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Breeding Grounds of Death and Despair Puppy Mills How Did It All Start Back to Top The breeding of dogs began as a cash crop for strapped With the increase in the number of puppies being produced, a new player came on the scene—the puppy store. Sears Roebuck used to sell puppies in their pet departments and from there the stand-alone puppy store flourished. Next entered the puppy broker. This person would deliver the puppies from the mills to the pet stores. Some puppies would travel miles, often in pickup trucks, tractor trailers, and other conveyances, many unsuitable to the transport of young animals, from where they were bred to where they were sold. Conditions in Puppy Mills Back to Top Puppy mills can house anywhere from 50 dogs to over 1,000. The breeding dogs live in cramped, dark, filthy conditions. They receive no veterinary care and often little food and water. There is no attempt to breed healthy, genetically sound puppies, so the breeding dogs often mate with their siblings, parents, or offspring resulting in puppies who suffer from either or both congenital and hereditary conditions. The puppies often suffer as well from a variety of diseases due to the unsanitary conditions and the lack of proper nutrition. Deformed or seriously ill puppies are killed instantly. To keep expenses to a minimum, those running the breeding facilities often do not heat or cool the “barns” the dogs live in so the animals suffer through the boiling heat of summer and the bone-chilling winds of winter. They are often starved—less food means more profit for the puppy mill owner. Staff costs are kept low at these facilities. Often only two or three people care for 500 or more dogs. Therefore, the animals receive no socialization from humans. In fact, many puppies show fear behavior because of the lack of socialization. Breeding dogs live in wire cages for so long their paws become attached to the wire. These cages are often stacked one on top of another, allowing urine and feces from the upper cages to drop down onto the puppies in the lower cages. There is little attempt to clean up the cages or the dogs. The longer the dogs live in these cages, the more likely they will develop psychological behaviors known as stereotypies, such as obsessive licking and chewing to the point of tearing their skin. Other behaviors include spinning repetitively and howling constantly. Many dogs live their entire lives in these cages never seeing the sun or touching the ground. Needless to say, they get no exercise. The dogs are bred over and over again until they are no longer capable of reproducing and then they are often euthanized—sometimes with a bullet through the head—or sent off to research laboratories. Who Buys Puppy Mill Puppies Back to Top Why would anyone buy a puppy mill puppy? Many people want purebred puppies and the brokers and pet store owners play to that desire. Full disclosure of where the puppies are born and how they are raised is never given to the general public. It is through educating ourselves as to the sources of these animals that we learn the horrific conditions under which they are created. The irony today is that many of these puppy mills are pumping out their version of purebred dogs. Puggles and labradoodles are mutts. Bischipoos and maltipoos are mutts. These are not registered breeds of dogs but a mixture of two or, in some cases, more breeds to create “designer” dogs. One woman contacted a humane society to surrender the puppy she paid $2,000 for. The puppy was a miniature pinscher/pug/dachshund mix yet was sold as a “purebred.” Conditions in some pet stores where these puppies live until they are sold are no better than the place where they were born. Puppies are kept isolated so again they have no human interaction. They are often fed diets laced with antibiotics to keep them looking healthy until the unsuspecting buyer gets the puppy home. Needless to say, the sale of puppies is final. The stores rarely take back their “merchandise.” If they do, they will give a replacement puppy who also came from a mill and may have medical and psychological problems as well. Because of this business practice, many buyers are left with an agonizing decision: do they return the puppy to the seller who will most likely euthanize the puppy, or do they try to save the puppy at great financial and emotional expense. Even then, the puppy may still pay the ultimate price—death. Greed Back to Top Make no mistake, puppy mills exist for one reason and one reason only—greed. They are a “cash” crop and nothing more for the owners, brokers, and pet stores who sell them. If you buy a puppy from a pet store, an Internet site selling multiple breeds, or a private home advertising a variety of breeds, you are most likely buying a puppy raised in a puppy mill. As a concerned animal caregiver, you would not knowingly support animal cruelty; but this is exactly what such purchases do. How to Spot a Miller Back to Top Before you decide to add a puppy to your home, make sure to do your homework. If any of the following applies, then you are very likely getting a victim of the puppy mill industry:
Also, you should be wary of sellers that pose as rescue/adoption advocates: these unscrupulous people will sell puppy mill animals for high “adoption/rescue/re-homing fees” and will require little of the adopter (such as an adoption contract, a home visit, or even a preliminary interview). Because they are posing as a rescue, they do not have a mother or breeding site to show you; and the most likely place they will attempt to sell their “rescued” puppies is on the Internet. If you are looking for a puppy through the Internet, first and foremost, verify the authenticity of the person/organization represented in the Internet ad. You Still Want a Puppy Back to Top You do not want to support a puppy mill, but you still want a puppy. Here are some suggestions:
To absolutely ensure you are not buying a puppy mill pup: Never buy from a pet store. Never buy off the Internet. Sellers off the Internet are not held to the Animal Welfare Act’s (AWA) regulations and are not inspected by USDA. Never buy out of a truck in a parking lot. But for some of us, it may be tempting to believe we are doing a good deed by rescuing a puppy from a puppy mill by buying him or her from pet stores, millers, the Internet, or other questionable situations; however, the puppy we purchase today will simply be replaced by another tomorrow. Take Action to Stop Puppy Mills What can you do to stop puppy mills? First, follow the suggestions above when you want to adopt your next puppy. Other humane actions include:
August 2009 Back to Top |