I have seen many people mention puppy mills and unbelievably there are still people who buy their dogs from them. So I thought we should talk about what are puppy mills?
To animal lovers it is one of most inhumane things that a person can do to a dog. People who run these breeding farms are more concerned with profit than the animals welfare.
A puppy mill is where the owner takes a single breed or a multitude of dog breeds and breeds them for money. Most often the female dogs are constantly being bred and often are mistreated in order to gain profit. Yorkies, Chihuahuas and other small designer breeds are what typically found inside these mills!
The treatment at puppy mills are despicable. Many of the dogs are left inside a small cage or crate with barely any room to move around. They are often unkempt and are infested with fleas and ticks.
They don’t have appropriate exercise, they don’t have a lot of food they don’t have clean water!
These puppies also live surrounded by their own feces and urine because their living quarters are never cleaned. When the older dogs reproduce, their puppies are often left to grow up in such horrid conditions. Many of the dogs never have human interaction and are often scared and timid around humans.
One of the common problems with puppy mills is that, if they are reported, more often than not, they just move the operation to another place. They can just pop up anywhere, lets face it, it’s not like they have standards, any old place will do!
Another problem is the health and wellbeing of the dogs. Many of them have never seen a vet or have been vaccinated. Some of the dogs and puppies may have conditions such as heart worms, parvo and other dog related illnesses that need to be treated under the care of a vet. Sadly, many of the dogs in a puppy mill never get the help or treatment they deserve.
There are laws on puppy mills, but just as with any other law, there are loopholes and ways around being prosecuted for running one. With Federal and State laws, one would easily assume that a crackdown on the puppy mills would be a success. Unfortunately, it is very hard to gather evidence, recently though there has been a big victory with the USDA announcing a rule to crack down on online Puppy Mills.
Here are some helpful tips and puppy mills facts to help you know if the person you are buying a dog from is running a puppy mill. Look at how many dogs are on the premises; the more dogs and puppies, the more likely the person is running a mill. Look closely at the living condition of the dogs; if they are housed in crates and cages that are unclean, walk away and alert the authorities. Ask for vet records and even call the vets office to inquire about the dog.
And last but not least, instead of buying a dog from an ad, go to your local animal shelter and adopt. Not only are you giving a dog or puppy a second chance, but you are also not supporting puppy mills.
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