That is not at all what happens in a mill. A puppy mill is a “large scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs” (Puppy Mill FAQ 1). Dogs are bred as often as twice a year, or each time they are in heat. These dogs live in the most unsanitary conditions, Treated nothing like a living creature should be. The way puppies and dogs are treated in puppy mills is disturbing.
The problem with pet stores, is that most of them get their puppies from puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial mass-breeding facilities, located mainly in the Midwest, that churn out litters of puppies to sell to pet stores. The cute puppy that you see sitting in the window, is probably another product of a puppy mill. Puppy mills are notorious for their cramped, crude, and filthy conditions and their continuous breeding of unhealthy and hard-to-socialize animals. It is a known fact that pet stores keep puppy mills in business.
Essential Question: What are solutions that can end puppy mills? Puppy mills are mass breeding facilities that show little to no care for animals. They are created so companies can breed animals to make purebreds. The animals are not well taken care of and many of them die from either disease or giving birth too many times in their life span. There should be laws and guidelines to regulate the operation of puppy mill facilities.
Not all puppies that come from mills have problems. Since mills are most common, it is important for you to know what may have happened to your puppy in the event that they were born in a mill. Some common things that need attention when it comes to puppy mills include inhumanity, mass breeding, illnesses, and developmental issues. Each of these things affects puppies in a different way. First, puppy mills are inhumane.
Puppy mills began after World War II when farmers were desperate to find ways to make money, after the widespread farm failures (AmeriDogs NP). Farmers began their mills with low income and already run down living conditions. The dogs were housed in chicken coops and rabbit pens, where they were denied veterinary care and socialization to humans or other animals (NP). The Farmers weren't educated on how to properly take care of the dogs they were housing leaving the animals sick, emaciated, and very unhealthy. Eventually the animal welfare act passed in 1966 which outlines specific minimum standards of care for dogs, cats and some other kinds of animals bred for commercial resale (Stop NP).
Did you know that puppies in newspaper ads, flea markets, on the internet and in pet stores are often victims of puppy mills? Puppy mills are inhuman ways for breeding dogs, the owners of these "factories" care very little about the dog’s health and care more about the money they will make by selling them. Dogs are produced in large numbers and most dogs live in tight, crammed cages. The female breeding dogs are forced to have litters as many times possible, regardless of the health hazards to themselves. When these dogs are useless and cannot breed anymore they are shot and killed.
Body I. Most dogs from pet stores come from puppy mills, and there is an estimated 15,000 puppy mills in the U.S (Humane Society, 2012). A. According to the ASPCA, “A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs who are often severely neglected and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices” (ASPCA, 2014). B.
No More Puppy Mills There are so many things that the breeders do to the puppies in puppy mills in very inhumane ways. To understand how puppy mills operate one must know the facts about animal abuse, why they operate, and how to prevent the use of puppy mills. Where are the bigger production centers in the United States? How are the dogs treated? What about the lasting effects on the animals' lives?
A Dogs Life in Up and Downs Dog care seems to be one of societies greatest undermined problems as streets begin to become littered with stray dogs. On Average there are 7.6 million animals put into shelters nationwide. A whopping 3.9 million relates specifically to dogs, and to make matters even more precarious 2.7 million are put down. And only 1.3 million are adopted, is it the dog’s fault? Or are humans to blame for not properly caring for them.
The United States government must eliminate puppy mills by having mill owners be incarcerated instead of just fined, allowing more searches of certified breeders, and have congress pass a nationwide law. Background Information Within the background of the American dog breeding society lies a dark secret. With over 4,000 in number, puppy mills are inhumane, brutal, and selfish operations where profits are placed above dogs health (ASPCA). The conditions in the mills are comparable to how cattle is kept by the meat packing industry, only with this some dogs must suffer their entire lives compared to the mere months in slaughterhouses (Bradley). The food is rancid, the water dirty, and the cages are cramped.