On Oprah: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I’m not delusional. I knew that Oprah’s show on puppy mills wouldn’t mention the idea that perhaps dogs aren’t ours to breed at all. I knew that the dogs would all be referred to as "it." The show wasn’t that bad in content, though, and if it stops people from buying dogs from pet stores and increases the spay/neuter rate, I think that’s great.

There were some moments that made me cringe and want to get online and write Oprah in protest. Let’s look at moments that were good, bad and downright ugly.

Let’s deconstruct:

• The show’s content was on message, because it was about cruelty. Oprah says, "Today’s show is for anybody who . . . just cares about the basic right to humane treatment." That says it all. You have no reason to think there’s going to be any mention of rights or not using animals as pets or not breeding animals for our entertainment. As far as what the show was supposed to do? Good. As far as what I wanted it to do in a perfect world? Bad. The talk about certain dogs as commodities (I’ll get to it in a moment)? Downright ugly.
• A billboard was purchased by a friend of Main Line Animal Rescue (started by Bill Smith, who was on the show. It seems like an amazing organization that achieves spectacular outcomes–they place about 99% of the animals they take in.). The price of the billboard was $10,000 and it read: "Oprah-Please do a show on puppy mills; the dogs need you. MLAR.org." Driving to work one day she sees the billboard, hence the show. Lisa Ling and Bill Smith drove around and documented puppy mills. Oprah says, "When you actually see this America, with your own eyes, it is my belief that you all are not gonna stand for  it." I hope that’s true. Good.
• How many pet store owners (and people on the Internet) are using puppy mills, Oprah asks? Bill says 99%. Wayne Pacelle of HSUS says there’s no question about it and the real victims are the mothers. Good stuff.
• They’re a cash crop–a commodity–says Wayne and Oprah. Great! Fabulous! But the greatness of this message is diminished upon endorsement of "responsible breeders" that is about to occur. After all, dogs are commodities to them, too. But that is never mentioned. Bad.
• Lisa Ling, regarding dog auctions (females): "These aren’t pets, they’re
  commodities. Valued only for their ability to make dozens of puppies." Yet they’ll endorse "responsible breeders."
• Lisa points out that the largest concentration of puppy mills in America is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which has a large Amish community. "It’s important to note that in the Amish culture, they don’t regard dogs in the same way that others may in that they believe that man is to dominate animals . . . ." Wait a minute! The Amish aren’t the only ones who believe it’s man’s job to dominate animals. That’s absurd.—Ugly.
• Oprah says, "This isn’t against the law, because the law says they’re like livestock. You can treat cows this way, dogs this way, any animals this way." Why the fixation on cruelty to the dogs, then? What about the cows? –Good, for clearing up the law. Bad, for neglecting the follow-up question screaming to be asked.
• Oprah was contacted by the American Kennel Club about the show. Their statement, by Daisy Okas, Assistant Vice President, was:
  • "AKC’s member clubs are comprised of people who dedicate their lives-both emotionally and financially-to improving their breeds and to producing healthy, happy dogs. We encourage your viewers to find a responsible breeder." Improving their breeds? So now they own the entire breed? Producing dogs? How is the attitude toward the dogs–as a commodity–different than for the puppy mill people? Scale? Yes. Is there a difference in treatment? Probably. But what the dog actually is to the people–property and a "product"–is the same.

• There were moments that addressed overpopulation and "euthanasia" statistics (with Oprah saying 1 million animals are killed each year in the US, and Wayne saying the 4 million number we’re  all familiar with).  Good (except for the contradiction).
• "I haven’t practiced what I’m preaching here because I’ve always gotten my pets through other means, but I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman." Applause. Good.
• Bill Smith says a third-50% of the animals in a shelter, depending on the location, are pure bred dogs. I thought the statistic was 25%. Either way, good to mention that.
• He also mentions rescue groups for specific breeds. Good.
• This is the exchange that was most disconcerting:
  • Bill: "And the other thing is, as far as breeding, if you find a responsible breeder, it’s okay because shelter people don’t really care about the responsible breeders because we don’t get their dogs. One of the things that makes them a responsible breeder is that they take their dogs back even if it’s 6 or 7 years later."

             Oprah: They take pride in their work.

Their work, as in, the commodities they produce and sell. Ugly.

• I was surprised by this, but a short segment shows the decisions to kill ("euthanize") dogs and then shows the ending of their lives at Fort Worth Animal Control, where only 4 of 50 animals are adopted each day. (The others are killed.) Oprah says, "Dogs marked with an E will have one last chance to be
  adopted this afternoon. Those still here in the morning will be put
  down." They are killed sometimes simply because they look skittish or because
  there is no room for them. We see the dogs being taken from their kennels and into the "euthanasia lab." We see them being weighed, muzzled. We don’t see the fatal injection being administered, but we hear about it and we see dogs die and placed in body bags and put in a walk-in freezer. We see them dumped into the trash, where they will be picked up and sent to a landfill. I thought that was powerful, and it wasn’t gory. Good.
• Oprah says, "The reason why so many dogs have to be put down is because America isn’t spaying and neutering their pets." (At which point I was screaming "And because we keep breeding them!") Good, but also bad.
• What can we do? Adopt from a shelter, rescue group or "responsible breeder." Oy vey.
• About the attitude of some breeders regarding the dogs, Bill says:" They’re considered agricultural products; they’re like an ear of corn, unfortunately." That was odd. They’re not like an ear of corn. They’re like a cow or a chicken. But that would have begged a very difficult question about why we treat cows like cows.

If people, like the woman I saw about to enter a dog store yesterday morning and I asked her if she could possibly wait to enter until she saw Oprah’s show, actually change their behavior and stop buying from pet stores and adopt instead, I’d consider the show a success. If we see pet stores closing left and right, I’d consider the show a success. If the spay and neuter rates rise, I’d consider the show a success.

But if pet stores stay in business and put up signs that say: "We buy only from responsible breeders," whether or not they do, that’s a problem. They should all go out of business. That’s the desired outcome.

As far as the commodity discussion went–it didn’t go far at all and was incomplete and hypocritical. You can’t introduce the idea of animals as commodities, point the finger at puppy mills, be duly disgusted, and move on. That’s not the whole story. The puppies from "responsible breeders" are commodities, too. So were the cows slaughtered to make the couches Oprah and her guests sit on.

I’m glad Oprah is a changed woman. I only hope all of the people who go on the diets she endorses or read the books she recommends, will also never buy another dog again.