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Puppy mill busts keep climbing: 62 this year

September30

A breeder who creates a “rescue site” to adopt out dogs she actually bred herself. A training kennel that dumps off unwanted dogs and tries to pretend they’re strays. So it goes in the nefarious world of puppy mills. To date this year, I’ve tracked 62 busts of substandard kennels containing anywhere from a dozen dogs to 225. That’s a bust every six and a half days.

Here’s the latest:

AUGUST

– Nearly 100 bloodhounds, boxers, French Bulldogs, Australian shepherds, cocker spaniels and other breeds were found languishing among dozens of dead dogs at the home of a breeder near Fort Worth, Texas. The breeder had died several days earlier and the dogs had gone without food and water during Texas’ record-breaking heat wave.

– In Raleigh, N.C., 67 dogs and three days were removed from a home that had been advertising the animals on the internet. The breeders refused to provide documentation that the dogs were registered with the American Kennel Club or the Continental Kennel Club, as they claimed. (Neither form of registration would have guaranteed the health of the dogs, I might add.)

– In Lincoln County, N.C., a breeder surrendered nearly 135 dogs after officials told her she needed to have them vaccinated. The poodles, terrier, dachshunds and maltese were treated for fleas, ticks and skin, ear and eye problems. The Guilford County animal shelter that took them in had also taken in 35 dogs from nearby Franklin County two weeks earlier.

– In Missouri, rescuers removed Chihuahuas, Maltese, Shih Tzus, Westies, Poodles and Dachshunds from puppy mills across five counties. The kennels were all shut down.

– Meanwhile, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster went after JJ Kennel in Ray County after inspectors found dogs mired in excessive feces in unsafe cages and in need of medical care.

– Investigators near Clewiston, Fla.,discovered 225 dogs in substandard conditions. The breeder was selling the puppies without health certificates, which are required by state law.

SEPTEMBER

– In Mason City, Iowa, a dozen frightened older breeding dogs who were suffering from fleas and rotten teeth were taken from a kennel.

– In Bell County, Texas, authorities removed more than 75 Chihuahuas, poodles, miniature schnauzers, Pomeranians and Boston terriers from a puppy mill. The dogs had bacterial and viral infections, decaying teeth and heartworm in some cases .and were unsocialized.

– The sheriff of Floyd County, Texas, seized approximately 250 dogs from a kennel whose owner claimed the dogs were up to date on their shots. German shepherd, golden retrievers and collies were removed along with a malnourished horse.

– At the request of the Humane Society of the U.S., the state of Missouri checked out a so-called dog rescue group operated by a breeder, Wendy Laymon, which appeared to involve dogs from Layman’s own puppy mill. The complaint said Laymon created the organization, “Rescue a French Bulldog,” and used it to offer allegedly rescued dogs to the public for adoption fees that ranged anywhere from $500 to $950.

– In Dade County, Fla., police removed 17 thin and flea-covered Great Danes from a kennel that were subsisting without food or water.

– A breeder in Georgia surrendered 65 dogs to the Atlanta Humane Society. The dogs weren’t abused but had been neglected somewhat, officials said.

– Also in Georgia, authorities halted operations at a training and breeding facility suspected of dumping unwanted and emaciated dogs. Conditions were said to be deplorable at Premier K-9 kennel, owned by Art Washington, a former business partner of NFL football pro Michael Vick. The kennel called the county in August to pick up four dogs it said were strays found on the property. The dogs were purebred Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers and other breeds. They were covered in feces and emaciated; two German Shepherds had wasted away to just 40 pounds each, half their normal weight.

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New Yorker writer buys pet-store dog: ouch

August11

You’d like to think that most Americans know a little something about puppy mills by now. Maybe not everybody, but those of us who have dogs, at least. Especially those of us who are contemplating getting a dog.

After all, there’s so much information about the horrors of large-volume commercial dog breeding circulating in the public sphere these days (Google the phrase “puppy mill” and 1.89 million results pop up). Like smoking cigarettes or contemplating breast implants, people still buy puppies at pet stores, but they would have to pull their heads out of the sand to do so. They’re almost willfully choosing to be ignorant about the risks. Are they really too dumb to do a little checking out first?

