Stop the Puppy Mills!
Dogs are not an endangered species. Please Spay and Neuter.
Collie Pup Goldie Hawn
Struggled to Survive. Take a moment, and educate yourself on the tragic outcome of puppy mill abuse and neglect.
Unfortunately, as hard as we all tried, Goldie Hawn lost her struggle against pneumonia. Her death was a major blow for everyone involved with our rescue efforts. Here’s a photo of her crate sores.
Her mother, Lady Di was breed when she was still a pup herself. Why? To make money.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the people who operate puppy mills are laughing at all of us… watching us scramble to save lives, while they continue to create them—by the thousands.” Gisele Veilleux
Clearly, we have lost our way.
We are all at war with each other. Shelters, Pounds, Rescues, Breeders, and animal-lovers alike are all up in arms with the number of dogs and cats that are euthanized each year in this country.
If we could simply all join together and fight the individuals who mass-produce puppies by the thousands, we could put things right again.
We must stop the puppy mills. We must educate the general public about the simple fact that when they purchase a dog from a pet store, they are promoting the puppy mill trade.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the people who run and operate puppy mills are laughing at all of us. But why are we here? Because Americans live with a fast-food mentality. Hold the pickle hold the lettuce, let me drive through and get a dog. If we are turned down by a breeder, rescue or shelter, we run to the nearest pet store. Every time Hollywood releases a new dog movie, I cringe. I know that the puppy mills rush to mass produce that breed, because on the way home from the movies, the kids are screaming in the back seat of the car for their parents to buy them THAT DOG. I WANT ONE. And the parents do it. How many Border Collies were found in pounds 8 months after the movie Babe? And how many homeless Chihuahua’s are in California now? So who is at fault? The puppy mills, or pure American greed? You choose.
Boycott PetLand
From HSUS Press Releases and Website:
… almost every Petland store in the country is buying from puppy mills, either directly or from commercial breeding facilities or indirectly through middleman brokers.
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/petland_investigation_2_062909.html
The Bottom Line
There is a fine line between a hobby breeder, and a puppy miller.
Reputable breeders do not:
Post their dogs for sale online
Sell their pups to pet stores
Surrender unsold pups to a pound or humane society
Puppy Mills do not:
Vaccinate their animals
Give them any medical care
Provide a clean and safe environment for their animals
Because of the internet, a well-designed website could easily fool you into believing you are purchasing a pup from a quality breeder. The bottom line is, never purchase a pup without visiting the premises, meeting the breeders, and their dogs. Insist on seeing the medical records and proof of vaccinations on the parents. Inspect the facility yourself. If they are reputable breeders, they will be glad that you care enough about the dog to ask.
Also, if a breeder does not conduct a background check on you, your property, ask questions about your family, your home, and your lifestyle, they are not a reputable breeder. If you are purchasing a pup from a reputable breeder, prepare to be scrutinized as much, if not more, than you would be by a reputable shelter, pound, or rescuer.
If you do purchase a dog online or sign-unseen, be prepared to spend a big chunk of change on vetting costs. Purchasing a pup from a pet store is the same as purchasing a pup without verifying that the pup did not come from a puppy mill.
Backyard Breeders—Hobby Breeders
Some people who breed their dogs hate to be called Backyard Breeders. The name itself has a negative connotation. Just as the word Rescue has recently had a negative association with it. Instead, backyard breeders want to be referred to as families with dogs. Many believe that backyard breeders promote the puppy mill industry.
If you have had one accident with your male and female, and have only had one litter, and then spayed and neutered to ensure that your dogs will never breed again, (in my opinion) no one should judge you for your actions. However, if you are having multiple litters per year, you are either producing dogs for the puppy mill industry, or simply selling your pups for a profit and promoting our current animal overpopulation. For every unwanted puppy that is born, one dog killed at a shelter.
Most backyard or irresponsible breeders do not have enough buyers for their entire litter—responsible breeders do. I responsible breeder will never surrender their unwanted pups to a shelter, pound, or rescue, nor will they sell them to a pet store.
The caveat here lies in the hobby breeder that is serious and dedicated to the breed. I support these breeders 100%, but they are very hard to distinguish in person, and impossible to distinguish online. If we wiped out breeding all together, who would be continuously trying to protect our favorite breeds?
This reminds me recently, when I was emailing another well-known rescuer, who responded to me by writing, “I don’t even know who you are. Why haven’t I ever heard of you before? How do I know you are truly a rescue?” My answer was, “You have never heard of me because I’m new, just as I’m sure you once were new.” Of course, I had to be me, and advise her that “rescue” is a verb, not a noun.
When I meet and talk with breeders, I always have to remind myself, that no matter how much I do not believe that now is the time for anyone to breed, the breeder standing in front of me may one day be a Westminster winner, Best in Show even. Why would any of us want to stop that?
If only it could be like it was in the Good Old Days
If the puppy mill industry would vanish, couldn’t we then go back in time and breed our dogs that we absolutely adore, without having a guilty conscience? Times have changed, and we can’t turn the clock back. If you’re in your mid-forties, you’ll remember the days when all we had was the local dog catcher and the city pound. There were no such things as shelters and rescues. Remember those days?
Dog Over Population
So what’s wrong with having too many dogs out there? Maybe that doesn’t bother you. Maybe you don’t realize how many dogs are being euthanized every year (millions) and maybe you don’t realize that many are still be gassed and gassing shelters or what’s called “the kill box”. Maybe you would care if you knew how much it cost tax payers to catch, feed, vet, and then kill these dogs each year. If you only knew how much money could be saved by instilling a low-cost spay & neuter program.
For more information an innovative ways to bring attention to the plight of the puppy mills, visit http://www.puppymilltruck.com or search the internet for detailed and graphic information.
The Story of Penelope, written by Gisele Veilleux
An easy-to-understand delightful story for young adult readers that gently explains it all.
If you love animals, and have children, this illustrated book is a must for your family. “The Story of Penelope” is a true story. This delightful and educational story, about a boy and his dog, will entertain and educate readers of all ages. The book gently introduces the abuses of the Puppy Mill Industry, how it affects the American family, and describes the plight of the Dog Rescuer, in a way that children can understand. If you are a parent, an educator, a breeder, an animal rescuer, a shelter operator, an animal transport volunteer, in the veterinary field, or you just love dogs, you’ll love this book. The Story of Penelope doesn’t stop here. As Arthur gets older, he will take you on a journey where he will share his quest to address the issues of animal over-population, and then solve them.