How can we open the barn doors and focus a spotlight on puppies huddled in a corner -- cold, dirty, hungry and unable to speak? We bump up the newspaper print, switch on the cameras and e-mail the story to hundreds of animal lovers.

The Humane Society of the United States recently exposed Thornton Kennels in Wayne County as a puppy mill operation.

A puppy mill is a mass breeding facility overcrowded by 200 or more small animals: poodles, westies, shitzus, schnauzers and bichon frise.

Breeding and birthing take place in small, dirty wire kennels. Once a female dog is placed in her kennel, she becomes a lifelong prisoner, never able to leave, not even to go to the bathroom.

Puppy mill operations are cloaked in secrecy. No one but the owner is permitted to view the conditions where the puppies are housed.

The puppies, however, are gladly shown to customers through newspaper and Internet ads. They are sold at eight weeks for $300 to $700 each. It is a lucrative business with little overhead.

A reputable breeder or commercial breeder would never house 200 animals. Animal Advocates of Moore County is circulating petitions asking for humane changes in the North Carolina law when it comes to puppy mills.

State Sen. Don Davis has drafted a bill that would regulate puppy mills. AAMC plans to send him 3,000 signatures. You will find petitions at Isarose and Givens Book Store in Pinehurst, Curves in Aberdeen and Miller's Restaurant and Subway in Vass. Please help.

Maureen Burke-Horansky

Pinehurst