Above: Puppies capture the hearts of humans everywhere–which is why puppy mills still exist.
Oprah featured a show on the horrors of puppy mills and called huge attention to puppy mills but the livestock business is nothing new–just most people don’t think about them.
Puppy mills have been around since the 1960s when small retailers were beginning to sell out to larger chains.
You may remember the song with the phrase, “How much is that doggie in the window?” It reflects the marketing prevalent at the time–put cute puppies in the window and get people to come in the door.
Once the establishment sold the puppy they were certain to also sell all the needed supplies with it. Items such as bowls, collars, leashes, crates, toys, beds, food, supplements really increased the bottom line and hopefully kept the customer coming back for the lifetime of the pup.
I constantly hear about people who naively think that they “rescue” puppies when they buy them from pet stores in malls or from unscrupulous breeders in parking lots of shopping centers or by the side of the road.
It makes me cringe because what they are actually perpetuating is poor breeding and substandard pet care practices.
Not too long ago a new pet store opened nearby and when I asked about the source of her livestock (pups, kittens, rabbits, birds) she said from her breeder friends…which turned out to be puppy mill suppliers.
One of my colleagues saw the truck pull up to one of her other stores and hand puppies out the back of the truck to the staff.
By the way, the trucks are great places to pick up disease and parasites which is why many pups are sick when purchased. Close quarters at the breeding facility and during shipping expose the youngsters to such things as parvo, kennel cough, pneumonia, distemper and to parasites ranging from fleas and worms to coccidia and giardia.
Yuck.
Responsible and high quality breeders never sell their pups from the back of a truck, through pet stores or at the side of the road.
In fact, good breeders screen potential puppy owners with a variety of questions that rival child adoption.
In my experience the best breeders usually have waiting lists…which is good to avoid the impulse buy.
Also, they usually are members of breed clubs who often urge their member breeders to avoid selling their puppies through brokers or to pet retailers.
Purebred dogs are always in high demand. (Look in any shelter and about 25% are purebreds.) People mistakenly think that “papers” indicate quality–this is wrong.
“Papers” just indicate that the animals are registered with a club–they do not automatically guarantee quality.
The American Society for the Prevent of Cruelty to Animals cited that it was the USDA that suggested Midwest farmers capitalize on the demand by raising pups on a large scale to supplement their incomes. They estimate that there are more than 5,000 commercial breeders in America.
The conditions at puppy mills are appalling. Breeding females are forced to bear litter after litter. They are kept in wire cages that are stacked one on top of the other. Some never see daylight. They also get no socialization or other vital care–often lacking veterinary care and ample nutrition.
Another big problem is that many of the bloodlines produce animals with genetic disorders.
I’ve seen a bunch in my days. Many get off lucky but I remember two puppy mill dogs on an aggression case I evaluated. The duo had light blue eyes (abnormal for the breed), were about three times the normal size for the breed, and they had lived in a pet store cage for most of their puppy hood so they had no socialization–and they had bitten everyone in the home–including tearing the ear off of a toddler.
The genetic problems go beyond behavioral into hip dysplasia, deafness, hernias, joint problems, nasal and eye issues, and more.
Now the internet has become more and more popular for shopping and people are buying their pets online. If you haven’t got the picture yet, it is a BAD idea to purchase an animal online.
Many puppy mill breeders unload unwanted animals online. It is best to see the parents of the animal you are getting and to scope out the environment in person.
Fortunately there are groups that are out there investigating such facilities and turning them over to authorities. However, that isn’t always enough since sometimes the fines are minor.
Today regulation and legislation are two other ways some groups are working to try and combat the puppy mill problem.
How can you help?
There was a successful movement where enraged people boycotted a chain that supported puppy mills and put them out of business.
What you can do is discourage your friends and family from buying their pets in a retail outlet, by the side of the road, or on the internet.
I’d like to see people spend more time researching what type of pet would fit into their lives, budget for the addition, and seek out animals that are from quality environments instead of backyard breeders and puppy mills.
Do you have an opinion on this matter? If so, leave your comment below.
Stop Puppy Mills: Puppy Mill Awareness Day
Puppy mills began to gain ground in the Midwest shortly after World War II spurred on by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). Farmers were attempting to find ways to supplement their income after the depression and the government introduced the concept to them.
Eventually they discovered the pet store market and the benefits of selling to them but they also sold to some major department store chains. The market expanded until independent pet shops, pet store franchises, and mega pet stores were all customers.
Even though puppy mills have been a problem since World War II, it wasn’t until the Oprah Show aired a special on puppy mills that the general public sat up and took notice.
The man behind the billboard urging Oprah to help puppy mill dogs was Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue. Established in 1997, the group has rescued thousands of abused, unwanted or abandoned animals every year. They rehabilitate them and adopt them out to families–and a good portion of those pet rescues come from puppy mills.
Puppy mills are mass dog-breeding operations that care more about the profit they make instead of about the physical and mental health of the animals in their care.
One report on Amish Puppy Mills said they are simply “fed & bred” because the dogs in puppy mills are kept in deplorable conditions. There is rampant inbreeding, veterinary care is minimal (if there is any at all), animals fill the overcrowded cages, and there is limited shelter from the elements. Most never get outside their cages unless they are being moved.
The breeding stock live their lives without toys, human contact, or access to the outside world. The are bred excessively and then are abandoned, sold off, or killed when they need additional care or their fertility wanes.
So why do puppy mills still exist?
Puppy mills continue to thrive because they take advantage of uneducated consumers who become smitten by the cute puppies in pet store windows or who are attracted to the wonderful pictures featured on websites.
Many of the pups that come from puppy mills are a mess. Not only because of their dismal environments and upbringing but because of poor genetics and lack of socialization.
House training and other behavior problems are escalated because they have to live in their excrement or eliminate in their living quarters–which is not normal.
Major health problems are common in these types of animals.
I remember one dog behavior case that was particularly disturbing for me. The animals were bought at a mall pet shop chain and were from a puppy mill.
These “purebred” puppies were way too big for the breed standard and they had blue eyes which was abnormal for that breed. They had lots of problems–but I was called in because they were out of control and had bitten everyone in the household multiple times.
It was an impulse purchase and the dad was more concerned with my hourly billing than he was about getting the animals sorted out.
Locally we have a pet store owner who lied about her puppy sources when I asked her. Many of the local residents now boycott the store because she conducts trade with puppy mills.
However, another of the stores up here attracts loads of customers because they refuse to sell live animals. The staff attempts to educate people about the problem and sends those looking for animals to the local shelter and also provide a bulletin board dedicated to re-homing animals.
Puppy Mill Awareness Day is this weekend and was nice to hear that a puppy mill ban was passed in the House of Representatives in Pennsylvania. It now needs to pass in the Senate.
I hope you will take some steps to help fight the abusive puppy mill industry.
What else can you do to stop puppy mills?
Visit these websites to educate yourself, your friends, and your family:
Watch the Oprah Puppy Mill clips online.
Listen to Puppy Mill Awareness Day Podcast.
Participate in the National Puppy Mill Awareness Day.
Learn about the Animal Welfare Act.
Join the Ning Stop Puppy Mill group.
HSUS Stop Puppy Mills Campaign.
Visit Puppy Mill Educational Links.
Stop Puppy Mill Resource Links at Best Friends.
The Puppy Mill Forum.
How to buy a puppy.
Learn about Puppy Lemon Laws.
Listen to How much is that doggie in the window? and get the lyrics.
Do you have an idea about how to stop puppy mills or want to suggest another stop puppy mill resource? If so, leave one below.