Puppy mills

Canada
May 28, 2012 8:56am CST
I am always shocked at the number of people who do not grasp what a puppy mill is!! I find it even more shocking how many people buy animals from petshop and don't realize or for that matter even care where the animals are coming from not only dogs and cats but rabbits guinea pigs chinchillas etc often come from some of the worst conditions possible even in the stores they are kept in horrible conditions and often not given everything they require for a healthy life and still people dontsee this and don't seem to care. Do you think it's right for animals of any kind expecially young puppy's cats bunny's etc to be stuck in tiny cages poked at and so forth rom a very young age how do people not see this and realize its wrong howdo you make people realize?
2 people like this
9 responses
• Valdosta, Georgia
28 May 12
I dont know about other places but here the shelters are terrible. This girl thats friends with my sister worked at one of them. She said their stuck in their cages most of the day, walked for ten to fifteen minutes and put back in the cage. She said if its a black dog, it has a week. If its not adopted its euthanized!! If its an aggressive breed it has 3 days and its put down. Terrible! I would absolutely never be able to.work at one and see these poor dogs each day! Then the shelter charges $100-$150 per dog. Gosh they must make a fortune at those prices!!! They say they want people to adopt them but holy geez, lower your prices then if you really care about the well being of the animals and not just the money! They recieve the bare minimum vet care here. If its any major health problems (blindness, hip displaysia, deaf, etc) they are euthanized immediately. No chance for a good life at all. It broke my heart when she told me all of these things. I adopted my baby off craigslist. The guy told us he was bringing her to the shelter that day. I could not let that happen, she is black and a rott! She would have had 3 days! :( If I had the money I would adopt as many animals as my house would allow just so they would have better lives. Unfortunately I am not rich. It really ticks me off with all the breeders out there who keep breeding even though shelters are packed! Quit breeding animals and there would be more love and attention for them!! I dont think it will ever stop and the poor animals are the ones suffering because of it. =( All for a little money...
1 person likes this
• Canada
28 May 12
You bring up a good point, LovingMyBabies, about what people around here call "BBD Syndrome"... stands for "Big Black Dog Syndrome." Black dogs typically do not photograph as well as lighter colored dogs (so they don't seem to tug at the heartstrings when people see them online) and they also tend to appear more aggressive simply because of their dark coats. The shelter I follow has a hard time placing large breed black dogs but they do their best. They are also a no-kill rescue and they don't ship dogs long distances... they'll keep them until they can be homed or until they can find another rescue where someone is actively seeking that type of dog and they work out arrangements. The price for a dog where I got Charlie is $350 Canadian. For senior dogs, 8 years and older, it's $250. Included in that price is the full veterinary check-up, all vaccinations, spaying or neutering, microchipping the dog, etc. When I added up the price it would have been to have all the necessary things done at the vet near my house (plus the price of getting the same breed of dog elsewhere), it was way more than the $350. It sounds like so much, I know, but I would never have been able to get my dog if I'd had to go to a breeder. Couldn't have afforded what they charge for them I consider myself blessed with my little guy
• Canada
28 May 12
See the shelter I work at is no kill so nothing is euthanized unless it's I. The best interest of the animal such as it's incurable and in pain. Our dogs are walked twice a day for about an hour each and also given time in a fenced in play yard the cats are allowed out once a day during cage cleaning they also have special scratches and toys in there cages to keep them busy Many shelters can't do this though as they just have to many animals andnot enough space for them. As for prices our adoption fees are alot more then that $220 for a dog and we make no money off of them we actually loose money on almost every single dog it costs uss $195 to neuter a male $215 for a female then you have vaccinations, reworking and microchipping all of which cost us money people get mad about the price but what r we supposed to do that's dirt cheap when everything is done which is has to be to be adopted then when the sick animals come I. We loose so much money on them we just had a cat with a broken leg cost over?$1000 just for the surgery let alone after care and he was then neutered vaccinated deformed micro chipped and treated for an ear infection and adopted out for $99 we loose so much money on most animals its hard to keep the shelter running sometimes yet people havethe nerve to complain about the price it would cost them even more to get the animal and have to pay for everything but people don't get it also alot of studies have shown that free animals are less likely to get proper caress people putlesso of a value on them cuz ethey cost nothing
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
28 May 12
Like I said I can only speak for here but to get my dog spayed it cost me a donation of $25. For her shots it cost us $45. I think we both agree though that if there were not so many breeders making a fortune off these dogs there would be a lot less of them in shelters and many more homes for them!
1 person likes this
• Canada
28 May 12
My sister and I have both adopted dogs from a rescue about an hour from where we live. They take in so many dogs from puppy mill raids. My sister's Yorkie mix was a mill mom. When she first adopted her, she couldn't walk well (or any real distance at all) and she has a very unusual way of laying down when she sleeps. This comes from years spent in a cage with no exercise. Many of the dogs that arrive at the rescue have ear infections, eye infections and worse. They don't get any veterinary care because those kinds of infections don't stop them from making more babies and don't affect the health of the litter. Treating them would cost money and take time... neither of which are allotted to these dogs. They even had three sibling puppies recently that were each born blind... all because some backyard breeder was trying to generate "designer dogs" of a specific color and had no clue what they were doing. With one of the recently-rescued dogs, the volunteers thought she might have neurological damage because any time someone touched her, she would just fall over. These dogs don't know love... they don't trust people... and they shouldn't. They've been abused and it shows. Abuse doesn't just mean physically manhandling an animal. I agree with what has been said... please don't shop... adopt! It's not unheard of for pet shops to tell people that they get their dogs directly from the breeders. No reputable breeder would allow their puppies to be housed and sold through a pet shop... ever. Don't buy through Kijiji, ebay or those types of sites. Go to a rescue, the SPCA, etc., where they get the animals proper veterinary care, spay or neuter them so their baby-making days are over and where they often take the time to screen potential adoptive families to match up the right dog with the right living situation. It was one year yesterday since I adopted my Charlie and I could not be happier!
