PUPPY MILLS

Mills are created to mass-produce products. Some mills process wood, some are for steel. Mills have machines that perform simple, repetitive operations. After World War II, the mid to late sixties, farmers needed an alternate way to make money as crop prices were failing. The USDA gave farmers the idea and encouragement to raise puppies as their newest crop. At first, the dogs were bred for the purpose of research in labs. Pet outlets grew along with new demands for cute puppies in pet store windows. The farmers knew little about dogs. Many of them had little money and used their already run down operations. The dogs were placed in chicken coops and rabbit hutches, were give bad care, both socially and medically.

The breeding aspects of the mills are something less than troubled. The females are bred every heat cycle, after they turn 6 months old. Ideally, breeding should not start until two to three years with most larger breeds, and definitely every heat. Once a year breeding is borderline for reputable breeding. The breeding partner of the female can be her father, brother, uncle, cousin, son, or of any other relation. Mill owners, “breed dogs solely for the money, with no intention of studying the breed or improving it’s quality” (Reyes). The mothers are always weak, dehydrated and starving. Veterinary care is not an option, as it costs money. “Someone who breeds a female dog twice a year, every year, will burn the dog out by the time she’s five years old” (McCallum). When a female can no longer reproduce, she is worthless and must be destroyed. Euthanasia is a humane way to die, but usually the female is shot or bludgeoned to death and dumped somewhere.

The operation of a puppy mill can start in many ways. Reasons for breeding vary from person to person. Often, mills are heart pulling, tragic places. Many times though, mills can come from one person breeding their only dog for a little extra cash on the side. A hobby breeder, someone who breeds their dog, just for the extra money once a year, can be just as bad as a commercial operation. In mills, it is all about the money. “It is virtually impossible to breed in a humane fashion and make money at the same time” (Lamb). The larger, more commercial operations, however, build up to the horrible stereotypical mills featured on Dateline. In many instances, neighbors to commercial puppy mills cannot enjoy their private properties due to noises and smells coming from the mill. Dogs make a good mill animal because of their fast reproduction. Mill owners can quickly change their stock to meet market demands. “There are 4,000 licensed commercial dog breeders and brokers in the United States, and many do not come close to the standards set by those who really care about the pets they produce” (Sacks). Just how many unlicensed commercial breeders there are, is unknown. In these commercial settings, the dogs cannot properly receive the socialization they need and deserve. “Puppy mills and pet stores maximize profits by not spending money on proper food, housing or veterinary care” (“Puppy Mill Facts”).

A cute puppy in the window lures many people. Almost every human being loves babies, and puppies can be considered the cutest. “Pet stores can’t get dogs from most reputable breeders because they refuse to sell their dogs to pet shops. In fact; the code of ethics of some breeders’ groups expressly forbids selling to pet retailers. So most (though not all) pet shops across the country buy their dogs from midwestern puppy mills” (“Puppy Mills and Pet Shops”). Recently, buyers have wanted papers to come with their puppies, and the pet shops have answered that call. Although papers mean nothing about the temperament of a dog, the papers are more of a status symbol – which is not a good reason to buy a dog. A dog with papers supposedly means it is worth more, so pet stores do charge more. Pet stores do not always have accurate or real papers. It is cheaper for pet stores to make up the papers. One pet store buyer wanted to research the Chihuahua she bought. She found the so-called champion parents had died long before the pup was born. Papers do not guarantee a healthy animal. If they are real and true, they only signify that the puppy comes from the bloodline that is stated. A buyer should be able to view the puppy with the mother, and ideally the father. Although, the father may not be owned by the breeder. He may have only been used for fertilization and then given back to his owner. When a buyer is purchasing a puppy, the breeder should be able to give all the information needed.

“Why people drop dogs off at animal shelters has nothing to do with the dogs themselves” (Yarish). Many times, lifestyles change and pets are expendable. The animals that make it to the adoption process are healthy animals. A shelter will fix up dogs that need medical attention and destroy the statistically non-place able dogs along with the dogs beyond all medical help. The reasons why pet stores animals are continually bought, while shelters get more crowded are simple. The supply of small puppies is almost non-existent at shelters while pet stores have a steady supply of the money making cute faces. Most families want a new puppy to train, not a used, old dog. Pet stores can offer puppies at any time of the year, for any occasion. Shelters get the animals once the wonder of newness wears off, and the glory of having a puppy has vanished.

