Are you buying your puppy from a
puppy mill?
Kate Whitney
 Have you ever walked by a
pet store at the mall and stopped in for
a few minutes because you couldn’t
make it past the windows without being
smitten by the adorable faces staring out
at you?
I used to be like this. But not any
more. After all the publicity regarding
puppy mills, you will NEVER find me
inside one of those horrible places. Yes,
the dogs in the windows are cute and
cuddly, and they seem to be right at home
in those wire cages.
When you look into one of those dog’s
eyes, you can’t help but see the
pain and suffering they have been through
during their short life. If only
they could talk.
If only they could tell you about being
born into a barren, wire cage where food
and water are scarce. Where love
and human contact is rare and
companionship is nonexistent. Where
disease runs rampant. Where the stench of
feces and ammonia from urine burns their
noses.
If only they could tell us about their
long journey from the mill to the pet
store. And how the people at the pet
store gave them shots to try and make
them appear less sick than they were. And
how they were groomed for hours until
their once matted coats shined.
If only they could tell us this side of
the story. It’s up to us as
dog lovers to realize that this is what
goes on! This isn’t something
that people can say doesn’t exist or
is made up. There is proof.
There is proof in the undercover videos
and undercover sting operations that have
rescued thousands of these poor
dogs. (Did anyone watch that
episode on Oprah a few months ago?)
Puppy mills are places were dogs are bred
over and over again and are kept in the
most inhumane conditions. Obviously
places that sell puppies from puppy mills
don’t advertise this fact, but be
aware of pet stores, newspaper ads, and
Internet ads. Remember that no
reputable breeder would ever sell a dog
to someone they have never met.
Puppies that are sold in the ways
mentioned above have one purpose in
life. They aren’t bred to be
your best friend or slobber you with
kisses in the morning. They are
bred and sold to make money. Puppy’s
are a hot commodity and these puppy mills
are paying top dollar for breeding
dogs.
Every breed of dog can be found in puppy
mills. Breeding dogs are sold and
bought at an auction, very similar to a
car or art auction. Each dog is
presented to an audience and then goes to
the puppy mill of the highest
bidder.
Female dogs are forced to have litter
after litter for as long as they will
produce. I read an article about a
breeding dog named “Millie”
whose uterus had slipped out of place due
to multiple pregnancies and deliveries,
and was literally protruding outside her
body.
What a pleasant thought. Seriously,
who does these things to these poor
animals! After breeding females can
no longer produce offspring, they are
killed, abandoned, or sold to another
mill.
Please remember something. When you
decide to get a new puppy or dog, please
ADOPT! It’s about time that we
put an end to these disgusting puppy
mills. Remember that many pet
stores who buy from puppy mills will
NEVER admit to this fact. They have
been trained to make claims such as
“our puppies are from reputable
breeders and come with legitimate papers”
or “we would never get puppies from
a puppy mill.” Don’t be
fooled.
Often times there is a stigma that comes
along with getting a dog from a
shelter. But gone are the days when
dogs at the pound are mangy and
unruly.
You would be surprised at the beautiful,
loving dogs who are just waiting to be
adopted. My two dogs are a
testament to how amazing shelter dogs
are. Some people don’t want to
adopt because they want a “purebred”
and “healthy” dog. Just
because you think you are buying from a
reputable breeder or a popular pet store
doesn’t mean that is the type of dog
you will get.
There have been documented reports of pet
store puppies having horrible things
wrong such as: Parvovirus, urinary
infections, ear infections, roundworms,
neurological problems, painful and severe
dental infections, mange, kennel cough,
and pneumonia.
Not only are these things terrible for
the dog, but they are very expensive to
treat. Please don’t fall into
the trap of thinking that if you buy a
dog from a pet store, you are getting a
healthy, perfect dog.
It’s time that these puppy stores
are shut down!
Do me a favor and spread the word about
puppy mills and about how important
adoption is. Don’t think that
you are doing a good thing buy buying
from a pet store because you think you
are “rescuing a puppy mill dog.”
As soon as one sick dog goes to a new
home and a cage is empty, a new sick dog
is rushed right in to replace it.
If you want to learn more about puppy
mills and what you can do to put an end
to them, just Google “puppy mills.”
There are hundreds of websites with
literature and videos that will keep you
occupied for hours.
I am going to end with a quote that I
found on my rescue’s (One Tail at a
Time) page on Petfinder.com.
Hopefully it will leave you as shocked as
I was when I first read it. I think
it does a good job of putting this issue
into perspective.
“Every year in the United States an
estimated 5 million animals lose their
lives in shelters because they are
homeless. That is one pet life lost every
6.5 seconds. The pet overpopulation
epidemic is so staggering that for every
animal born in the United States to have
a home... each and every human being
would have to own 6 dogs and 9 cats.
So, in actuality a family of four…2
parents and 2 small children would have
to own 24 dogs and 36 cats. It costs U.S.
taxpayers an estimated 2 billion each
year to round up, house, kill and dispose
of homeless animals.” — Source:
Ryan Newman Foundation website
If you are interested in adopting a
puppy or becoming a foster parent to a
puppy waiting for a home you can email
Kate at Kwswingrite@aol.com
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(C) copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2008
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