My memory is a bit hazy, but if i remember right there were two comments in addition to the article.
I dont focus on persuasive techniques a lot, but basically the article itself is not persuasive itself (or not very much if I can remember), it's primarily informative but actuates readers to develope an antagonistic attitude towards puppy mills.
The comments are where the "stuff" is (not a cocaine reference)- For this piece i'd personally use the main article as a vehicle for the comments..
For sake of these I'll list some things you can talk about:
- Hippocket (in the comments section the guy asks why you'd pay extra for a dog)
- Satire, also in the titles of one of the comments. (Cruella Devill, Cruella Demill, I lol'd)
- Lots of appeals to sympathy in the first comment
Cant remember heaps about it