It is estimated that 500,000 dogs are born in puppy mills each year. Ninety percent, or every 9 out of 10, of the puppies sold in pet shops come from mills. Nearly half of them have serious health problems. “Citing a California state study that found that: 48 percent of the puppies in pet stores were ill or incubating an illness at the time of purchase” (Neil). The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council estimates in the United States, that 3,700 of the 11,500 pet stores sell 300,000 to 400,000 puppies annually and according to the Humane Association 90 percent of the puppies come from out of state mills. A survey done by a local human society said, “Only 4 percent of the people who bought a puppy in a pet store would go back to the store for another one” (Joers). Seven states are known as the puppy mill states: Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

Puppies in the pet stores are cute and cuddly, but they do not begin their lives like that. The mothers are breeding machines. They do not receive the care they need during pregnancy to sustain much life. The living quarters are no more than wire chicken coops, which are about two feet wide. The excrement drops to the ground or into the cages below, which contain other live animals, where flies and rats constantly scurry around. Several dogs share the coops, so when puppies are born the dogs aren’t moved; the coops just become more crowded. Conditions of mills include: poor housing – including over crowding, poor ventilation and poor heating. There is little or no clean up. There is malnutrition and thirst, with no veterinary care. Cruelty which includes the above along with horrible breeding practices. Ear mites often eat their way through the heads of puppies toward the brain. One documented issue of a puppy mill dog tells about one week after the puppy was brought home. The puppy, named Petie, had violent seizures, foaming at the mouth, running in circles, and vomiting. A veterinarian diagnosed water on the brain and genetic deficiencies caused by inbreeding. In 1997, a mill bust had conditions where feces and urine were covering the animals’ and all over their food bowls. A puppy was found dead, and several were unhealthy, and unresponsive due to sever neglect.

Oscar who was born into a licensed puppy mill, was bought by a woman who instantly fell in love with him. The night after Oscar came home, he was spitting up food. The following day, Oscar was vomiting every five minutes. Antibiotics were administered, which briefly helped. Five days later, ten week old Oscar was dead from parvovirus. A Massachusetts PCA officer found puppies at one pet store who were so ill with parvovirus that they were instantly put to sleep. Parvovirus is a highly commutable virus that can affect all pets. Young animals are hit hardest by it. Usually older animals can have the virus, but only incubate it. This virus can live in the ground or on clothing for years. The virus slowly progresses to an inevitable fate. They lose all their bodily fluids, over four – five days after the virus is triggered. Soon they slip into a coma like state until they die. It’s a slow, painful death.

Animals at mills are often fed maggot-infested food. Some mills get food from factories that sweep up the food that fell onto the ground. It is nothing but by products with no nutritional value. Most puppies suffer from skin infections, open – oozing sores, several diseases and viruses, thyroid conditions, skin and allergy disorders, auto immune disorders, and seizures Genetically linked health problems include eye and heart abnormalities and a painful disease called hip dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia is also common with hip dysplasia. Many times when animals die at the mills, the bodies are left were they lay. One article tells of a mill in Florida,
“… On the porch of the ramshackle farmhouse was a stack of filthy cages, where the composing carcass of a terrier dripped fluids onto a live poodle below. Inside every downstairs room was piled with excrement – filled cages. Rats scampered in and out of them. Authorities seized 358 dogs. A few were in such poor health they had to be euthanized. Many of the females had mammary tumors, and a half-dozen dogs were blind from glaucoma. Nearly all the adult dogs had severe periodontal disease, and many had to have teeth removed” (Ecenbarger).
Due to so much continuous inbreeding, the puppies are also likely to have aggressive temperaments. Another large factor in poor personality traits is the puppies and older dogs have no contact with humans. They may also associate humans with the pain, hunger and abuse of their lives. This can be very dangerous to a new or ignorant owner.

The filth of mills causes coccidia. The coccidia virus is passed through infected food or water dishes – from feces. The virus drains the body of fluids and kills cells. Due to the fact that the animals do not receive veterinary care, the young animals die. The filth also allows worms, sever upper respiratory infections, including kennel cough and mange.

Pet store dogs often have tails that are docked incorrectly, bear little or no resemblance to the breed standards, have poor head structures, and poor coat color and structure. Needless to say, puppies bought through a pet store are inferior quality.

