America has a nasty secret. Nearly all of those cute puppies that are sold in pet stores come from “puppy mills” in rural areas across the U.S. – factories that exploit dogs for profit under inhumane conditions, and export puppies riddled with parasites and a litany of longterm health problems. It’s little wonder; the mothers of these puppies spend their entire lives in tiny, unsanitary cages, never walked, never petted, never doing anything but making puppies. When these dogs can no longer produce litters or money for their owners, they are put to death – stoned, shot, drowned or starved.

Madonna of the Mills tells the story of Laura, a dental office manager from Staten Island who stumbled on this secret five years ago, and vowed to save as many of these breeding dogs, both male and female, as she possibly could. To date, Laura has rescued over 2,000 dogs from Amish and Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania.

Madonna of the Mills debuts on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24TH (8 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO2.