Most of us know that our relationships with our dogs begin the day we bring them home, whether from a responsible breeder, a shelter, or a breed rescue group. I suggest we expand the context of our relationship to "Dog" to the larger sense, and consider the beginnings of so many dogs before we ever lay our eyes on them. And the plight of so many dogs who never feel their feet on the ground or fresh air on their faces -- the ones who live their entire lives in puppy mills.
According to Jon Rutter of the Lancaster Sunday News, people are in a hurry to get a pet and few question where their pups come from. Demand for dogs is high, and families usually want a dog immediately, which helps perpetuate the market for mass dog breeding (I am referring to puppy mills, not responsible dog breeders who promote the best in a breed). He relates the story of a woman who spontaneously purchased a dog last summer through a newspaper ad. Sadly, their boxer grew deathly ill within days, and the family faced thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. Unable to afford the vet bills,they gave the dog up. The dog was traced to a kennel called CC Pets.
A judge ruled that the owners of the kennel, CC Pets, formerly called Puppy Love Kennels, failed to state its name in newspaper ads as the court had directed four years earlier. The kennel was ordered to close for six months. Calls to CC Pets were not returned. Fortunately, the puppy mill boxer survived and has a good new home.
Although I understand that Lancaster County, PA has a higher concentration of puppy mills than most states, the problem is nationwide. Luckily, consumers are becoming more aware about the dog/puppy mill industry. But some folks still simply don't connect that cuddley pup in a pet store with the deplorable conditions in puppy mills. These people aren't consciously supporting puppy mills; they just don't understand the connection. Consumers should know that dogs bred under factory conditions live only five or six years before being destroyed, according to animal-welfare advocates.
What can dog "shoppers" be aware of? According to Jenny Stephens, of North Penn Puppy Mill Watch, kennels should be clean, and the population of dogs low enough that the staff can spend time socializing the dogs. She urges you to check state kennel inspection reports online (search Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement), and know that a "warning" means that a kennel has already broken the law.
Remember that millions of unwanted dogs in this country are euthanized every year according to Jenny Stephens (NPPMW). Please consider the millions of dogs in shelters when you plan to get a family dog. And remember, you can get most of the purebred dogs you want from a breed rescue group.
For more help and information about puppy mills, log on to the North Penn Puppy Mill Watch Web site, www.nppmwatch.com, or contact United Against Puppy Mills, www.unitedagainstpuppymills.org, or call 1-866-975-3647.
Let's honor the "spirit of dog," all dogs, and make sure we do our part to see that all dogs are treated as the beautiful, loving beings that they are.
Posted by:
Dawn Kairns,
Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com
MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
Click photo to visit dawnkairns.com
Showing posts with label Lancaster County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lancaster County. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Nightline Features Puppy Mill Investigation
On Friday, March 27, 2009, ABC's Nightline featured a segment on the investigation of puppy mills. According to the report, which this post is a synopsis of, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is said by some to be the "Puppy Mill Capitol of the World," where many Amish farms sacrifice animal welfare in the name of business. Main Line Animal Rescue went into some of these puppy mills and videotaped under cover.
Some of these facilities contain hundreds of dogs who never get to experience the joys of running outdoors or breathing fresh air during their lives in a puppy mill. Due to the sheer numbers of dogs in puppy mills, the farmers deal with the problem of barking by de-barking the dogs. This is done by shoving sharp instruments down their throats to destroy their vocal cords. The adult dogs kept for breeding often suffer through wounds and infections, untreated. Sadly, it's legal to euthanize or shoot a dog in PA that puppy mill owners deem are no longer useful to them, such as a female who is too old to produce more puppies. Main Line Animal Rescue often gets called by puppy mill owners one hour before they are going to kill a dog. One such Golden Retriever rescued by Main Line was found to have several C-section scars. It's thought that many female dogs like her often have C-sections performed by the farmers, who then stitch them back together with twine -- all of this done without anesthesia.
Bill Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue says that most of these dogs, when rescued, don't know how to walk on solid ground. They move like a crab, because it's so foreign to them. Having lived their entire lives with their paws on chicken wire, they just don't know how to walk on a solid surface. Cages are often stacked on top of each other, and the waste from one page falls into the cage below. The dogs' paws are offered inflamed from living on chicken wire.
For these farmers/commercial puppy mill facilities, the dogs are merely an income, nothing more than a cash crop. The puppies themselves are often sold by the puppy mills to pet stores that sell them to the public. Many unsuspecting and uninformed people walk into these pet stores and see the precious little puppy faces, and purchase them. They have no idea of the "industry of secrecy" these puppies came from, or the horrendous conditions that they are supporting.
Main Line Animal Rescue has been instrumental in getting new legislation for puppy mill dogs to have access to a solid floor and outdoor exercise. A great step, yet so far to go to create basic rights and humane treatment for such gentle souls. Main Line Animal Rescue has been very instrumental in raising public awareness of the deplorable conditions in puppy mills. When featured on Oprah last year, it was one of the most watched Oprah episodes ever. I donate 10% of my publisher royalties for my book to Main Line Animal Rescue. Please help spread the truth about puppy mills, and when you decide to get a dog, please consider rescuing from a shelter or breed rescue group.
Based on ABC's March 27, 2009 Nightline feature on Puppy Mills
posted by:
Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com
Some of these facilities contain hundreds of dogs who never get to experience the joys of running outdoors or breathing fresh air during their lives in a puppy mill. Due to the sheer numbers of dogs in puppy mills, the farmers deal with the problem of barking by de-barking the dogs. This is done by shoving sharp instruments down their throats to destroy their vocal cords. The adult dogs kept for breeding often suffer through wounds and infections, untreated. Sadly, it's legal to euthanize or shoot a dog in PA that puppy mill owners deem are no longer useful to them, such as a female who is too old to produce more puppies. Main Line Animal Rescue often gets called by puppy mill owners one hour before they are going to kill a dog. One such Golden Retriever rescued by Main Line was found to have several C-section scars. It's thought that many female dogs like her often have C-sections performed by the farmers, who then stitch them back together with twine -- all of this done without anesthesia.
Bill Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue says that most of these dogs, when rescued, don't know how to walk on solid ground. They move like a crab, because it's so foreign to them. Having lived their entire lives with their paws on chicken wire, they just don't know how to walk on a solid surface. Cages are often stacked on top of each other, and the waste from one page falls into the cage below. The dogs' paws are offered inflamed from living on chicken wire.
For these farmers/commercial puppy mill facilities, the dogs are merely an income, nothing more than a cash crop. The puppies themselves are often sold by the puppy mills to pet stores that sell them to the public. Many unsuspecting and uninformed people walk into these pet stores and see the precious little puppy faces, and purchase them. They have no idea of the "industry of secrecy" these puppies came from, or the horrendous conditions that they are supporting.
Main Line Animal Rescue has been instrumental in getting new legislation for puppy mill dogs to have access to a solid floor and outdoor exercise. A great step, yet so far to go to create basic rights and humane treatment for such gentle souls. Main Line Animal Rescue has been very instrumental in raising public awareness of the deplorable conditions in puppy mills. When featured on Oprah last year, it was one of the most watched Oprah episodes ever. I donate 10% of my publisher royalties for my book to Main Line Animal Rescue. Please help spread the truth about puppy mills, and when you decide to get a dog, please consider rescuing from a shelter or breed rescue group.
Based on ABC's March 27, 2009 Nightline feature on Puppy Mills
posted by:
Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Comments
(
Atom
)