ANN ARBOR – Ever heard of the term "Puptivist"? If not, you've probably at least heard of the ongoing debate surrounding puppy mills. There are those who support them and others, like Pincause and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), who are actively trying to stop them. They've recently launched a Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, which has grown in popularity through the use of placing #Puptivist pins on influential dogs around the globe.
Why would someone, let alone two major organizations, want to stop the proliferation of puppy mills? It's simple: Buying dogs in stores and online unfortunately continues the cycle of inhumane animal treatment. Pincause and HSUS argue that if you want to add man's best friend to your family, you should always consider adoption first.
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Currently there are over 150 Puptivists on board, with a cumulative following of over 10 million people. The hope is that the campaign will help to educate people about puppy mills, as well as the positive impacts of adoption.
The Puptivist that inspired this Pincause movement is Ella Bean, a well-known puppy-mill survivor who was saved mere days before she was scheduled to be euthanized. “The entire first part of Ella Bean’s life was spent in a cage without any medical care and love,” said Hilary Sloan, Ella Bean’s human.
(Ella Bean - Credit: Pincause & HSUS)
Kate Lind, co-founder of Pincause, met Ella Bean in May and a friendship was born. From there, they began working with The HSUS’ Humane Generation: Friends of Finn committee to create a beautiful work of wearable art for the organization’s Stop Puppy Mills campaign. For every pin sold, Pincause donates $2 to The Humane Society of the United States’ Stop Puppy Mills campaign.
For more information, visit https://pincause.com.
UPDATE: Smiley the blind therapy dog, pictured at the top of this article, passed away this week. He was a #Puptivist in every sense of the word and will be greatly missed.