Saving the Puppy in the Window

United States of America (Press Release) December 10, 2007 -- (Cohasset, MA) In 1989 when Deborah Howard, President of Howard Communications, a Public Relations Firm, noticed the cramped and unsanitary conditions at the Docktor Pet Center at the entrance to the Perimeter mall in Atlanta, Georgia she became enraged. A tiny yellow Labrador puppy had its leg pressed against its cramped metal cage and it was cut and bleeding badly. She asked to see the puppy immediately and as it clung to her she knew this wasn’t the first time this animal had felt pain. Many people are simply unaware that many pet store animals come from “Puppy Mills” which are high-volume, sub-standard dog breeding operations. Unfortunately this is a story that is repeated time after time at pet stores across the United States. According to the Humane Society of the United States, an estimated 6 to 8 million pets enter shelters each year. With so many animals in need one would wonder why there is a need for Pet Stores at all. Ms. Howard went about contacting several animal rights groups in the Atlanta area to address the pet store issue with little success. Steadfast and tenacious, she heard of a young gentleman that had taken a job at one of the Docktor Pet Centers merely to help the animals. She met with this gentleman, rented a video camera and documented many sick and dying puppies. With footage in hand, Ms. Howard partnered with Robert Baker the foremost puppy mill investigator in the country and their efforts led to a series of exposes on ABC’s 20/20 as well as People and Life Magazine in which the Docktor Pet Stores were names directly; and showed the horrors of puppy mills. As a result of their efforts, Docktor Pet Centers, who refused to do business without the sale of puppies, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February 1993.The company had more than 300 franchises at the time. Ms. Howard went on to start the Companion Animal Protection Society with Robert Baker which is located in Cohasset, MA and is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals. Since that time Deborah Howard has worked with Dateline NBC, CNN, Hard Copy, and Numerous Newspapers around the country, as well as an HBO documentary that will air the end of 2008.

The Companion Animal protection society will be holding their first ever “Claws and Paws Shop” online auction to raise funds and awareness for their critical mission from November 5, 2007 – November 30, 2007. Items include trips to Australia, Bermuda, Key West and signed memorabilia from the Boston Red Sox, actor Tom Cruise and Pet items galore! Log on to www.caps-web.org for more information.