Puppies! NAPDR/USA Large, Small & Rare Breeds. Also, Stud Service Available 1 Yr. Written Guarantee. Call (819) 647-2118 Check Out Our References on www.pawsruskennel.com

Let us then Check out the Paws R Us References:

• A letter from the Paws R Us's Local Council. Was this carefully staged so that the Mayor of Clarendon could be so easily fooled? Certainly rather convenient that the Vet was there making her alleged regular visit when his eminence arrived? Paws R Us are certainly 'very knowledgeable' in the arts of deception.
  
  
• Ottawa Sun advetorial conveniently written by Paws R Us.
  
  
• A letter from the previously mentioned NAPDR puppy mill
  dog registry.
  
  
• Paws R Us have 3 Canine Specialist certificates signed by Louis McCann, B.Sc. Executive Director, PIJAC, and are also proud members! The PIJAC website states that "membership is available to ANY person or firm involved in the pet industry" and that "dues are based on gross sales". Ethical breeding is obviously not a criteria for membership! :-(
  
  
• Paws R Us owners have a Animal Care Specialist certificate. What's interesting is that this certificate comes from a makeup and esthetics college in Lauderhill Florida, and not Montreal Canada as shown on the certificate? I somehow doubt that any of the old breeders are getting daily pedicures?
  
  
• Then the ever resourceful Paws R Us have a Buyer's Check List for Purchasing a Dog prepared by the National Companion Animal Coalition (NCAC). This indicating supposedly that the NCAC supports the Paws R Us puppy mill?
  
  
• Then the Paws R Us coup de grâce being a 'Purchasing a Dog?' form that reflects expertise from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the Canadian Kennel Club, and the utterly useless PIJAC! Additional input coming from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Dogs in Canada magazine! I wonder, do all of the above know that they are being used as a reference in support of the Paws R Us puppy mill??

If you check the Paws R Us website, look at the pages of "Retired Breeders" who have been adopted out (sold?). You will see many mentions of adult dogs not housetrained, dogs returned to that hellhole, others who are "shy" and "timid" - all indications of dogs raised and living in cages. You'll also see heavily lactating bitches who were hustled off to new homes!

The Ottawa Humane Society (responding to my email) says that they have allot of anecdotal complaints concerning the Paws R Us puppy mill, but unfortunately being in Québec it is outside their jurisdiction, and they are unable to investigate. As everyone knows Humane societies in Québec are powerless to do anything, with Québec now being the preferred choice to operate a puppy mill in all of North America.

"While operators of puppy and kitten mills in Ontario will soon face fines of $60,000 and jail terms of up to two years when a law passed at Queen's Park takes effect, Québec remains a haven for mill operators because the province has no laws to stop mill operators." Québec Fears Invasion of puppy mills

Everyone should know nowadays if when you go out to be adopted by a dog or cat, and they are being kept in a barn that the place is a puppy mill. If shown the dog or cat in the house, and there is a barn on the property. You insist on visiting the barn. Once you see that this place is a puppy mill you make a fast exit, no matter how beautiful or exquisitely worded the registration-forms/contracts/vet-certificates are. Once you return home you immediately contact the local Police who will in turn contact a local Humane Society (except in Québec of course). They will obtain a warrant, and then proceed with a investigation and/or rescue operation. Any other course of action on your part would be unconscionable. Buying from a puppy mill is almost as EVIL as operating a puppy mill! If you absolutely must be adopted by a dog or cat on short notice, do so at a your local Humane Society. All dogs and cats who are up for adoption in Pet Stores are from puppy mills, as are all Puppies and Kittens advertised for sale in your local newspapers! Best to adopt from a reputable breeder, after having first done extensive research online. Another sure sign of a puppy mill is if the registration papers provided are from the North American Purebred Dog Registry (Reg'd puppies, N.A.P.D.R. USA)!

In short this law firm has provided in their Notice of Action not even one shred of supporting evidence that shows that their clients the proprietors of the Paws R Us puppy mill are not operating a puppy mill. They have instead proved the exact opposite!! It is also rather ironic that a Québec puppy mill who if it were operating in Ontario would have been shut down (and its owners heavily fined and jailed), is making a claim to be heard in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario using a Ontario Law Firm? In my reply I give and ask for Full Disclosure.

Finally I would like to thank the various humane societies in the Ottawa area notably the Ottawa Humane Society and the SPCA of Western Quebec for their support and the information they provided concerning this notorious and well known puppy mill. It is they who are the front line people who have to deal everyday with the carnage wrought upon us by the heartless puppy mills of Quebec! A endless stream of sick, diseased, abused, hungry, stressed, aggressive, emotionally disturbed, and sad dogs who have known nothing but cages and hate! These humane societies are often the ones who wash, groom, medicate, and love these unfortunate dogs for the first time in their lives! A lucky few are adopted by loving families, but most are eventually euthanized and sent off to rendering plants to be used in cosmetics or whatever...! If you wish to adopt a dog, these humane shelters should be your first and only choice!

