MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life

MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
Click photo to visit dawnkairns.com

Friday, July 2, 2010

Puppy Mills: How Much Do You Know?

National Mill Dog Rescue in Colorado Springs Rescues Dogs and Educates People

Thousands of puppy mill operations exist in our country. According to National Mill Dog Rescue, documented problems of puppy mills include "overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals." To the unsuspecting consumer, this often means buying a puppy facing numerous veterinary problems or who harbor genetically borne diseases that appear years later.

Some dogs live their entire lives in puppy mills, and for one reason alone: to produce more puppies. Repeatedly bred, many of these females are killed once they can no longer reproduce.

National Mill Dog Rescue has been a non-profit in Colorado since 2007. NMDR was inspired by Lily, a puppy mill dog they rescued from a dog auction in Missouri. Lily was worn out, with a rotted jaw, and mammary tumors all along her left side. 

National Mill Dog Rescue began with Lily. Their pledge is to "put an end to the cruelty and evil of the commercial breeding industry," more commonly known as puppy mills. They educate the public about puppy mills and and buying dogs in pet stores (who are usually purchased from puppy mills).

NMDR says, "there are many reputable breeders and shelters from which to get dogs." I fully agree. They have an informative FAQ page at http://www.milldogrescue.org/faq.html that answers the following questions about puppy mills:

What is a puppy mill?
How is puppy milling different than reputable breeding?
Aren't you just supporting the mills by rescueing dogs from them?
Why shouldn't I just go to the pet store and buy a dog?
Where else can I get a dog?
How do I know I've found a reputable breeder?
Why are your requirements so tough?
Why do the mills turn dogs over to rescue?

I encourage you to visit the NMDR site to see who they are, what they do, and to learn more about their answers to the questions above. Please share this information about puppy mills with everyone you know about what puppy mills are. Many folks still don't realize the horrors that are perpetuated in puppy mills on precious, innocent dogs.

photo: Lily from NMDR site

Posted By:

Dawn Kairns  

Twitter: themaggiebook


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