I am about to spew
something that may infuriate some people , particularly dog breeders. I have
written similar articles, mostly blasting puppy mills, puppy brokers and
pet stores, but while working the other day I received a question that gave me
pause for thought. I suspect it was in the back of my mind all along but I just
did not address it openly. I realize that pounds and no kill shelters exist and I
have adopted a few dogs from them over the years. I understand why some
families who have come upon hard times need to relinquish a pet, but I also see dogs, pure bred dogs, in these shelters that are there
strictly due to human greed.
The question I
speak of was from a customer who was teetering on the fence about buying an 8
week old puppy that she was told had been diagnosed as having a recessed vulva
and wanted to know the likelihood that the pup would outgrow it. This puppy that she was on the fence about would be coming from a pet
store.
Ugh! I thought as I rolled my eyes at the still remaining many who are not aware of where pet store
puppies come from. But answering dog questions is how I make money to to support my
own dogs, so of course I took the question. I suppose I had also hoped
in the back of my mind that I could educate her on pet store puppies and puppy mills.
I gave the
customer the information about the life long problems a recessed vulva might
bring with it, the cleaning of the dog’s privates every time it peed to avoid a life of urinary tract infections and the
possible surgery the pup might need to correct the problem and that surgery, if
not done correctly may not work. I
also went on to tell her the possibilities of other life long problems that
might exist because puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills and I sent a link
about puppy mills as well.
The customer came
back at me furious, not because what I was telling her was wrong, but because I
was not a Veterinarian telling her this information and that I was giving her health information that she herself already knew having already looked it up online. So she
opted out of me helping her further which is her prerogative under the company
rules. This meant I could no longer continue to respond to her question; however
given her response about “I know all of this information already” I did have a
mouthful to say to her so it is best she did opt out of using me in the long
run.
A friend, a Veterinarian
who had worked on the site for several years stepped in and took the question
basically agreeing with everything I had told the customer but offering a little
extra technical explanation of possible problems.
When I read the
Vet’s answer I was pleased, because not only was I correct in explaining the
situation but the Vet acknowledged and validated my answer. With that I sent
the Vet a private message thanking her for such a considerate answer. And this private message is what brings me to this post! ( I bet you're glad we're finally getting to it!)
The Vet’s reply
to me was that she basically just restated
what I had already told the customer, and that she always feels bad for those
pups that get left behind.
Pups that get
left behind. I thought sadly. Pups
that are bought and sold every day in pet stores that come from puppy mills.
Puppies that are purchased and then turn into grown dogs. These grown dogs that usually have many health and
behavior flaws which usually cause them to be given up to pounds or shelters across the USA. These
puppies that grow up and cost dog pounds and shelters money to save them
through housing, vet care, and food, as well as the tireless efforts of volunteers who attempt
to find them new homes. These costs are then passed on to the general public
that are doing the adopting of these grown dogs. For these pet store puppies it is to
be a revolving door in their life and seemingly a lose, lose situation. Many to never know what a forever home is.
Please do not
misunderstand what I am saying. I
think shelters are wonderful and do all that they can for dogs and cats, yet in
the end it is still that poor sickly puppy that someone had shelled out
hundreds of dollars to buy from a pet
store that end up in a shelter or pound. Not
only does the public pay the price, so does the poor animal. I can’t be upset with the animal
because they did not ask to be born into this situation but I can be angry with
the human race and companies such as Hunte (to see more on the Hunte Company click this link ) that constantly
put these animals out there for nothing more than profit. Sometimes I just want to say, “God we
suck at being the higher species!” I
cannot imagine a dog doing this to humans!
We try to get the puppy mills banished and in some states there is progress being made, but puppy mills are scrupulous and find other ways to sell their puppies. This can happen through puppy brokers, online web sites, or their newest plot which is to set themselves up as a non profit dog rescue so that they can still sell their pups at a higher price under the guise of running a non profit rescue. And the public buys it hook, line, and sinker.
So how can you
tell if a mill is under the guise of a non profit shelter? Ask for a specific
breed of puppy. If they say, we
don’t have one like that now but we are expecting to have one in a week or two. you are likely looking
at a mill hiding behind the cover of a non profit. Or when you go visit the rescue you see
mostly pups and not many older dogs. A true rescue
takes in every dog no mater the age.
What I am trying
to say here is that regardless of whether we purchase the pups from a pet store
or donate money to a rescue to adopt them as adults, the people that run the
puppy mills still win. The losers are the homeless dogs in this revolving door
because they end up
without ever knowing what a forever home is like.
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In my perfect puppy world I would like:
1) I would like
to see every state ban puppy mills, period! No exceptions! If you are breeding
more than two distinct breeds you should be classified as a mill or a back yard
breeder who is only out for the money. Breeders, though most are responsible,
should only be allowed to breed once a year in any given household. This would cut down on the people who
are breeding only to make a living, not for the betterment of the breed
itself. If you can’t make a
living off of it, it may not seem a worth while option to pick for an income.
Breeders should be required to register with their county as a breeder and
should be submitting paper work on the specific dog they are breeding. Just as most counties require your dogs to have
an identifying county license a dog breeder should be made to do the same. This could be
‘part’ of a simple solution to over population and puppy mills.
