They call them puppy mills or puppy farms, but no matter the definition, they are all of them reprehensible operations. Despite being disease-ridden, understaffed, ill-equipped, and patently inhumane, these breeding facilities are an integral part of the pet business. It is only in recent years that the public has become aware of how dreadful they truly are.
According to the Humane Society, there are currently more than 10,000 active Puppy mills in the United States, selling more than 2 million puppies each year to places all across the country. Thankfully though, there are people trying to stop this horrific practice, people like Long Islander Rino DiMaria…
Laundry Day
The story itself began when Rino DiMaria, who was just dropping his laundry off at the local laundromat, found himself dragged from his car and beaten; all because he was trying to do the right thing. DiMaria had noticed a Puppy Mill transport van dropping a load of dogs off at the Puppies 4 Love Pet Store on Willis Avenue in Albertson, New York.
Filming the Felonious
As soon as DiMaria figured out what was going down, he took out his phone and started recording. He explained where he was and a bit about the alleged puppy mill puppies being delivered when a woman steps up to the car and begins filming him on her own cell phone. She is then followed by a bearded, angry man.
A Not-So-Funny Situation
The bearded man moves to put his hands up and stop the man from filming, but as soon as his hand enters DiMaria’s window, he gets nervous and warns him not to do so. The blonde woman, meanwhile, seems entertained by the whole situation and trying to calm him down saying “this is funny…this is funny.”
Ignorance is Bliss
As DiMaria explains the situation further, the woman then begins to offer a counter to his obvious sarcasm. She says that “these puppies go to really good homes…” though she doesn’t sound so convincing. DiMaria counters rather spectacularly by saying “I know where they go, they go to good homes of people who are ignorant of where they came from…from the puppy mills that they’re frickin’ tortured…”
Video Part 1
In the first half of the video, the scene is set. Rino DiMaria approaches the scene casually but concernedly. Yet even in the face of some obvious aggression, he seems persistent in his desire to record and make this practice known. He’s not alone though, puppy mills have been the subject of much scrutiny and bad press over the past few years, and for good reason.
Puppy Mills
For those who aren’t aware of the way puppy mills operate, generally they turn out as many puppies as they can as quickly as possible. They are inhumane, high-volume pet farms, whose owners and workers seem to care little about the physical and psychological well-being of the pups and their mothers. And that’s not the worst of it.
A Sad Little Life
The puppies that emerge from these mills usually get shipped off to pet stores all across the country. They are often underfed or in poor health and are almost always under-socialized. The mother dogs live in cramped cages for their entire lives with little or no personal attention. When they can no longer breed, they are abandoned or killed.
Call the Cops
Later in the video, DiMaria is seen walking out of his car and showing the two vans of puppies that are unloading their cargo into the local pet store. He then goes on to explain how there are millions of puppies languishing in shelters across the country but is cut off when the bearded man threatens to call the police.
Guilty Conscience
A moment later, the woman is asking DiMaria if he got the reaction he wanted from his presence there. He affirms that he most certainly did, saying “that’s what guilt does.” The girl scoffs at this and DiMaria adds that she has no guilt. In a way, she’s probably right. Judging by the video, neither she or the man seem guilty about what they’re doing.
Video Part 2
By now, the bearded man has made it clear that DiMaria should stop filming if he knows what’s good for him. Instead, DiMaria calls the two people “shameless pieces of garbage” and notes the two vans full of puppies in their driveway. Once the manager shows up though, the situation becomes even tenser.
Grumpy Old Man
The mustachioed owner arrives and demands that DiMaria get off his property, but DiMaria doesn’t stop filming. The elderly fellow approaches DiMaria’s car with confidence and determination as if he’s going to ensure that this interloper leaves and never comes back. Instead of leaving, DiMaria moves the camera past the man to show even more puppies coming in.
Dirty Pool
DiMaria then insists that the man call the police once more. The owner tells him to “go get a life” but it’s clear that DiMaria isn’t stopping. He insults the owner and claims that he is responsible for the puppies that get tortured and sold to pet shops. Finally, it seems the owner breaks out a dirty tactic in order to defame DiMaria.
Psycho Owner
The elderly owner asks DiMaria “Did I just see you molesting that little girl?” He continues along that line of accusatory questioning saying again “Are you the one that was molesting that girl? Was that you?” As the man lobs unfounded accusations at him, DiMaria keeps his cool and simply tells his audience that this man is the owner of the Willis Avenue puppy store.
Video Part 3
The old man has warned DiMaria multiple times to stop filming and get off his property. He has labeled him as a child molester and made it clear that not only is DiMaria is not welcome, he also doesn’t seem to care what DiMaria thinks of his operation. Meanwhile, DiMaria invokes his Facebook audience further and continues to record the tense situation.
Get Off My Property
The man then continues calling him a pervert and child molester and when DiMaria refuses, he tells him again to get off his property. The video ends with DiMaria pointing out the location of the puppy store and again alleging that the puppies that were being sold there were tortured. Unfortunately, his brief expose had other violent consequences.
Standing Up for What’s Right
Suddenly, the Pet Store owner signaled the three men in the two vans to go over to DiMaria’s car. The men pulled him from the car and proceeded to beat him in the street. They then left him there as a not-so-subtle message to all those who would speak up for the poor puppies. The brave whistleblower survived and posted the whole story on Facebook as promised.
Pressing Charges
Since the assault wasn’t caught on camera, DiMaria also included an update on events after the beating took place. He told his Facebook friends that charges had been pressed and one of his attackers was currently incarcerated. He was confident the others will be caught too because he’d taken pictures of their Missouri and Arkansas license plates.
Facebook Support
Many folks read DiMaria’s Facebook post and responded in support. One local Facebook fan said “THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN & FOR BEING THE VOICE OF THESE INNOCENT PUPPIES USED/ABUSED/TORTURED IN PUPPY MILLS! This place has disgusted me for years! THANK YOU FOR EXPOSING THEM to those who were unaware!!!!!”
Sharing His Story
All DiMaria asked in return for the violence he suffered was that anyone who viewed his video please share it so that it could get a lot of buzz and attention. The Human Society, ASPCA, and PETA are all doing what they can to help stop this horrific practice, but they can all use your help and support. Here are Seven Ways You Can Stop Puppy Mills.
Video Part 4
Even as the cantankerous owner continually calls him a pervert and child molester, even after everything he endures a beating at the hands of the man’s cronies, Rino DiMaria remains firm in his defense of these animals. It will take many more people like DiMaria to win the fight against puppy mills, but thankfully, they are not in short supply.
