Knowledge is Power
It is time to educate people on Puppy Mills.
“99 percent of puppies come from puppy mills, no matter what the breeder or store says.”
The ASPCA
Across the world, there are millions of dog lovers everywhere, making caring for dogs a very relatable topic. Sadly, a good majority of these dog lovers are not educated on how to properly attain a dog. In fact, The Humane Society of The United States states that only 47% of households in the United States own at least one dog, and only 30% of pets in these homes come from a shelter or rescue. This means that the other 70% of pets are obtained improperly or in other words, came from a puppy mill.
What is a Puppy Mill?
According to paws.org and the ASPCA, “puppy mills are commercial breeding facilities that mass-produce dogs (and cats in cat mills) for sale through pet stores, or directly to consumers through classified ads or the Internet.” In other words, a puppy mill is where inhumane people can profit off of the continuous breeding of dogs (and cats) without any regard to the welfare of the animals.
The conditions of these puppy mills are truly grotesque and impossible for a dog to have a semi-decent quality of life. These innocent animals are locked in rusted wire cages that are barbarously small, the floor is covered in their own feces, and filled with disease due to the lack of care. The people who run these puppy mills are so cruel that they do not pay attention to the well-being of the dog, resulting in their nails curling under, flea and tick infestation, and many dying of the parvo virus, a highly contagious virus.
Animals in puppy mills are treated like cash crops.
Unfortunately, in most states, these “puppy farms” are protected due to the fact that it is considered “legal” to keep hundreds of innocent dogs cooped up in dirty cages just for the purpose of constantly breeding puppies. These puppies then flood untrustworthy pet stores and online websites like Craigslist, which then misrepresents what dog lovers and owners truly want, which is respect for their beloved pet.
Where are Puppy Mills located?
You won’t find a puppy mill right next to your nearest McDonalds, but you can do some research to find the exact location. For example, when looking to get a dog you might have thought you have found a totally reputable breeder, but the majority of the time they aren’t “reputable,” and actually running a cold-blooded business right down the road. Most puppy mills are found to be in more rural areas that are secluded, making it more private for the indecent people running the place.
Where do these puppies go?
Many of these puppies are sent and sold to popular pet stores like Petland and Furry Babies, but they are also often sold online. Most pet stores receive their animals from their so called “breeders,” which is almost always just a puppy mill. A reputable breeder would never sell their puppies to a pet store, let alone to some random person on the internet. When looking to get a dog make sure you can confirm where the dog is from.
Some characteristics that would imply that the dog is from a puppy mill are:
- The “breeder” is selling dogs that are less than 8 weeks old. This is traumatizing for the puppies due to the fact that they need to be socialized and nurtured for a short period of time before going to their forever home. The chances of a dog being mean or vicious are higher when they are taken from their mother right away or not socialized correctly with other dogs.
- The dog shows signs of bad health like knotted/matted hair, fingernails are curled, runny eyes, and dry skin.
- There are no references from other customers .
- There are no current or up to date medical records of any of their dogs.
Resourceful Links
http://www.paws.org/get-involved/take-action/explore-the-issues/puppy-mills/