If you've never heard of puppy mills, prepare to be enlightened. 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. An overwhelming majority of the dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills. Dogs that originate from puppy mills can have a slew of health issues as selective breeding is not used to weed out health problems. Dogs that are kept for breeding are forced to have litter after litter of puppies. One of the signs of over-breeding is swollen teats on the females. Because one male dog can mate with so many females, the young females puppies are invaluable to a puppy mill.
Dogs that are used to breed litter after litter are often kept in inhumane conditions. They are confined to wire crates that are stacked high. The dogs spend years in these crates and are only removed to be killed once they are no longer able to produce litters. They are never taken out to use the bathroom, so they go in their crates and it just falls through the wires. The puppy mills reek of urine and feces. As a result of being confined to their crates, when rescues occur, most dogs have to be carried to the cars and trained over time how to walk on normal ground. Many of these dogs die from exposure to the elements as they are often kept outdoors or stacked high in a cramped, enclosed structure. The Mid-West is the most common place to find these puppy mills and they have rough winters. Not the environment for fluffy little dogs to live in 24/7.
It is important to enlighten people on the issues surrounding puppy mills to prevent them from profiting. Oprah did a great show involving the Humane Society and Lisa Ling to investigate and rescue some of the dogs. I don't think many people realize that puppy mills supply pet stores with their dogs. Talking about this issue and putting stories in the media will help people realize just how disgusting this practice is. There is currently no legislation that makes the practice of puppy mills illegal. Hopefully if the demand for these dogs dwindles, the puppy mills will be forced to shut down operations.
Ahhh! As an animal lover, the very idea of the puppy mill disgusts me! I hate it that people have such little regard for such intelligent creatures as dogs. I bought my dog from a breeder. It was a great experience and in the long run you pay less because you receive a healthy dog (who should come with a certificate of health). Dogs from responsible breeders are also usually very clean and easy to potty train. If they come from a clean environment, they don't want to "go" in their bed. Which makes them super easy to train. My dog only had one accident and that was my fault because he was trying to tell me he wanted to go out and I was ignoring him...I soon learned that him nudging me repeatedly was not just playing..it meant "I HAVE TO GO NOW!" I highly recommend responsible breeders. But, if you want to rescue a dog, I give kudos to anyone who does that and I may do it in the future!
ReplyDeleteMe and my wife routinely volunteer at no kill shelters and I am a sucker for these stories. I personally would never buy a puppy from any store. In fact, I more than likely would not even look into any purebreds. I would simply spend time at the shelters and find the perfect match. We acquired both of our cats this way. If I absolutely felt the need to get a purebred dog, then I would definitely need to see the breeding environment.
ReplyDeleteI have never had a pure bred dog. My current dog came from the shelter; she was dumped by the roadside as a tiny puppy. She is a wonderful dog: healthy, smart, gentle, devoted to the family, good protection for our 7 year old. My previous dog was a mixed breed; the lab next door jumped the fence and impregnated the Brittany Spaniel. I have been around dogs for 50 years, and this mixed breed was the most spectacular animal I have ever seen. We did, however, get both as little puppies so we could train and raise them our way.
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