Why did you become a Harley’s Hero?
I became a Harley’s Hero because I believe puppy mills/factories are a terrible place for any living creature to try to survive.

Which city/state are you working in as a Harley’s Hero?
We call ourselves Stop Animal Cruelty in Montana, Harley’s Heroes of Montana. We are based out of Billings, Montana but we reach out to the entire state.

What difference do you feel you are making as a Harley’s Hero?
I feel that educating people is the most important thing we can do right now, and hopefully we will get many more followers to help us change the laws in Montana.

What motivates, inspires you in the fight against puppy mills?
I think of the poor dogs and cats trapped in small cages, not even knowing what a gentle, loving touch feels like. That is no way for any animal to live! I am also motivated to educate people on the financial burden of purchasing a pet store puppy and medical costs after adopting a puppy mill survivor. My two puppy mill dogs cost me nearly $15,000 in only 2 years. In addition, the medical expense to a county once a puppy mill is shut down can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Do you have future plans as a Harley’s Hero?
Yes, we plan to continue setting up our Harley’s Heroes education table and to work with our state legislators.

What would you like everyone to know about puppy mills, pet stores and animal welfare laws in your state?
Unfortunately, in the state of Montana the laws are brief – the owner of a dog must give them food, water and shelter … nothing more. There is a puppy mill less than 1/2 mile from where I work and we’ve been trying to get them shut down for years. This will not happen until the laws are changed!

I know there are very responsible breeders in the state of Montana, and they truly care about their animals and treat them humanely. But it still saddens me knowing that there would be 75% fewer dogs in the shelters if puppy mills didn’t exist.

Tell us about your pets!
At this time I only have one Yorkie named Jassy. She came from a large-scale breeder in South Dakota, though I got her from a lady here in Montana. She has birth defects and has had four surgeries on her hind legs. She also has stomach problems. I also had another yorkie named Toby. He crossed the rainbow bridge last February from his medical problems at the age of 10 years. He had a list of medical issues a mile long. I now know he came from a breeder that had many dogs with the same medical problems that Toby had, and some of them died very young.

Can you offer words of advice to someone who is considering becoming a Harley’s Hero?
When I purchased Toby I had never even heard the words “Puppy Mill”. This is the reason we are trying to educate people. If I only knew then what I know now! I could not do this mission by myself and I greatly appreciate the few helpers that keep me going.

Contact Pam if you are interested in joining her Harley’s Heroes team at: stopanimalcrueltyinmt@gmail.com

Do you have a favorite quote?
“They have no voice, so you will never stop hearing mine!”

Learn about our Harley’s Heroes project here: www.harleysdream.org/harleys-heroes