A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits". They are cited as being a result of increased demand for household pets, especially after World War II. The Veterinary Medical Association of the Humane Society of the United States defines the main characteristics of a puppy mill as "emphasis on quantity over quality, indiscriminate breeding, continuous confinement, lack of human contact and environmental enrichment, poor husbandry, and minimal to no veterinary care."
Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Rothschild is an American socialite, fashion designer and model. She is a member of the Hilton family by birth, and a member of the Rothschild family through her marriage to James Rothschild, a grandson of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, in 2015. She is the younger sister of Paris Hilton.
Beth Ostrosky Stern is an American actress, author, model, and animal rights activist.
César Felipe Millán Favela is a Mexican-American dog trainer. His television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan was produced from 2004 to 2012 and is broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, actress, and DJ. Born in New York City and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in New York City's social scene, ventured into fashion modeling in 2000, and was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001. The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.
Wendy E. Diamond is an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is the founder and CEO of LDP Ventures, an investment company focused on socially responsible ventures. Diamond is also the founder of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization. Diamond is the creator of Animal Fair Media Inc., a media platform related to pets and pop culture.
Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson is an American model, actress, and singer. She is the second child and only daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe.
Abandoned pets are companion animals that are either inadvertently or deliberately abandoned by their owners, by either dumping the animals on the streets, leaving them alone in a vacant property, or relinquishing them at an animal shelter.
A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of which around 20% are regarded as owned pets and therefore restrained.
Marnie was a female Shih Tzu rescue dog adopted and owned by Shirley Braha. Photos of Marnie have been popular on Instagram and Twitter. At the time of her death, Marnie's Instagram account had over 1.9 million followers and each of the photos have received hundreds of thousands of Instagram likes; in the last two months of her life, Marnie's following increased five-times over. Marnie's Twitter account has over 115 thousand followers. Braha also posted short videos of Marnie on Vine.
Hannah Emily Rose Ferguson is an American model.
Doug the Pug is a celebrity pug living in Nashville, Tennessee, who has gained a large internet and social media following.
Simonetta Lein is a TV personality, TV host, model and businesswoman. Lein has won the Celebrity Media Personality & Influencer of the year 2022 award through the World Influencers Bloggers Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She has modeled for designer Stevie Boi during New York Fashion Week and for Richie Rich at Madison Square Garden.
Pop & Suki is a fashion accessories brand by friends Suki Waterhouse and Poppy Jamie. The direct-to-consumer brand focuses on personalization and uses playful, minimal, girly designs and a signature "millennial pink" color. Its main item is the camera bag, a handbag modeled on the fanny pack. The brand launched online in November 2016 and has since hosted a pop-up shop and multiple collections. It is particularly popular among celebrities and on Instagram, in part based on Waterhouse's influence.
Caillianne Beckerman and Samantha Beckerman, also known as the Beckerman sisters or Beckerman twins, are Canadian, identical twin fashion bloggers and two of the top social influencers in Canada, according to Cision. They are known for their appearances and blogging from New York Fashion Week.
Wag Labs is an American pet care company that offers a technology platform to connect pet owners with independent pet professionals for on-demand and scheduled dog walking, training, and other petcare services through a mobile application. The app has been referred to as "the Uber for Dogs".
Gina Naomi Baez is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. With a flourishing acting career having landed roles in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, Orange is the New Black and most recently CBS's FBI. She has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and regional stage plays including as Celia in Rattlesnake Kate, Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dulcinea del Toboso in Man of La Mancha, and Agnes in A Taste of Things to Come. Baez has also seen great success with her YouTube channel which has built an impressive following. Her infamous "Lizzo's Truth Hurts x Hocus Pocus" parody music video went viral after LIZZO herself reposted it, as well as Bette Midler. She has also released several songs, including a 2015 EP and a variety of covers on her YouTube channel.
Izzy the Frenchie is a French bulldog, known as an internet celebrity. Izzy was born in northern California and moved with her owner Shane Jordan to the Hamptons in New York. The Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, in 2020 issued an executive order and proclamation declaring August 26 "Izzy The Frenchie Day" in the city. As of 2021, Izzy had over one million followers on Instagram and currently lives in East Hampton, New York.
The Sato Project is an animal rescue and protection organization founded in 2011 by British-born Christina Beckles. It works to rescue abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico, educating the public and advocating for abused and abandoned dogs. "Sato" is the Spanish word used in Puerto Rico and Cuba for referring to stray dogs or cats. Many of the project's missions have involved airlifting dogs before and after natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico in 2019 and 2020. "Spayathon" is a spaying and neutering program, attended by Sato Project and other animal rights organizations in Puerto Rico, which has had an impact on the stray dog population.
Anthony Rubio is an American fashion designer, best known for creating costumes for dogs. His designs have been exhibited at events like New York and Los Angeles Fashion Weeks, and have appeared in magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar and Elle.
