Puppy Mills
From LoveToKnow Dogs
Perhaps instead of asking "How much is that doggie in the window?" buyers should be asking pet shop owners if that doggie is a product of a puppy mill.
What Are Puppy Mills
Puppy mills are commercial breeding factories for dogs and are one of the largest sources of dogs sold in pet stores. Looking to turn the greatest profit, these businesses tend to breed indiscriminately for mass production. In the United States, where dogs are legally considered to be a commodity, the practice is legal, if not very ethical.
Puppy mills mass produce puppies for profit. Some have thousands of dogs, but the average is around 65-75 dogs. Most of these businesses sell the puppies to pet stores or to brokers who then sell the puppies to pet stores, but some sell directly to the public.
Life for the Dogs
While there are exceptions, most puppy mills provide their animals with substandard care, the result of keeping so many dogs in one location. Most dogs are confined to small cages, which don't promote the best sanitary conditions, and they receive little of the socialization that home bred puppies enjoy from their breeders. A puppy in a mill is basically neglected until it's time for a sale, frequently living in its own filth. Puppies often have open sores, abscesses and other untreated injuries, and are frequently covered in flies. Overcrowding is the norm, not the exception, and the quality and quantity of food and water available is dubious at best.
Sadly, breeder dogs in these deplorable operations receive little to no veterinary care and are generally bred until they can produce no more. Sometimes females die trying to deliver that last litter from an overworked uterus. Other breeder dogs are dropped off at shelters or euthanized when their usefulness has ended.
Health Problems
Because they are bred indiscriminately for mass production and profit, the puppies from puppy mills often have severe congenital defects and serious health problems. Many of the genetic health problems do not surface until later in the dog's life. Hip dysplasia is very common in dogs that come from poor breeding decisions. Other puppies are born deaf, blind or with no eyes at all. Many of puppies die before they ever make it out of their prison-like conditions or while in transit to the pet store.
Due to the terrible conditions and lack of human contact, many of these puppies are terrified of people, and after living in their own waste for so long, they can be difficult if not impossible to housetrain.
Puppy Mills vs. Backyard Breeders
Although the term "Backyard Breeders" has taken some flack through the years, let's define it correctly here. Backyard breeders are generally pet owners who love their animals and enjoy having a couple of litters of puppies each year, which they sell to locals who come in answer to a newspaper add.
While these puppies may not meet the high standards of show breeders, they are generally well socialized and cared for, being raised in the home with the family. Do backyard breeder pups have higher rates of congenital defects and illnesses? It is a possibility, if the owners are not well versed in the hereditary illnesses particular to their breed and if their dogs have never been tested for them. Buyers should do their homework and know what questions to ask. Then they can make an informed decision before they purchase.
Do backyard breeders contribute to pet overpopulation? Probably, but then anyone who purposely chooses to breed dogs can count themselves guilty also. One thing is obvious, there is a world of difference between backyard breeders and puppy mills. When companionship and care are non-existent and profit is the only goal, you can consider any breeder to be a puppy mill.
Breeding and the Law
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires breeding operations to be licensed and lays out standards for their practices and conditions. "Retail pet stores" are exempt from this law, so some breeders sell directly to the public in order to gain the exemption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for enforcing the AWA, but with less than 100 officers nationwide, who must also oversee zoos, circuses, laboratories and commercial airline travel involving animals, inspections are rare.
Many operations are shut down every year, but even more are allowed to continue operating without fines or penalties when inspected and found to be in violation of the law, based on their promise to make improvements, and the lack of officers keeps rechecks to a minimum.
It would seem the government is unable to tackle the problem of puppy mills directly; but in the meantime, the Humane Society of the United States and hundreds of other animal protection organizations are working to put an end to inhumane breeding practices.
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