Being owned and loved by a dog has countless therapeutic and joyful benefits, but it is a long term commitment. The most important question you need ask is why you want to be owned by a dog, and not which or what kind of dog? They are all great if raised and loved properly! The problem if any is never with the dog, but you the dog's guardian for life, and the absolutely worst mistake you can make when starting out is to adopt a dog from a smooth talking puppy mill!

My only response from the government of Quebec being "our priority is people not dogs". The city of Ottawa did not respond, and anyway as we all know it has a utterly useless council that supports the use of pesticides, which kill countless dogs every year. Clearly the priority of Ottawa is to support local businesses, and not dogs and/or their guardians.

The news media did not respond, and as noted above profit shamelessly off the puppy mills by allowing them to freely post their blatantly false and misleading advertisements and advetorials in their classified sections. With over 2200 puppy mills in Quebec, it is now safe to say that any kennel or person selling puppies that has a Quebec address and/or a Quebec phone number IT IS A PUPPY MILL!

With all this overwhelming evidence, anyone who would still buy a dog or cat in Quebec would have to be totally insane. As to Quebec residents, they are strongly advised to buy a dog or cat outside of Quebec. Doing so will provide great peace of mind, and drastically reduce the likelihood that once purchased your new family member will get sick, cost you thousands in vet expenses, have behavioural problems, and/or just drop dead!

Another great source of support was here.

Note: In my reply and in the introductions, there may be some inaccuracies (this alleged defamatory posting of mine was posted back in Feb 2005), if so I would be much obliged if those concerned would post those corrections here. I have contacted or attempted to contact everyone involved (I haven't yet obtained a reply from the Ottawa Citizen and/or CJOH to name just a few). Catbark Fairy Tale Boycott Quebec Webring

  Paws R Us Puppy Mill - Photos  

My Initial Reply

My Initial Reply to the Notice of Action

Monday, October 3rd, 2005

Dear Sir,

This is my initial response to your NOTICE OF ACTION which I found lurking in my e-mail program's Spam folder (you shouldn't send things in HTML format with links, most Spam programs automatically classify them as Spam!).

Before I get my law firm involved (a rather costly undertaking as you note), and in the spirit of Full Disclosure (which works both ways), I would like to obtain from you the following as listed after my full disclosure.

My Full Disclosure:

I fully disclose that this is the only post that was posted to my mailing list concerning your client's alleged puppy mill:
http://jowlflapper.com/archive/msg00008.html

This mailing list was created and managed by myself, as is the archive in which it now reposes. I also disclose that I am the author of this posting, and I used as source the article posted in the Ottawa Citizen, the TV news items broadcast by CJOH TV, and that I quoted the eye witness statement authored by Carey as posted to the Pets.ca forum (the links to the Ottawa Citizen Story as made available at the NoPuppyMillsCanada.ca website, and the link to Carey's eye witness account no longer work?). I stand by the accuracy of my posting to my mailing list, unless proved otherwise.

1. In your list of 'defamatory comments', you do not include any directly quoted from my posted message? However, I did write the following, which might relate to #2 in your defamatory list:
   
   "Be warned, the Paws "R" Us Kennel http://www.pawsruskennel.com/ is a mass dog-breeding operation better known as a puppy mill."
   
   The American Kennel Club defines a puppy mill as follows:
   "A puppy mill is any kennel breeding four or more dogs at the same time (one year period)".
   
   Is this the only defamatory item you found in my posting?
   
   What definition are you using for the term 'puppy mill'?
   
   
2. I need a sworn statement from your client's veterinarian stating that he or she has fully inspected the barn where the dogs are raised, that they are all in good health, and that he or she routinely checks on their health and provides them all with the required vaccinations. She or he also declares that this massive commercial dog breeding operation is not a puppy mill.
   
   
3. A copy of the apology from the Ottawa Citizen and CJOH as sent to your client for having published and/or broadcast the false information that your client's commercial dog breeding operation was a puppy mill.
   
   
4. I take it you haven't yet heard back from Pets.ca and NoPuppyMillsCanada.ca as to the alleged defamatory comments posted on their mailing lists, forums, or weblogs? If you have, I would like a copy. If you have any other apologies, I would wish also to have a copy of those.
   
   
5. I need proof that my calling your client's massive commercial dog breeding operation a 'puppy mill' has indeed caused serious damage to their business. I take it that these evaluations as to the extent of the damages caused by my alleged defamatory comments are ongoing? Once you have completed these evaluations, I would be much obliged if you would also send me a copy.
   
   
6. I would also like a copy of your statement as to what you saw when visiting your client's massive commercial dog breeding operation. In particular what convinced you that this was not a puppy mill as per your definition as to what is and is not a puppy mill.

Like you I am hopeful that this matter can be resolved amicably, and that we need not get the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario involved.

Yours sincerely,

Jowl Flapper

PS: Have all you done so far for your client is a Google Search? If so, you might find that commencing a claim on October 19 as rather precipitous!?!

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