Frankie The Law Dog

Saturday, September 19 has been set aside as Puppy Mill Awareness Day, and events are planned in England, Ireland and across the United States to draw attention to the plight of animals who are victims of puppy mill abuses.

Puppy Mills are a Growing Problem Everywhere

Puppy mills (called puppy farms in some countries) are a growing problem.  The profits associated with breeding large numbers of popular dog breeds are too tempting for some unscrupulous and greedy people to resist.  The ASPCA defines a puppy mill as a “large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs.”

The Focus is on Profit at Puppy Mills

Because the focus at puppy mills is on profit, little care is given to producing healthy puppies.  Rather, the emphasis is on producing quantities of puppies, regardless of the problems involved.  As a result, puppy mill dogs are over-bred and inbred, leading to genetic abnormalities and a range of health problems.

Moreover, breeding dogs are often subjected to lives of constant captivity in small, unsanitary, crowded cages without access to adequate food, water, exercise or veterinary care.

Puppy Mills do not Produce Healthy Puppies Like Daisy

Puppy mill dogs usually end up in pet stores.  According to the ASPCA, these dogs are sold through brokers when they are as young as eight weeks of age.  Furthermore, the “lineage records of puppy mill dogs are often falsified.”  Thus, the unwary consumer is not getting what he or she pays for.

Puppy Mill Laws:  Anti-Puppy Mill Legislation

Many states across the USA are attempting, with mixed success, to put legislation in place to prevent some of the worst abuses of puppy mills.  And with the assistance of groups like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States and their local affiliates, law enforcement agencies are stepping up raids on puppy mills.

Puppy Mill Awareness Day

Although some progress is being made in the fight against puppy mills, the problem persists.  For instance, concerns remain about whether new anti-puppy mill laws can or will be enforced.

And if consumers remain ignorant about the living horror that is a puppy mill, they will continue to inadvertently support puppy mills by purchasing dogs from pet stores.  That is why events such as those associated with Puppy Mill Awareness Day are so important.  The best way to put puppy mills out of business is to educate the public.

Five Hundred Dogs and 15 Cats Rescued from Puppy Mill

More than 500 dogs and 15 cats were rescued on Tuesday from an alleged puppy mill in Kaufman County, Texas.  According to news reports, the Humane Society began investigating the operation when someone came to them asking about dog food donations for the animals.

Puppy Mill Kept Dogs in Deplorable Conditions

The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake and the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department conducted the raid, and found the animals being kept in deplorable conditions.  Mainly consisting of small breeds such as poodles and Chihuahuas, the dogs were housed in filthy conditions where they were exposed to the elements at all times.

Many of the dogs, in addition to having severely matted coats, were found suffering from a range of serious medical conditions, including infected wounds, internal and external parasites, and skin and eye infections.  According to the Humane Society’s report, “It is obvious that many of these animals have never known life outside their wire cages.”

All of the animals were quickly removed and transported to an emergency shelter specially set up for this rescue operation.  The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department has provided 24-hour security to the emergency shelter to ensure the safety of the rescued animals, which were all given appropriate emergency medical care by a team of veterinarians.

The operation was made possible in part by funding provided to the Humane Society by the Kenneth and Lillian Wilde Foundation, who created the Wilde Puppy Mill Task Force to rescue animals from abusive puppy mills.

How to Put Puppy Mills Out of Business

Put Puppy Mills out of Business by Adopting Your New Best Friend from a Shelter

In addition to the good work being done by groups such as the Humane Society of the United States and legislative efforts going on in several states to try and stem the tide of abusive puppy mills, the best way to put puppy mills out of business to starve them out economically.  That means refusing to purchase any dog that is the product of a puppy mill.

The Humane Society offers the following tips for making sure your next puppy does not come from a puppy mill:

• Adopt a puppy from a shelter.  These animals need you as much as you need them.  Both of our dogs are adoptees, having been abandoned by their original owners.  It gives us satisfaction every day to know that we saved their lives.  They bring us immeasurable joy without a dime having gone into the pocket of a puppy mill breeder.
• Find a responsible breeder and pay a personal visit to their facility.  There are many responsible breeders out there.  A personal visit to the breeder will allow you to assess how the facility is housing and caring for the dogs.  At a minimum, they should be receiving adequate food, water, exercise, grooming, socialization and veterinary care, and should not be spending their lives confined to cages.
• Avoid pet stores.  Period.  They buy their dogs from puppy mills.  How else would they make a profit off of each animal?
• Don’t be fooled by advertising claims that a breeder’s animals are kept in humane conditions.  In other words, going back to a previous point, don’t purchase a dog from a breeder if you can’t personally visit the facility and ensure it is not a puppy mill.
• Don’t try to “rescue” a puppy from a puppy mill by purchasing it.  Every dollar you put into the pocket of a puppy mill breeder perpetuates the scourge of puppy mills.  If you encounter a breeder you think might be operating a puppy mill, contact your local authorities and the Humane Society immediately.
• For more great tips, see the Humane Society’s Puppy Buyer’s Guide.