Imagine this: A little girl and her mother walk into a pet store. There are many different types of dogs for them to choose from. Some lie with their heads down, their big, sad eyes staring back through the cage. Others wag their tails and bark with excitement. The little girl peers around the store, searching for the perfect puppy. Finally, she locks eyes with Jasper, a mini Golden-doodle. He sees the little girl from inside his cage and immediately begins to wag his tail and pounce at the lock. “Look at that puppy, Mommy! He’s perfect!”, the little girl exclaims.
The sad truth and what this little girl doesn’t know is Jasper comes from a puppy mill. While in the mill, Jasper was kept in a cage so small that he could barely lie down. He wasn’t given fresh food or water for three days. He slept in his own feces and was abused by the other dogs. He never experienced the joy of running around in the grass or even playing fetch. By this family purchasing Jasper from the pet store, they are financially supporting the inhumane puppy mill from which Jasper came. Puppy mills breed dogs in terrible housing conditions. These mills are extremely mentally and physically harmful to the dogs. While some states have taken action to try and prevent puppy mills, it still remains a very serious issue. Puppy mills must be banned in the United States for good. The main problem with puppy mills is they breed and house dogs in absolutely horrible living conditions.
Puppy mills are small shacks with stacks of metal cages stuffed with sick dogs on top of each other. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has coined the phrase “puppy mill” to describe “…a commercial dog breeding facility that mass-produces dogs in substandard conditions” (Bell). These breeders make a living by selling dogs wholesale to brokers, who then sell them to pet stores, who then sell them to uneducated customers. Leslie Isom, a companion animal care associate from HSUS says, “Puppy mill dogs often live in filth and are victims of inadequate shelter, veterinary care, and food” (Bell). They have no cooling or heating systems, and no shelter from the blistering sun or freezing rain. Sometimes three to four dogs are shoved together in one small cage, and if a female has her puppies, rather than moving the litter to a larger living space, the cage simply becomes more crowded, causing some of the newborns to die. The dogs are rarely, if ever, let out of their cages to enjoy the normal pleasures of chasing a ball, lying in the sun, or simply being petted. The only human contact they receive is when their cages are cleaned out, which only occurs once a week. Sadly, ninety percent of those puppies in the pet shop window are from puppy mills (Goodall). Even worse, the state of Missouri is home to 1,462 licensed commercial dog breeders, which breed about one million puppies per year combined (“A dog’s life”). No person should ever want to take part in promoting this abusive cycle that affects thousands of dogs across the country.
Puppy mills are legal, but how the dogs are treated is not. These puppies are mentally and physically abused every day. The puppies often suffer from starvation and lack of water. The small cages these dogs must live in have wire walls, as well as wire floors, which sometimes cause the puppies to lose their paws or even legs because of holes in the sharp wire. There is also no veterinary care provided, so dogs with open wounds must heal on their own and if any puppy catches a disease, it simply spreads. An investigator of Lancaster County puppy mills found that some breeders do not properly vaccinate their puppies as well (Bell). Many of the dogs tend to get into fights due to the close living quarters. These fights can leave the smaller and weaker dogs with no place to run and a small chance of defending themselves. In the middle of the night, owners of the mills will go out and shoot the moms that are too old or sick to have any more puppies. They then leave their bodies in dumpsters and fields, stripping the dogs of any chance to ever experience love. Desperate to breed as many puppies as possible, commercial breeders will sometimes let fathers mate with daughters, or brothers mate with sisters. As a result, “Many puppies are born with genetic flaws that come from inbreeding, such as blindness, diabetes, and hip dysplasia”, says Sue Pressman, a consultant for animal welfare organizations (Bell). Isom says that unfortunately, “Because of these harsh conditions and the dogs’ lack of proper socialization, many of them don’t make good pets. They may bite or nip out of nervousness” (Bell). The Philadelphia Inquirer reported numerous incidents of puppy mill dogs dying within days of being purchased (Bell). Most customers are uneducated on this information and have no idea they are supporting such a cruel industry. A handful of states have tried to prevent this abusive cycle. A few states have adopted puppy “lemon laws”, which seek to offer consumers protection against buying sick puppies and have indirectly forced some breeders to clean up their act. All 50 states have anti-cruelty laws that should prevent mistreatment, however, they are poorly enforced, since puppy mills are still legal in most states (Bell). Animal-rights supporters have gathered more than 190,000 signatures in support of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, an exercise that was passed to improve conditions in the state’s breeding facilities, however, no improvements have been made (“A dog’s life”).
In 2009, the Missouri Department of Agriculture created a program called Operation Bank Alert. Under this, individuals can report unlicensed breeders to the state. This initiative has helped rescue more than 3,600 dogs and put 180 unlicensed breeders out of business, but there is still a lot of work to be done (“A dog’s life”). California has banned the sale of commercially-bred pets and plans on making it illegal for pet shops to source their animals from puppy mills. Instead, they will only sell rescued animals or strays from animal shelters and humane societies, giving some of California’s 800,000 yearly, unwanted pets a better chance of finding a home. However, this is just one out of 50 states. If all of America could take these few simple steps, imagine how much better the lives of these innocent dogs would be. While it is very easy to spot the negative effects of puppy mills, there are a few positives. There are jobs provided to those who work in puppy mills. There are also a few states that are trying to make puppy mills less miserable for dogs. In Iowa, there was an attempt to pass a bill that would triple the size of the dog’s cages, put flooring in, give the dogs some time outside, and have annual check-ups with veterinarians. This bill could have had a domino effect because of the large percentage of puppy mills that are in this state. However, this bill was never passed because of the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC is the breed registry for pure breed dogs in America, which trick people into believing that they care about the treatment of animals, but in reality, only care about their profit. They continually fought this bill simply because they did not want to pay for any adjustments in Iowa. Because of this roadblock, puppy mills continue to remain horrific and inhumane. Also, there will always be another job opportunity for someone, hopefully, one that does not support the mistreatment of animals. So, the little girl brought home her brand-new puppy, Jasper. However, something was not right. After a few weeks, Jasper became very sick and stopped eating. He very rarely left his bed. He never went outside. He flinched whenever anyone came near him, and soon began biting the little girl when she tried to pet him, for he was afraid she would want to hurt him. The little girl’s mom knew it was time to take him back to the pet store. Unfortunately, because of his sickly condition, no one would buy him, and eventually the pet store had to make room for a new litter of puppies. So, when buying a dog at the pet store, ask where the dog came from, the treatment it has received, and who its parents are. Or better yet, rather than buying from a pet store, consider adopting from a local shelter. It is time to work together to put an end to puppy mills in the United States once and for all.
Works Cited
“A dog’s life; ‘Puppy mills’.” The Economist, 13 Nov. 2010, p. 39 (US). Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.
Bell, Alison. “Tails of woe: the shocking truth about puppy mills.” Teen Magazine, June 1997, p. 72+. Gale In Context: High School, http://link.gale.com. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.
Goodall, Emily. “Puppy mills.” Skipping Stones, May-Aug. 2011, p. 8. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com. Accessed 26 Sept. 2019.