About puppy mills
November27
- Puppy mills are commercial kennels where dogs are treated like livestock and puppies are produced in squalid conditions. Puppy mills vary in size – they can contain as few as a dozen dogs or more than 1,000. Any breeder who subjects his or her dogs to filthy cages or runs, extreme temperatures, inadequate food and water and little to no socialization or veterinary care is operating a puppy mill.
- Dogs kept in puppy mills are sometimes treated barbarically. Breeders often debark their dogs with steel pipes to keep them quiet, and perform C-sections and other forms of surgery on the dogs without any anesthesia. Breeders have even been known to cut off a dog’s leg if it becomes trapped in the crosshairs of a wire cage. Dogs sometimes languish for years with untreated skin, ear and eye infections and badly mended broken legs because breeders don’t want to spend money on veterinary bills. Dogs are sometimes forced to fight one another for food. Once a breeding dog is unable to produce any more puppies, she is typically taken out and shot to death.
- The Humane Society of the United States estimated in 2008 that there were 10,000 puppy mills in America. The head of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle, now thinks the number is closer to 15,000.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just 100 inspectors responsible for keeping check on 10,000 kennels, zoos and research labs. That’s not nearly enough inspectors to do the job.
- Bad breeders go to great lengths to conceal the horrific conditions of their kennels. They sell puppies on the Internet, with web sites that sound as though the breeders are responsible, caring individuals who dote on their dogs. They get away with it because most buyers never see the kennel where their new pet was produced.
Through my work with the Kerry Blue Terrier foundation, we have helped over 100 mill survivors find homes. It’s such a common sad story for these mill dogs — they all are afraid of humans, they have decrepid teeth, they have no muscle tone when first rescued, they are noise sensitive to any normal sounds, etc etc etc. When they first step on grass and realize they can move freely first time, they run around like mad, so happy to be free. I’ve witnessed this for myself umpteen times. It’s the same story over and over. Anybody who thinks puppy factory farming is humane has never been involved with mill rescues. It doesn’t matter if it’s a “blue ribbon” USDA inpsected, AKC inspected kennel from Missouri or some back woods miller in Minnessota. The dogs all suffer horribly both mentally and physically.
And in most cases they do recover, but for those who’ve been institutionalized for years, it takes a lot of patience and the right owner to bring them around. Thank you for shedding light on this tragedy. I look forward to reading your book.
P.S. My own mill rescue is the sweetest dog imaginable and after 4 years outside the mill, she continues to make progress with building her confidence. We do a lot of positive reinforcement training with a clicker , which has really helped her grow into a more normal, happy, confident dog.
I couldn’t have said it better. Thanks.
My thre legged Wonder Dog Casey was in a Missouri puppy mill more than two years before the Bearded Collie Club bought him at a puppy mill auction. He spent a month in a kennel in Kansas City being shaved, neutered, cleaned up, treated by a Vet, and being socialized a little before I could get him. You know about his emotional state when I picked him up and drove the 250 miles to get him home.
Casey spent the next 3 1/2 months doing whatever he could to escape from me, and he finally made it, ran across a highway, and was hit by a car. Then he spent 16 days hiding in the woods, and even with three dog catchers trying to help, along with hundreds of others, no one could even get close enough for a tranqualizer gun. With the help of an animal communicator in California I could always find his tracks in the snow, but if I saw him it was from 1/8 mile away with him running away at high speed on three legs. After he was caught in a live trap, and then had his leg and shoulder amputated, he never tried to escape again, and was tightly bonded to me. Since that time he has done so many unbelieveable things to make this world a better place, (Therapy dog, Face of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation for 2008, poster boy for the rock band “3 Legged Dog”, and many, many other things. So many people have been insisting that I write a book about his life that I have started to think, well, maybe. Then tonight a friend gave me your book to read, and I was very happy to see what it is about, but hoping it will not kill my chance of getting out a book about Casey.
I spend most of my time when I’m not with my two Beardies, working to get puppy mills in Missouri, (Where Casey came from), and Illinois (Where we live), shut down. That is the reason for me being so totally grateful to you for what you are doing to help end this horrific situation.
I may not be a friend of yours, but you sure are a friend of mine,
Pat
Wow, Pat, you went all out to save Casey. Glad you stuck with it. And no, it’s not too late to write your story. Give it a go; people love stories about dogs who changed us.
Front Page Article in Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise (Oklahoma)
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Puppy Mill Found
Nowata, B’ville authorities seize 65 dogs in raid
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2010/05/18/news/news687.txt
Is there a way to contact you as I have some questions? Your book is great by the way.
Hi Barb,
Thanks for writing. You can email me at carol@carolbradley.com.