What Everyone Should Know About Puppy Mills

Saturday (September 15^th) is National Puppy Mill Awareness Day, giving us all reason to pause and consider the plight of the many animals that are bred and born in these types of facilities, and forced to endure horrific, squalid conditions.

Puppy mills are large-scale businesses that breed dogs. The primary focus of a puppy mill is to make as much money as possible, often at the expense of the animal. The genetic quality of the dogs bred in puppy mills is not taken into consideration, often causing animals to be born with multiple genetic defects.

Facts About Puppy Mills

Here are some facts about puppy mills everyone should know.

• There are an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S.
• There are 167,388 breeding dogs living in USDA-licensed facilities being used for breeding purpose.
• Over 2 million puppies are bred in puppy mills every year.
• An estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year

How Dogs Are Treated in Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are all about profit. Any money spent on veterinary care, quality food, shelter or staff to care for the dogs cuts into the profit margin of these enterprise operations.

• Puppies are often marketed at the age of 6-8 weeks
• Female dogs are bred at every opportunity, with no or very little time to recover between litters
• When they can no longer reproduce, females are killed
• Puppy mills house dogs in over-crowded, unsanitary conditions
• Dogs do not receive adequate veterinary care, food, water or socialization.
• Dogs who live in puppy mills do not receive treats, toys, exercise or basic grooming
• Dogs are often kept in cages with wire flooring that injures their paws and legs. It is not unusual for cages to be stacked up in columns.
• Breeding dogs spend their entire lives outdoors, exposed to the elements or crammed inside filthy structures where they never get the chance to feel the sun or breathe fresh air

Puppy Mill Dogs Often Have Health Problems

Disease and genetic defects are common in dogs bred in puppy mills. Because no consideration for the animal is taken into account, dogs with known congenital and hereditary conditions are often bred. Here are some of the most common:

• Epilepsy
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Musculoskeletal disorders (hip dysplasia, luxating patellas, etc.)
• Endocrine disorders (diabetes, hyperthyroidism)
• Blood disorders (anemia, Von Willebrand disease)
• Deafness
• Eye problems
• Respiratory disorders

In addition to genetic defects, puppies born in puppy mills often arrive in pet stores with diseases such as:

• Giardia
• Parvovirus
• Distemper
• Upper respiratory infections
• Kennel cough
• Pneumonia
• Mange
• Fleas
• Ticks
• Intestinal parasites
• Heartworm
• Chronic diarrhea

Puppy Mill Dogs Often Have Behavioral Problems

Puppies born in puppy mills are usually removed from their mothers and littermates as earlier as 6 weeks of age. This is too young for puppies. Dogs need education and love from their mother and siblings in order to become well-adjusted. Puppies removed too young tend to develop problems like extreme shyness, aggression, fear and anxiety.

Historical Perspective

Puppy mills started in the U.S. right after World War II, when farmers were struggling due to farming overproduction. The USDA encouraged farmers to breed dogs and sell them to pet stores for income. Farmers used chicken coops and rabbit hutches to raise puppies; they did not receive training on how to properly breed or care for dogs. The demand for “purebred” puppies increased due to post-war prosperity, causing the beginning of the pet industry.

What About “Designer Breeds”?

Today, puppy mills market “designer breeds” that are hybrids because they can charge more for them. Hybrid dogs not have consistently predictable characteristics and are not purebred animals; many have genetic defects or are prone to certain ailments. Unless you get genetic testing, you will not know the traits or health profile of your dog.

What Actions Are Needed?

Here’s what you can do to help stop this cruel practice.

• Don’t buy dogs from pet stores, even if a pet store employee tells you the animal comes from a “good breeder.” A good breeder wouldn’t sell their puppies through a pet store; 90 percent of puppies sold in stores come from puppy mills. Pet stores that feature rescued or shelter dogs are the exception.
• Don’t buy dogs from the Internet unless you go to the breeder location. Unfortunately, most puppies, especially ones sold as “purebred” are from puppy mills.
• Volunteer at the Humane Society or other local shelters or rescue organizations. One I recommend is All Breed Rescue & Training. I served on the board for 5 years and we have fostered for them since we opened. They have a very strict vetting process for adoptees so a low return rate. Another one in Colorado Springs is National Mill Dog Rescue. I have not worked with them but they are well known in our community.
• Consider adopting or fostering a rescued dog.
• Support fundraising events or puppy mill awareness drives.
• Join puppy mill awareness advocacy social media networks.
• Donate financially to rescue groups if and when you can.
• Report pet store abuses. Write a detailed statement of the abuses and take photographs, if possible. A local resource willing to help is the National Mill Dog Rescue. You can call them at 719-445-6787.

Advocacy and Legislation

Abusive conditions and practices exist in commercial dog breeding facilities across the country. While thirty-four U.S. States have passed laws requiring higher standards of care than the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)  for commercially bred dogs; sixteen states still do not have any laws requiring breeders to be licensed and pass inspections.

Newly passed legislation in California restricts the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits to rescue animals. The law will go into effect January 2019. Three more states – Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York all have proposed similar legislation.

Many advocates criticize the lack of enforcement of puppy mill laws. Local laws and consumer education appear to be the most feasible solution to ending the abuse of animals in commercial breeding facilities.

Resources

There are many resources out there to help address the atrocities of puppy mills. Here are a few you might find helpful.

• The Humane Society
• Colorado Pet Animal Care Facilities Act
• National Mill Dog Rescue
• Colorado Citizens for Canine Welfare

Puppy Mill Rescues Have Been a Part of the Canine Campus Family

Since Canine Campus opened in 1999, we have had hundreds of puppy mill dogs pass through our doors.  These dogs are now loved and immaculately cared-for by their responsible owners;  however, we have consistently seen disease attack these dogs, such as the conditions listed above, due to their poor puppy mill breeding.

Many years ago one owner told me she bought a pet store dog only because she felt like she was “rescuing” it, but the damage had already been done. She was rationalizing the fact her precious pet’s parents came from the most dreadful of conditions any pet can endure.  Instead, a better choice would be to adopt a puppy mill dog that has been rescued.

There are many dog rescue groups, including one based right here in Colorado Springs, that routinely rescues dogs from the horrible conditions of puppy mills.  They bypass the pet stores and adopt them out to loving, well-screened families. The money paid for these type of adoptions goes directly to the rescue and care of the neediest dogs in our country.

Breeding dogs should be left to the exclusive top-pier of experts in this country (usually people who show or compete with their dogs on a national or worldwide level, such as the Westminster Kennel Club winners, etc.). They are the true experts in this industry.  They are dedicated to preserving each breed and not out for profit.

Canine Campus has always advocated for spay/neuter & rescue.  We hope you will join us in that effort.

What experiences have you had with puppy mill dogs? Please comment below…

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Sources:

Barnes, Kimberly. “Detailed Discussion of Commercial Breeders and Puppy Mills.” Animal Law Legal Center. University of Michigan, 2017, www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-commercial-breeders-and-puppy-mills-0.

“Puppy Mills: Facts and Figures.” The Humane Society of the United States, January 2014, http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/puppy-mills-facts-figures.pdf

“Pet Statistics.” American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 2015-2016. https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics