New Bern woman writes book with goal of ending puppy mills
A New Bern woman said she spent 10 years crafting a story about dogs that are raised for years in puppy mill cages and the challenges a dog's new sixth-grade owner faced because of that.
Former elementary school teacher, Jo Anna Dressler Kloster, currently an ESL tutor at New Bern High School, said she was inspired to write "Lily Unleashed" after discovering in 2009 that her newly adopted Maltese, Cagney, was a puppy mill rescue. Kloster adopted Cagney when he was seven months old from a Maltese rescue in Wisconsin.
She said when she rescued Cagney 13 years ago, he immediately began to show signs he lived in a cage 24/7 before he was adopted, and Kloster didn't know where thebehavior originated.
She began forming her book in 2012 and officially self-published it on Feb. 20. Kloster created Empty Cages Press, her own publishing company, with the goal of emptying puppy mill cages.
"I had no clue what a puppy mill was. We didn't know Cags was in a cage his whole life pumping out litter after litter," Kloster said last week. "Cagney started showing behaviors that are very common in puppy mills."
According to PETA, bringing a puppy mill dog into your home could mean the dog's genetic defects are more rampant. That can include physical problems that require costly veterinary treatment as well as personality disorders that frequently frustrate puppy mill rescue owners into abandoning their dog.
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The target audience for "Lily Unleashed" are school-aged children so that they are aware early of where their adopted puppies may come from, Kloster said. Before starting on the book, Kloster wrote about Cagney's behaviors and would talk to her elementary students about where he came from. She said the children raised several questions, giving Kloster the idea to write a children's book about the topic of puppy mills.
What is a puppy mill?
According to the Humane Society of the United States, puppy mills are inhumane high-volume dog breeding facilities that push out puppies for a profit while ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers. These dogs spend their entire lives stuck in a cage until the mother and father dogs can no longer breed and are either abandoned or killed.
There are about 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S.
Puppy mill dogs often suffer from a variety of health issues that challenge families who take them home, according to the Humane Society. Commercially bred dogs are frequently sold through internet sales, online classified ads, flea markets, and a majority are sold in pet stores. The Humane Society said pet stores are essential for keeping puppy mills in business.
Several animal rescue organizations, including Kloster, are fighting to end puppy mills.
"I can't understand how people can treat dogs this way," she said. "I donate a portion of my (book) proceeds back to the groups that I'm working with. It's not about making money. It's all about helping the dogs."
Kloster said even though it took an emotional toll on her to learn about puppy mills in order to write her book, the writing process was exhilarating.
"It changes people when they learn the truth because you don't want to be a part of the problem," she said. "It was uplifting because I was telling (Cagney's) story so others could benefit. It’s almost like a mission and I'm not stopping until North Carolina is puppy selling free."
"Lily Unleashed," is available on Amazon, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble and The Next Chapter bookstore in downtown New Bern. Kloster will have a book signing at the Friends of Craven County Sheriff’s Office Expo at Creekside Park in New Bern June 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Reporter Symone Graham covers local public safety for the Sun Journal. Have a story tip or idea? Send it her way at sgraham@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: New Bern woman writes book with goal to empty puppy mill cages
