The Truth About Puppy Mills

Adopt, don’t buy

                                                      

Puppies are hands down probably one of the cutest and most adorable creatures one may come across. With their clumsy actions and wide eyes that seem to melt our hearts instantly, it is easy to understand why everyone gushes about these babies.

However, many of these puppies have a dark past. Puppies that are bought from pet stores are most likely to have come from large-scale commercial dog breeding operations, also known as puppy mills.

What are puppy mills?

A puppy mill is an inhumane, commercial dog-breeding facility with the primary goal of making money and in which the health and well-being of the dogs are disregarded, contributing to the overpopulation of dogs and causes countless of them a lifetime of suffering. The emphasis on profits over the welfare of the animals often leads to the dogs being kept in cramped, crude and filthy conditions without proper veterinary care or socialization. The number of dogs in puppy mills varies significantly, ranging from 10 dogs, to up to a thousand dogs.

The poor living conditions, together with frequent inbreeding, lead to generations of dogs born with unchecked hereditary defects, physical abnormalities, and genetic flaws. Any many develop behavioural and social problems due to the inappropriate living environments and being separated from their mothers at a very young age of six to eight weeks old. These puppies are then either shipped to pet stores around the country or sold directly through the newspapers and online advertisements to the public for anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Living Conditions

In puppy mills, the living conditions are horrible and disgusting and downright inhumane for any dog to be living there, filled with large numbers of dogs in rows of crudely constructed, over-crowded pens. Dogs may be simply chained to trees where mother dogs and puppies are forced to spend every day outdoors in the same small patch of dirt, braving the heat and the winter, with no shelter. But more often than not, dogs are typically kept in small, unsanitary prisons, usually wire cages, this means that these dogs will get no chance to play, exercise and socialize with other dogs and humans.

The wired mesh cages were meant for the feces to drop from the cage to the group, but usually, these cages are stacked on top of one another, which means the feces will fall from the cages above to the dogs below. These wired cages also cause discomfort to the animals’ paws. Urine acid from urine build up will also burn their skin and paws while the ammonia produced will cause respiratory problems.

These unhealthy and unhygienic living conditions will also attract insects and rodents, leading to infectious diseases being spread and even their food and water, if there are any, will be contaminated.

Treatment of Dogs

When puppies reach six to eight weeks of age, they will be forever separated from their mothers and sold to pet stores or advertised online. The mothers, however will not only face the traumatic experience of losing her pups but also will be forced to produce more puppies at every opportunity with little to no recovery time to the point she is unable to reproduce anymore. When the breeders find no more use of these female dogs, they will be killed.

Most females are bred far too early, before it is safe. Not only is this stressful on their young, inexperienced bodies, but it also causes immense emotional stress. Though the mothers do get to nurse their babies, the weaning process is forced too soon. This not only causes emotional trauma to both mother and pup but also health problems and behavioural issues in the puppies which include shyness, aggression, fear, and anxiety.

How to avoid purchasing a dog that came from a mill?

Never buy a dog or puppy from a pet store. Many pet store owners will tell you they get their puppies from “licensed breeders” or “local breeders”. Pet stores often use this licensing to provide a false sense of security to customers.

Instead, adopt from a local animal shelter or rescue group, or a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders would never sell an animal to someone they haven’t met because they want to screen potential buyers to ensure the puppies are going to good homes.

Never purchase or adopt a dog from an online kennel/breeder without first visiting the facility. Puppies sold online usually come from puppy mills as well. You should not need to buy a dog from such a distance that it would have to be shipped to you.

It is not uncommon to hear people asking this question: “But if I purchase this puppy from a pet store, aren’t I saving it from a terrible life?” The answer is a firm no. By purchasing a puppy from a puppy mill or pet you, you are simply supporting the organization and helping to keep puppy mills in business. Instead, contact your local authorities and report the puppy mill operation. Allow the dogs to be rescues and taken in by animal care professionals and veterinarians. And when they have been evaluated and deemed healthy, they can be put up for adoption. This way, the animals will get the care they need and the loving homes they deserve while the puppy mills go out of business and the cruel corrupted perpetrator be prosecuted accordingly.