I'd like to believe that 100% of people don't purchase puppies from pet stores once they learn that a vast majority of these animals are bred in puppy mills.
I'm not talking about anything radical here. And I'm not talking about anything new. I'm talking about dogs that are tortured for a lifetime for one purpose only: to breed, give birth and do it all again. In a cage. And anyone who buys a dog that came from a puppy mill is perpetuating this industry.
In short, here's why they're so appaling to me and to many people:
- They are incredibly cruel for the breeder dogs. In most cases, she will spend her entire life in a small wire cage, being bred over and over again. No home, no comfort, often disgusting and filthy. What happens when she's no longer producing? Many times, breeding animals are abandoned or sold cheaply to another more filthy mill in an attempt to get a final litter out of the dog before she's killed.
- They are incredibly cruel for the puppies, kept in a cage in a pet store until someone finds them cute enough or feels sorry enough for them to make a purchase.
- They contribute to the terrible problem of pet overpopulation in this country. According to the Humane Society, 4 MILLION dogs and cats are put to sleep every year (one every 8 seconds) in US shelters. There's no shortage of adoptable dogs and cats!
- Many of the young offspring are sickly, a product of the overbreeding and poor conditions.
Here's a list of FAQ's about puppy mills assembled by the Humane Society of the United States.
What can you do? Get your next pet from a shelter. If you're looking for a specific breed, there's a rescue group--literally--for every breed of dog you could possibly want.
If you do have to get a puppy that's not from the County shelter or from the Humane Society, check out a breeder who is responsible--who takes good care of the mother dog and who makes sure the offspring go to owners who look at a pet as more than an object to exploit.
13 comments:
my blog friend queenwilly just rescued a dog from death row last week. she is now the proud owner of April, the happiest little dog in the world
Yup, we always buy our pets from the shelter.
I can't believe this... I haven't heard of puppy mills before. But even if they sell their puppies so cheap, I wouldn't buy still. We don't have that here in the Philippines or maybe I just haven't heard of it.
Thanks for posting about this very important issue. Sometimes we get to be educators as well as entertainers and, as writers, that's when I think we're at our best.
Puppy mills make me sick with anger. I rejoice every time I hear of one busted.
Good post. Both of my dogs are shelter dogs. It breaks my heart to see animals in cages, especially in a God forsaken place like a mall.
Just this weekend, I saw someone selling puppies on the sidewalk in a little town we were passing through. I asked my boyfriend about it and he then showed me where the puppy mill they were coming from was. They keep them in a horrible old school bus about 1/2 mile from their sale point. The law won't do anything about it either!
Oh, those people holding the "Puppies" signs rile me up too. Our first Great Dane was a cast-off dame from a breeding farm. The poor thing had a litter before she was a year old. then the breeder must have realized that she wasn't an "AKC color" and he dumped her at the pound. That's houw she found her way into our family.
I agree - people should only get puppies from shelters, not from puppy mills. In my experience, poorly-educated people with criminal records are usually the ones running the puppy mills, because they require no credentials, no skill, no talent, and not even food (apparently) to fuel the creation of more "product." It's pathetic.
Pixar or Disney should make the next blockbuster about a puppy who escapes the mall pet store to find his Mummy ... that'd punch a huge hold in the puppy milled profits.
we had one in a mall near here and I could never believe my eyes when ppl went in and bought one. I mean, how can you live in today's society and not know what these horrible 'breeders" are doing? I would NEVER buy one from a store. EVER
Thanks for your comments, ya'll. I'm obviously preaching to the choir. Here's some specific info about Petland and their dealings with puppy mills. I noticed they've launched an "adoption campaign" but it looks like they're just trying to look good. An October 2009 investigation says they're still buying!
http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/petland_state_data_florida.pdf
I hate those "honk if you love puppies" signs - so misleading. You have some great readers - look at all of the comment love!
God, this is incredibly sad :( But I ahve to agree on the breeder thing - somehow I've always thought it was the best option when it came to getting a dog. This way, you can meet your future pet early on and see its 'parents' and owners... A lot of times you get invited to visit them, so you can really tell if the dogs are looked after well.
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