AUSTIN, Texas — The giant dog known as the St. Bernard is best known for search and rescue work in the Swiss Alps. But at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, they're being pressed into work searching and rescuing smartphone owners with near-dead devices. Nine full-size dogs and three puppies provided by the St. Bernard Rescue Foundation are taking turns delivering chargers provided by external phone battery company Mophie. Inside their brandy barrel necklaces, the dogs carry keychain chargers. See also: Near Me is dead, long live iBeacons — at SXSW But seeking to avoid the kind of controversy that erupted over the employment of homeless people as Wi-Fi hotspots at SXSW 2012, Mophie was careful to point out that the dogs are being treated humanely. Image: Mashable, Armand Valdes"Every dog goes out no more than one or two times a day," Ross Howe, Mophie's VP of marketing, told Mashable. "They've been through the rescue program, or their owners support it; they're from the area, they're acclimated to the Texas heat, and they're very comfortable around crowds."

Lucy the phone battery-toting St. Bernard A photo posted by Chris Taylor (@futurechris) on Mar 13, 2015 at 2:01pm PDT To summon the dogs, SXSW attendees had to tweet at the Mophie account with a screenshot of their battery life and their location. There was no set condition for which user would get one of the two hourly visits from the dogs, however. Used Washer And Dryer For Sale In Fort Smith ArMophie's social media team decided which were the neediest cases.Wedding Dress Shop Riddings Image: Mashable, Armand ValdesRescue Foundation employees accompanied all of the dogs that Mashable followed as they walked around Austin to deliver chargers. Australian Silky Terrier Puppies For Sale Brisbane

On a related note: stay tuned for the video. Clever Queen, Abby, Quicksilver and @anniecolbert A photo posted by Chris Taylor (@futurechris) on Mar 13, 2015 at 2:16pm PDTOften I hear people say they don’t see the problem with buying a dog from an online breeder or a pet store because the dog needs a home, right? And they don’t come with all the stipulations that reputable breeders or rescues have. There’s a reason for that. Those puppies come from puppy mills. A puppy mill is any commercial breeder where profit is placed over the well-being of the dogs, to the point where they are often abused and neglected (ASPCA). These breeders don’t care what you do with the dog, as long as they get their money. And, as long as you keep buying, they will keep breeding. The following are the top 29 WORST Puppy Mill Breeders in the United States from 16 states, according to an in-depth investigation by the Humane Society of the United States. Many of these states don’t have strong enough laws for animal cruelty, so even if they are cited for neglect, they can continue to operate their business.

The ONLY way to stop them is to stop buying from online breeders and pet stores selling puppies. With no money, they will go out of business. For the HSUS’ full list of the 100 breeders, go here. For their full report, go here. Harry Rudell Freeman, Freeman Farms, Tilly, Ark. Barbara Gullett, Gullett Kennel, Russellville, Ark. Leslie Ayo, Heaven’s Gate Kennels, Fairburn, Ga. Low Country Kennel, Statesboro, Ga. Bridget and Greg Ellett, Ellett’s French Bulldogs, Vergennes, Ill. Merle Schlabach, Campbell Hill, Ill. Elmer Lapp, Pine Hill Kennel, Hagerstown, Ind. The USDA found injured dogs at the facility of Elmer Lapp, Pine Hill Kennel, Hagerstown, IN. During a December 2014… Posted by The Humane Society of the United States – Puppy Mills Campaign on Monday, May 4, 2015 Lindy and Kevin Aschinger, K & L Kennels, Westside, Iowa Fedler Ag Inc., Pee Vine Kennels, West Point, Iowa Dorothy Brecheisen, Dot’s Little Doggies, Inc. Lyndon, Kan.

Marla and Roger Campbell, Iris Lane Kennel, Newton, Kan. Wanda Kretzman, Clearwater Kennel Inc., Cushing, Minn. John and Lyle Renner, Renner’s Kennel, Detroit Lakes, Minn. The USDA has repeatedly found injured dogs at the facility of John & Lyle Renner, Renner’s Kennel, in Detroit Lakes, MN. Pamela Baldwin, Samples Creek Kennel, Edgar Springs, Mo. Maureen Butler, PugPekinpoo-Tzu, West Plains, Mo. A dog with an injured paw at Mary Foster and Cathy Griesbauer’s Country Pets kennel in Montgomery City, MO. Jamie Bailey, Saints4Life, Beaver City, Neb. Douglas and Mary Jane Brosh, Brosh’s Kennels, Pender, Neb. Marjorie Ingraham, Marjorie’s Kennel, Harpursville, N.Y. Marvin Burkholder, Berlin Kennel, Millersburg, Ohio Alvin Hershberger, A & E Kennels, Sugarcreek, Ohio A USDA inspector found seven dead puppies scattered on the grounds of Andy Yoder’s Yoder Backroad Kennel in Millersburg,… Brett Bonham, Calvary Creek Kennels, Cordell, Okla.

This photo shows just one portion of a massive puppy mill operated by Dwayne Hurliman in Cordell, OK. Garden Spot Puppy Haven, Parkesburg, Pa. (Chester County) Hill Top Farm Kennel, Honey Brook, Pa. (Chester County) Rebecca Van Meter, Queen Elizabeth Pocket Beagles and Bears, McDonald, Tenn. Two hundred animals removed from squalid conditions, yet owner still sells online Herman Gingerich, Brooknook Puppies, New Holstein, Wis. Excessive feces found several years in a row. What is the ISBR? "Saints Among Us", Illinois Saint Bernard Rescue, affiliated with the National Saint Bernard Rescue Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping abandoned, abused, homeless, and relinquished Saints find a "forever home". ISBR is run solely by volunteers who have a great love for the breed and the dedication to help save them. Our volunteers put in countless hours and travel great distances, to ensure that these wonderful Saints find loving forever homes and are not destroyed.