Puppy Mill Case Study

A quote once said by Frederick the Great states; “A dog is a man’s best friend.” There are millions of dog lovers across the world, I’m speaking to many in this class right now, so dog lovers, have you ever thought about this? Imagine walking into a pet store and looking around at all the different kinds of animals, and then your eyes are set on the dogs. You just can’t decide what one you want. One of the main key facts about choosing the right dog is considering where it is raised and many dog owners don’t. Some of the dogs could have been raised in a puppy mill. Puppy mills are a problem in the U.S today. And the problem with puppy mills is the effect they have on the dog itself and even the owner.

A: Pet mills put money and profit, before the health of the animals they are breeding. Animals from these mills are usually living in disgusting conditions, and not getting the medical care that they need (Sheeter, n.d.). Because of this, the animals can get very prone to sickness, and have behavioural problems. They are left in small crates, squished together, have terrible diets, and dirty water (Sheeter, n.d.). A lot of dogs have been neglected or abused and have had little attention, interaction with humans or other animals, or obedience trainings. They were not treated with any sort or respect or appreciation or care, and they deserve that. The mums of the puppies are caged and constantly bred until they no longer can, they do not get

Puppy mills have been notorious for keeping the puppy trade industry alive and as big as it is today. With thousands of puppy mills, both known and under the radar, they provide easy access and cheap puppies to sell at pet stores at inflated prices. While they do keep the business booming and keep pure breeds that may specialize in important roles, they continue to put countless numbers of dogs through terrifying pain. To stop the agonizing torture the lovable pups go through, stricter rules must be applied to these puppy mills, a new license regulation must be used, regular inspections, and awareness of alternative options must be made.

“Puppy mills create misery for dogs and pain for the unwitting purchasers of the animal, and they indirectly deny suitable homes for animals in need.”- Wayne Pacelle (President of the Humane Society of the United States)

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) describes puppy mills situation to be overcrowded, unsanitary, without adequate food, water, and veterinary health care. Female dogs are even bred at every opportunity without a rest to maximize profit (“Puppy Mills”). Dogs are kept locked up in wired cages, stacked on top one another and sometimes their excrements are not properly monitored. Thus, this leads to unknown genetic disorders and poor genetic quality which makes it difficult for the dogs to live for a long time. In the end, it will cause a lot of stress and problems for the family down the road due to the dogs’ health. Many people who are unaware of these living conditions often tend to overlook their puppies neglect and suffering. When purchasing a new pet from a pet store, many people do not wonder where their pet may have come from, instead, they are more engulf in their excitement to bring home a new family

Did you ever think about puppy mills; if they should be outlawed or not? For one to think or answer that question they must know what a puppy mill is, “an establishment that breeds puppies for sale, typically on an intensive basis and in conditions regarded as inhumane.”. A website called Humanesociety.org states, “Over a five‐year period (2007‐2011), our puppy mills campaign received 2,479 puppy buyer complaints. Buyers complained about sick puppies sold by a variety of sources, including pet stores, breeders (both in person and online), or middleman dealers (sometimes known as brokers).” That proves that the dogs are not treated well. I think puppy mills should be outlawed because the dogs are treated the way they should be, dogs are getting hurt, and they over breed the dog.

Puppy mills are a worldwide commercial breeding operation. The most common places that you will run into a puppy mill is by buying a dog from a pet store, newspaper ad, online, or even in a public area including a flea market. Puppy mills began after World War II because of the horrific war. When the farmers crops became a failure and were not bringing profit to the town. People started to worry and decided to breed pure bred dogs and sell them as they would of called it the new cash crops.

One of the most meaningful acts a breeder can do is provide their puppies with the best start in life, but it doesn't stop there. As a responsible breeder, your dedication surrounds helping prospective puppy owners raise happy and healthy dogs. As a dog lover, connecting caring, responsible individuals and families with their forever pet is your passion. By encouraging and endorsing products that promote the wholesome development of dogs, particularly during the first year of life, breeders can be a part of ensuring a long and active life for the pups. Breeders hold themselves and their clients to the highest standards and the goal is improving the life of each puppy.

However, cutting off the relationship between pet stores and breeders is not efficient method to save dogs. Instead, it will make the problems become severer because of the disordered dog trade marketing. In fact, regulating the dog trade law of pet stores can be the key to fail puppy mill industry.

Do you ever look and all the puppies in a pet store and think, where did all these puppies come from? Well, the answer is: puppy mills. Puppy mills may sound like a cute, fun, happy place, but if you think that, you are wrong; it’s the opposite. Puppy mills should be made illegal because puppies and dogs are overbred, underfed, and tortured under the horrible conditions they are in. If you don’t know what a puppy mill is, it is an establishment that overbreeds, tortures, and underfeeds dogs and puppies. Puppy mills overbreed dogs, but that’s not all. Multiple dogs are put into tiny cages they hardly fit in and the dogs are underfed and starved. These puppies and dogs are “raised” in horrible conditions, and then are “shipped” to pet stores that may be near you.

I am writing this letter because I am concerned about the levels of neglect and cruelty you put the animals through at your stores each day. All the way from rats to even goldfish.

Puppy mills should be banned in the United States for their action. There has been a couple of states who have decided to regulate puppy mills. It depends if the state enforces the law and if the consequences of breaking that law are great enough to stop puppy mills. According to Kim Evans, an agency of the USDA: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has failed to enforce the humane care and treatment of animals at all puppy mills required by the Animal Welfare Act after an inspection. The inspector states that "stronger enforcement actions are needed for serious or repeat violators because the monetary penalties were often so low that violators regarded them as a cost of business." (5). Since the USDA has failed to enforce the humane care of animals in puppy mills through law, puppy mills should be banned. If a person was caught with a puppy mill of the unacceptable standards listed in the previous paragraphs, they will have prison time. Not a fine. This inspection has shown that repeat violators regard the fines for their violations as a cost of business. In the article called Pets, there is a chart that shows violations and how many times they were violated in the years of 2006-2008. The chart shows that the violation of bad housing facilities they are a total of 4,744 violations. Also, there is a total of 3,537 violations for not providing adequate veterinary care (Evans

Because puppy mills focus on profit, dogs are often bred with little regard for genetic quality. Puppy mill puppies are prone to congenital and hereditary conditions including heart disease and blood and respiratory disorders. In addition, puppy mill puppies often arrive in pet stores and in their new homes with diseases or infirmities ranging from parasites to pneumonia. Because puppies are removed from their littermates and mothers at a young age, they also often suffer from fear, anxiety and other behavioral problems.

weeks old as this is a very crucial time for both the mother and kids and it is

Definition of a puppy mill: “Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding facilities that are operated with an emphasis on profits, not animal welfare” (Reiter, 2010)