What is a Puppy Mill
The definition of a puppy mill or sometimes known as a puppy farm is "a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care."
In MY words a puppy mill is a pathetic and disgusting way to make money. People breed dogs for profit only!!
Because most breeders do this type of business for extra income or the only income, the minimal amount of money is used for food, housing and veterinarian care. With that being said animals only get what is necessary to stay alive. They do not have blankets to keep them warm, they stand on cold wired cages, no shelter from the sun. This is why these animals are living in "substandard conditions."
Unfortunately when you hear about these mills, you stereotypically think of small pups locked in tiny cramped wired cages with barely enough room to breathe never mind move. These poor babies live a life of filth, disgust, loneliness and despair. Females are bred as often as possible, and when they are no longer able to “produce,” they are discarded by their breeders. IT IS NO LIFE FOR A MAN'S BEST FRIEND
History
According to the ASPCA these facilities came into being in the late 1940s after crop failures in the West led to a need for a new "cash crop".
The new "cash crop" would be purebred dogs sold to pet stores for profit.
Farmers used pens and crates originally designed for chickens and rabbits to house the dogs until they were ready to go to the pet stores.
They spread East in the 1970s when Amish farmers were encouraged to breed dogs to supply puppy brokers with more stock to sell to pet stores.
The Face of a Breeder
This is just one face of the many, many mill owners. When you see a face attached to this industry it somehow makes the situation real and will hopefully open the eyes to society and help put an end to these horrible places.
Kathy Bauck has been one of Minnesota's largest and most notorious and secretive operators for about 20 years.
Bauck has been convicted of animal cruelty and torture. She was also found to be practicing veterinary medicine without a license, for, among other things, performing cesarean sections on her dogs without adequate anesthetic.
I would love to perform a C-Section on her without any anesthetic, then again I hope she did not reproduce.
Investigating
There have been so many investigations regarding "dog hoarding", but just to show you the "real" life horrors of these places, I put up some videos.
The video's are to open up the eyes of anyone who owns a dog or owned one in the past, loves animals or just cares about basic rights to humane treatment.
View at your own discretion. I could not believe the conditions and the manner in which these dogs were treated, or in actuality the way they are "NOT TREATED"
- On April 4, 2008 Oprah Winfrey aired a show on the topic of puppy mills. She wanted to expose the conditions of these horrific facilities and show how these animals live on a daily basis, if "living" is what you can call it.
Oprah Winfrey's videos are graphic, heart wrenching and disgusting. The only reason to look at these videos is to educate yourself and others.
The Dog Whisper undercover investigation
An eight-month investigation by the HSUS revealed that many Petland stores across the country are marketing PM puppies to unsuspecting consumers.
ASPCA investigating Tennessee
Campaigns
- Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS)is the only national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals. CAPS' foremost concern is the abuse and suffering of pet shop and puppy mills dogs.
- ASPCA supporting the Landmark Puppy Mill Initiative
- Pets for Profits is a campaign to help end animal cruelty. Sign the pledge today so you can help shut down "animal breeding done with torture"....
- Campaign launched to tackle issues in Missouri
- Spread the word by something most people do everyday...Socialize on Facebook and spread the word.
- Puppies Aren’t Products campaign is to create a world of "No More Homeless Pets" by fighting against PM's and irresponsible breeding.
- Last Chance for Animals’ (LCA) “Puppy Mill Free Stores” campaign
- The HSUS announces tipline to report abuse at these facilities.
Laws to Protect??????
Protecting animals and their rights have been an issue for centuries and have been debated and disputed over and over again.
But the questions is who is ultimately responsible for animals in these places? Would you believe the USDA??? Yes, that's right!!!!!
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licenses, monitors and inspects kennels to ensure they are not violating the standards of the Animal Welfare Act.
The AWA is a Federal law that Congress passed in 1966 and amended in 1970, 1976, 1985, 1990, and 2002 to protect animals used in research, bred for commercial sale, exhibited to the public, or commercially transported. The lawrequires minimum standards of animal care to be established and enforced.
Minimum standards can have different meanings to so many different people. My minimum standards for my two dogs are to take them for a walk everyday, give them two meals a day with snacks in between, make sure they have a warm blanket when they sleep at night in the winter, hugs and kisses whenever I come home.
Standards for someone else could be stay alive until you are sold!!!! Who and how can standards be defined by law???
Presently existing regulations and laws vary from state to state in regards to PM.
The only thing that can protect animals right now is the anti-animal cruelty law which protects animals from overt physical abuse and neglect.
If necessary the Secretary of Agriculture has the authority to confiscate an animal from a regulated facility that is suffering. "Suffering" to mean the animal was in any condition causing pain or distress that is not alleviated.
Suffering does not include things like: - Does the dog have enough room to walk or run?
- Did he eat today?
- Has he been touched be a human being?
- Has he been lying in urine and feces all day, or all week?
- Is it so 100 degrees out and they are in the sun?
- Windy, cold or rainy weather with no shelter?...
WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING...
How to Help
Helping to fight anything does not happen overnight, that is why we all need to do our part by educating ourselves and get the word out to help shut down Puppy Mills
The #1 thing we can do to help stop mills from operating is to NOT BUY PUPPIES!! We need to ADOPT, GO TO A SHELTER, OR RESCUE A DOG.
Please report a Puppy Mill or Nuisance Breeder and do the world justice.
Survivors
The ASPCA calls it "The Lucky 34", meet some survivors who made it through!!
Looking For a Specific Breed?
Don't be fooled... some dog breeders are responsible. Start your search for an ethical breeder by going to American Bulldog Puppies, Shiba Inu Puppies.
Information Obtained From Great Resources - www.caps-web.org
- www.aspca.org
- www.petshoppuppies.org
- www.wikipedia.org
- www.humanesociety.org
- www.banpuppymills.com
- www.usda.org
- www.almosthomerescue.org
- www.millbusters.com/news/index.html
- www.wonderpuppy.net
- www.dogbreederinfo.com
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