Transportation of the puppies is less than luxurious. While owners of mills cut corners in the care and raising of animals, they also cut out any decency while transporting the animals.
“Police near Sudbury, Ontario, stopped a five ton rental truck that had started its journey four days earlier near Nelson, B.C. Crammed into the back in stacked cages were 212 dogs, 13 cats and two chickens. Shivering and covered in excrement, the animals had endured days of prairie winter in the truck’s unheated, unventilated box. Dozens of the animals were so dehydrated they needed intravenous feeding. Others had to be put down” (McCallum).
Mills in America ship to anywhere there is demand for puppies. It is estimated that 80 percent of Canadian puppies in pet stores come from United States mills.

Mills do not only churn out dogs, they also produce turtles; a pet in high demand. Some species of turtles are so popular that poachers have stripped some ecosystems of the turtles. Many species, though, are ranched for profit in the pet trade. Those turtles are fed food, which contains salmonella. Children who receive the turtles as pets are tempted to put the hatchlings in their mouth. Eight million of these salmonella rich hatchlings are annually exported to 60 nations. Many times, these pets are flushed or thrown into an alien ecosystem when they are no longer wanted. “Nearly 250,000 desert tortoises are kept as pets in California, Arizona and Nevada. More than 50 percent of the individuals in some desert tortoise populations carry a highly contagious respiratory disease which is incurable, pressing the species toward extinction.” (Williams) Almost all pet store turtles are sick when purchased. 95 percent of wild turtles are dead within a year of purchase. The stores do not profit from turtle sales, they profit from the setup that comes with the turtles. Turtles are shipped by airplane more than any thing. The turtles are shipped in cardboard boxes that crush easily. “In one shipment from Tanzania, 511 pancake tortoises and 306 leopard tortoises had been packed on top of one another. Fifty animals were dead, 400 appeared near death, and almost all were grievously dehydrated. There was much blood, many broken carapaces, and dozens of missing legs. About 50 females carried broken eggs” (Williams).

A lot of people wonder why mills are still in business if they cost so much money to the public who happens to misfortunately stumble upon one of the animals. The USDA is charged with monitoring the breeding and shipping of animals, but do not have enough money to do it. Authorities are often reluctant to do anything for fear of infringing the rights of the farmers’. TV and the misleading information on the depictions of dog breeds continuously influence people. The pet stores offer puppies while shelters have older animals. Puppy mills usually aren’t a priority for law enforcement. The USDA often says that they don’t cover it, when conditions are reported to them.

The solutions to stopping the milling of animals for the pet trade are simple. Do not buy from pet stores. Breeders are the best way to go. They will answer all your questions, they will have healthy, happy animals, and they will be there for any problem that arises. Any one person who breeds their dog for money is the beginning of a mill. There is no reason that any person who is serious about dog ownership cannot go to a breeder and spend a few extra dollars. Paying more for an animal that will guarantee a long, loving relationship and life is worth it. If a dog, from a reputable breeder, must be given up, breeder will find the dog a new home. Most sick pet store puppies are returned to the store – what happens to them?

Works Cited

Ecenbarger, William. “Scandal of America’s Puppy Mills.” Readers Digest Feb. 1999: 115-119.
Joers, Janet and Vanden Bergh, John. “Pet Store Puppies.” 19 December 2002 .
Lamb, Rachel A. “Prisoners for Profit: The Shame of Puppy Mills.” 19 Dec. 2002 .
McCallum, Larry. “The Traveling Canine Horror Show.” Western Report 16 Jan. 1995. Vol. 22.
Neil, Michael. “Trouble: a life that no dog deserves. These pups start life in squalor – and wind up in your local pet store.” People 10 Feb. 1992.
“Puppy Mills and Pet Shops.” Consumers’ Research Inc. June 1994: 34.
“Puppy Mill Facts.” 19 Dec. 2002. .
Reyes, Maui V. “The horror of backyard breeders and Puppy Mills.” Philippine Daily Inquirer 3 July 2002.
Sacks, Pamela H. “Puppy Mills: Misery for sale.” Animals Sep/Oct 2000: 10.
Williams, Ted. “The Terrible Turtle Trade.” Audubon Mar/Apr 1999: 44-51.
Yarish, Jill. “Puppies born in Mill now safe with Humane Society.” Herald Reporter 4 Nov. 1997.


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