Who We Are
Okinawa Puppy Mill Rescue was founded in January 2020 when our founder, Maggie, discovered a puppy mill near Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan. There was an 11 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel there who had been slowly being starved to death because she could not produce puppies anymore (starving is considered a "natural" death here and is therefore legal). With the help of one of the workers who realized what was happening to the dogs that weren't "useful" anymore, Maggie was able to rescue this dog. Afterwards, another dog needed to be rescued, then another, and another... Seeing the need for a larger support network, OPMR was established!
All of our foster families and staff members are volunteers. All of the money that goes into our rescue are from donations or adoptions and is directly used to provide supplies and veterinary care for our rescues. We do this for the dogs, for they aren't able to advocate for themselves. We have sacrificed blood, sweat, tears, time, money, and our sanity, but it is worth it to give each dog a loving and safe home for the rest of their lives!
OPMR is only 3 years old, but we are trying to make sure this rescue lives on even after its original members leave the island. Currently we are working to become a Non-Profit Organization! This will not only help us find more fundraising opportunities, but will help us provide the structure needed to continue our mission.
The cavalier mentioned above, Yuki, was the one who started it all! Our founder ended up adopting her, and she lived the happiest last year of her life before passing away in 2021 in her parents' arms. She lives on in our hearts, and is also featured on the OPMR logo!
~Yuki is the cavalier in between the "O" and "P".
~Stella is the dachshund above the "M" and "R". She was our first hospice rescue and only lived three more days before passing away.
~Winston is the French Bulldog to the right of the "R". His story is a bit unique. He started off as someone's pet before being rehomed on the internet. He ended up being picked up by a breeder, who we rescued him from. He was then adopted through us by a wonderful family that not only adopted another OPMR dog, but is also a big advocate for helping us get an important message out:
ADOPT, DON'T SHOP!
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Yuki
What We Do
OPMR focuses on rescuing dogs from puppy mills all over Okinawa. For such a small island, there are over 1,000 breeders (Okinawa's kill shelter Ozato - Okinawa Prefectural Animal Protection and Control Center - keeps track of the puppy mills here). Due to very little, generalized animal welfare laws which aren't enforced, the dogs coming from these places are victims of terrible abuse and neglect. They have lived their entire lives in small wire cages, covered in their own urine and feces, being forcibly bred to produce litter after litter. Many have sores on their paws and legs, abscesses in between their toes, long curly nails, dirty ears, heartworms, and oftentimes even more severe health problems. Because some of the breeders want to "hide" the dogs' condition when giving them to us, they will shave them (even the dogs that have double coats and aren't supposed to be shaved). The ones that are matted have to be shaved by us anyways, since their fur is usually beyond help and needs to grow out again. The pet stores are spotless and full of adorable little puppies, but don't show the reality of where those puppies come from...
Now that we've gained the trust of some of the island's breeders, many of their unwanted dogs are given to us. Once they are rescued, we try to make sure they only know love and happiness! We get our dogs the long overdue medical care they require and spay/neuter them so they will never be used for profit again. Once they are happy and healthy, and after our thorough adoption process, they are adopted into loving forever homes!
We believe every paw matters, so we will try to help anyone who comes to us with a dog in need. Whether they're from Ozato (Okinawa's kill shelter), a stray, or an owner surrender, we will try to help. If we aren't able to take a dog (only due to lack of funds and/or fosters), we will direct you to other rescues that may be able to help!
Another goal we have is to educate the public about the reality of puppy mills and advocate for these dogs since they don't have their own voice. Puppy mills aren't unique to Okinawa; they're prevalent around the world. We hope our transparency helps to one day encourage the laws in Okinawa to change to improve animal welfare, make puppy mills illegal, and for those who fund and operate them to face the consequences of their actions. Until then, we will rescue as many dogs as we can, with the limited resources we have. Our mission will not be complete until every cage is empty and the puppy mills are stopped!
How can you make a difference?
ADOPT, DON'T SHOP!
Every puppy purchased from pet stores in Okinawa directly funds puppy mills and encourages the abuse to continue. If you don't want to adopt, please wait until you leave Okinawa and find a reputable breeder to purchase from. The best thing you can do is to adopt from local rescues and shelters. All around the world, there are countless animals waiting for their forever homes!
EDUCATE & ADVOCATE
Now that you're aware of puppy mills, we encourage you to share this information with others. Change can only happen if people actually know there is a problem. A major thing that can help is to stop buying puppies. You'd be surprised how many puppies you can find in shelters and rescues. If the breeders keep breeding, and buyers keep buying from pet stores, the cycle of abuse continues. Puppy mills run on supply-and-demand just like any other business, so decreasing the demand of puppies from horribly used and abused parents can, in time, encourage these places to shut down.
Please share our dogs' stories with your friends and families! Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and just supporting our message and educating yourselves and others on why you should adopt instead of shop can make the world a better place. We are the ones who have to advocate for these dogs, since they cannot speak for themselves.
WHAT ELSE?
Support your local rescues and shelters! Donating your time is a great way to help both the dogs and their caretakers. Physical shelters need help cleaning, walking dogs, and much more. Rescues like ours that utilize foster families need help transporting dogs to the vet, volunteers for adoption events, and we also need loving, committed foster families to take these rescue dogs into their home to heal and learn what love is. We also offer Letters of Appreciation (LOAs) for volunteering your time [some conditions apply to receive one for fostering, please message us for details].
For more ideas on how you can help OPMR, please check out the Get Involved Tab! There are many ways to help make a difference, no matter your situation. Every paw matters!