Puppy Mills
"A puppy mill is a breeding facility that
mass-produces purebred puppies, which are typically sold at eight weeks of age to brokers
and retail operations across the U.S. Puppy mills have long concerned The Humane Society
of the United States (HSUS). The documented problems of puppy mills include: overbreeding
dams, 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
unwitting consumer, this situation frequently means buying a puppy facing an array of
immediate veterinary problems or harboring genetically borne diseases that do not appear
until years later. Sadly, some dogs are forced to live in puppy mills for their entire
lives. They are kept there for one reason only: to produce more puppies. Repeatedly bred,
most of these "brood bitches" are killed once their reproductive capacity
wanes." -The Humane Society of the United
States (HSUS)
There are approximately 5,000 puppy
mills in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of puppies are born each year in
puppy mills all over the U.S. Female dogs are bred the first time they come
into heat and continue to be bred every heat cycle. Generally, these dogs are able
to produce litters for the first five or six years of their lives. After that their
bodies are so worn out that the puppies are almost always born dead. When the mill
owner decides the dog is no longer capable of producing live puppies, he will then destroy
the dog!
Puppy mill owners are in the business
for one reason - to make money! The health and welfare of the dogs is of no concern
to those who operate puppy mills. Operators of these mills make money by selling the
puppies to wholesale brokers. These brokers then sell the puppies to other pet
outlets and Pet Stores. No one has more power to fight puppy mills than the
consumer. The public can stop the cycle of horrific abuse these dogs suffer by
refusing to buy dogs from a pet store!
The horrors of puppy mills!
What we can do!
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