Hey breeders, I
get it, you have a dog that has been judged a champion stud and you are proud of
him and you want to breed him,
but just because a law
would only allow you to do one breeding a year with him, it wouldn't make that dog any less of a
champion! In fact, that
gives you even more time to add to its distinctions through different showings. Just because you own a stud and not a bitch does not mean that you
don’t contribute to an already existing problem.
I also want to
see all breeders be made to keep their adult dogs and puppies that cannot be
sold due to some defect or those that are too old for breeding therefore making the breeders no money. I do not think they should be able to pass the buck because they don’t want to pay
to have them taken care of properly. They took these dogs on but seemingly only
want them for the good times not the
bad. It is not fair to hand a defective puppy or an
old non producing dog to a rescue and expect the volunteers to spend tireless
hours and efforts to find your dog a
home!
2) Puppies should never be allowed to be sold in pet stores and for those sneaky pet stores that do try sell them, (even from their own home) should be considered breaking the law and
should be very heavily fined.
3) If a rescue team is called to a site to remove a certain amount
of dogs from a property which would be deemed a puppy mill, then the owner of
those dogs should be fined and should be made to pay the rescue back for the
costs of removing, relocating, sheltering, vet care, and feeding of those confiscated
animals until such time as they are found a permanent home. This threat alone,
if it were a law, would make many think twice about running a mill or over
breeding their dogs.
4) The heaviest load really lay on me, you, and on the rest of the general
public. The USDA, the states, the towns,
and municipalities do not have enough paid manpower to keep up with tracking or
investigating the existence of puppy mills. To aide these counties, the public
should be reporting anyone they know or suspect of running a mill. To entice
the public to make that phone call offer anonymity from the mills owner, and
put some type of reward in place if the caller has identified a
legitimate puppy mill. A reward does not always mean monetary, I know a few
people who would give up a name for a couple of Paul McCartney or Mick Jagger
tickets!
Will you have
neighbors calling up on each other because they are reminiscent of the Hatfield’s
and McCoy’s? Sure, so don’t rely on just
one call, wait until you have a few complaints about a property or a few
complaints about sick puppies that were purchased from a specific breeder or
property before doing a proper check .
I am reminded of
a lawsuit brought about near my hometown against Pet City & Supplies Inc.. There
were so many complaints about sick dogs being sold, and the failure of the store
to produce proper records that eventually one of their stores in my area closed
down, though I am not aware if any of their other stores closed as well. But
it was a victory, a small one yet still a victory! A victory that should have
taught us all it can be done!
You can see more on the Pet City suit and other legal actions against pet stores by clicking here
5) Do not lump Agriculture laws and companion animal laws into one. They are separate issues yet they are all put under the guise of animal cruelty. By doing this it makes it harder to crack down on mills because the Agricultural folk are going to come out swinging, because their livestock are their livelihood. A dog on the other hand is not really a livelihood and should not be considered a way of income. By separating the two you may be able to get things done a bit quicker and with less opposition.
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What's in a complaint?
As a public we
are outraged when we see a puppy in a pet store or we rescue a dog that has so
many ailments from bad breeding that we complain, and we complain a lot, but
are we complaining to the right people? Have
we offered the help that is needed to put these disgraceful people out of
business? Are we
going to continue to have unwanted dogs kenneled and euthanized specifically due
to this problem and no other?
You might want to
put a bit of pressure on your local government such as Mayors and Governors about the issues of puppy mills in
your town/city. It’s a good start. To find the Mayor of your city
and when they are up for re-election click here.
From there start
writing to your state Governor’s office. For a list of Governor's click here ( When the page opens click on your state and a new window opens up so you can send an email to your Governor. )
Try to keep your
anger and disgust at a minimum and deal with the facts that you see on a daily
basis regarding your own pet that may have been from a puppy mill or if you are
an organization that rescues these dogs. Don’t rant and
rave, ranting and raving makes you feel good at the time, but it does nothing
to get your message across. Also don't just rant and rave but try to come up with suggestions to aid the problem.
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Just to reiterate
where those pet store puppies and the majority of adult dog rescues come from
and what conditions they are born into before they ever hit that pet store click here.
Notice the lack
of human contact, lack of space provided, and the over crowding along with deplorable conditions.
The conditions in
which the parent dogs and puppies have to eat, sleep, and live in causes most of the
behavior problems that I hear on a daily basis. Questions such as: my
dog acts fearful what can I do?
or my dog lunges and barks at other
dogs how do I stop this? and my two favorites , even though I take my puppy out often to potty he/she still pees and
poops all over the house, what can be done to stop this? and I have adopted a breeder dog that waits to come into the house to pee even though she has a doggy door to use.
Remember that
puppies, like humans, only act out what they have learned during their first
formative weeks, months, years, of life.
This can contribute to a lifetime of problems that may or may not ever
be able to be fixed.
Update on another shut down to try to curtail over population of unwanted puppies. I don't understand why it is so hard to get any bills passed to reduce unwanted puppies. Click here for article
The worst states for puppy mills: click here
That’s my sound off, comment as you see fit.