Apparently so. I read with astonishment the opening paragraphs of Adam Gopnik’s essay in the Aug. 8 issue of The New Yorker, where he admits outright that he and his wife purchased a new dog for their 10-year-old daughter from a pet store. Their daughter, who lobbied for a pet, knew about puppy mills. Gopnik writes: “Shrewd enough to know that she would never get us out of the city to an approved breeder, she quietly decided that she could live with a Manhattan pet-store ‘puppy mill’ dog if she could check its eyes for signs of illness and its temperament for symptoms of sweetness.”

Let’s get this straight: Gopnik’s 10-year-old daughter did her homework, but Mom and Dad couldn’t be bothered. They’d rather shell out hundreds of dollars for a product of substandard breeding than track down a reputable breeder or, even better, choose a dog from the local shelter. In so doing, they’ve helped perpetuate the awful cycle that will doom that puppy’s mother to life in a cage, churning out litter after litter for profit’s sake.

I’m shocked and appalled. If a writer of Gopnik’s stature can be fooled, we have lots more work to do.

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Puppy mill busts rise to 44 so far in 2011

August4

Good news or bad? I never know quite to think when I stumble across yet another puppy mill bust in America. It’s good news, of course, that that particular corner of hell has been shut down. But bad news, too, because for every substandard kennel that get caught, you know there have to be many. many more still operating off the radar.

By my count, the number of puppy mill raids so far this year now numbers 44 — not including the instances where dogs had to be removed from deplorably run pet stores.

Here’s the skinny from the last two months:

JUNE

– In Newaygo County, Michigan, rescuers seized 16 mixed breed puppies found malnourished and infestated with worms.

– In Alexander, Ark., 58 dogs, 50 of them puppies, were removed from a metal building that was hotter than 100 degrees inside. The dogs were confined to small cages without food or water.

– Animal rescue groups removed 16 puppies from The Perfect Puppy pet store in Stony Brook, Long Island. Two of the dogs had upper respiratory infections, kennel cough and diarrhea.

– The Elmbrook Wisconsin Humane Society took in six of 44 dogs rescued from puppy mills in the Midwest.

– Rescuers seized 276 dogs, some of whom had serious infections and almost all of whom were crammed into filthy cages — from Mason Creek Kennels near Hickory, N.C. (see previous blog entry)

– In Zebulon, N.C., 25 dogs were removed from a home where nearly 200 animals were suffering from neglect.

JULY

– The North Shore Animal League on Long Island took in more than 70 labs, Chihuahuas and Pomeranians who’d been removed from puppy mills in Oklahoma and Missouri.

– In Monett, Mo., authorities seized 70 poodles, labs, beagles and other breeds from a kennel where they were founding standing in water, surrounded by trash.

– In Snohomish County, Wash., officials rescued 40 Italian greyhounds, papillons and miniature pinschers, six cats and six birds from an illegal kennel. The owner was found dead in his home and the animals likely had gone with out food or water for three days.

–In Hertford, N.C., rescuers removed approximately 80 poodles, Pekingese, Yorkies and other breeds suffering from tumors, hernias, ear and eye infections and rotting teeth. Maggots were feasting on some of the dogs’ wounds and newborn puppies were covered in fleas.

– In Collier County, Fla., a breeder relinquished 49 labs and golden retrievers who were overheated and covered with ant bites and fleas. The breeder, Arthur Perkins, kept four dogs and was not charged with any crime.

AUGUST

– Already this month, 50 Bichon frises were removed from a breeder near Kearney, Nebraska. The dogs’ hair was so matted it was tugging at their skin, leaving bald spots.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian animal welfare groups now suspect there may be twenty puppy mills operating on the island of Oahu. Rescuers raised public awareness about the problem when they seized 153 dogs from a bad breeder in February. A recent story in the Honolulu Star Advertiser said a new state law spelling out the rules for confining and caring for dogs has changed the way breeders deal with Humane Society investigators — they’re no longer allowing the investigators onto their property, apparently for fear they’ll be found in violation.

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