• Canada
28 May 12
The shelter where I adopted my dog, they have affiliations with a veterinary hospital, several training facilities, a fantastic groomer and talented photographer, to name just a few. They do everything possible to treat their dogs with love and kindness and to get them ready for what they call their "furever homes." They get dogs of all breeds, sizes and shapes so people who say they have to go to a pet shop to get a specific breed that they want are simply wrong. Anyone who takes the time and has the patience to monitor the adoptee listings at the rescues will see that they have soooo many options. I have a pure-bred miniature dachshund now... and I never set out to have a pure-bred. I researched for a long time and just knew I was interested in dachshunds, particularly the smooth minis. Charlie was found wandering the streets as a stray because someone basically threw him away. Fortunately, he had not been physically injured but he was a very anxious little guy and probably will always have some degree of anxiety. Over the past year, I've learned how to handle him correctly, have learned the type of behaviors that he trusts and that make him comfortable. He is a gorgeous, loving little dog. He gets along great with other dogs so I can take him places, like my sister's home, and he's sociable. You are right that there are often stigmas about shelter dogs... people should inform themselves about the rescue and shelter processes... many would be exceedingly surprised.
• Canada
28 May 12
I find most people need to educate and inform them selves about so much regarding animals from basic care and training to shelters rescues puppy mills etc we live in a rural area and it's amazing what somepeople think is okay for treatment of an animal its crazy we don't get alot of small dogs in our shelter but there are small dog rescues in the Area as well who pull from other shelter I always tell be to look on petfinder u can find any breed Age size etc on. There and they are all from shelters so it's great
1 person likes this
• Canada
28 May 12
So glad you have adopted! I work at a shelter and it amazes me how many people refuse to get reduce dogs because they don't want damaged goods they think shelter dogs are aggressive and untrainable its horrible all the dogs that enter are shelter do not leave until they are healthy and safe to be adopted sometimes this means the dogs have to go through a whole retraining phase untill they learn to trust people again and that not all humans are mean most ofthem dogs leave the shelter with full basic training basic commands and leash manners as the volunteers work with them every day to help them get adopted I want to slap people so.etimes for just being completely stupid when it comes to the well being of animals
1 person likes this
@freymind (1351)
• Philippines
29 May 12
I only got to know about puppy mills and how horrendous the situation are when I saw one documentary about the puppy mills in the US. I decided that I will never buy any dog again from any pet store. Since then we only have Askals or if we have dog with breeds they were only given by friends who can no longer take care of them. I do hope that one day this will stop and will no longer be tolerable. There's a lot of dogs in the shelter who needs care. No need to overpopulate them by making the dogs breed again and again. Its so sad for me as a dog owner.
• Canada
29 May 12
It's not just puppy mills either all animals in pet stores come from mills like those cats rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, etc all bred for profit in horrible conditions often the breeders dye younge from abuse and over breeding and never have any kind of a lifetime all
@sjlskl (3382)
• Singapore
1 Jun 12
It is pretty shocking to see the condition of the dogs in a puppy mill. Those mill owners ought to be locked up for a long time. However, those licensed mills, they treat the dogs better. So in the event you are looking for a pet dog, asked the seller to show you around the mills. Those who are willing to show you around, then they are fine. Avoid those that flatly refuse your request. But before you think of buying one, consider adopting instead.
• Canada
5 Jun 12
Weather a mill is licensed or not they are a high orrible place dog dog deserves to have puppy's its whole life
@Ciel08 (29)
29 May 12
i don't know what puppy mills are but i don't like seeing puppy's or any animals in cages....
@Ciel08 (29)
5 Jun 12
ah... thanks... now i know what puppy mills are.. poor dogs... their not suppose to be put in small wire cages...
@911Ricki (13588)
• Canada
28 May 12
I remember in college we did some assignment on this and I was shocked at how stupid some people are. Now all my cats are either strays, abdonded, or adopted, my parents dogs were from a rescue, and my bunny was adopted as well. I would never buy from a petstore period, no matter what. Unless its from the Humane Society, and possible shelters. I know some PetSmart to rack up business post animals from shelter to drum up business thinking they care sort of speaking. But normally I reaearch the animal and where its coming from. I wont get it from say Kijiji, or any place either. I remember on a Facebook group some lady was selling Chinchillas and rabbits. I asked her the basics is it fixed, vet check, adn age she oculdnt provide that so I told her off. I went to PetSmart to buy things for the brats and my sister insists on looking at the animals. They were clearly sick, and it was so sad. One was puking stuff up and they left it in the cage. Many dont think of it, and dont care where it comes from until it gets sick then many wouldnt keep it anyways. I remember when I brought home Patches & Stripes everyone was telling me to just give them away as they cost too much money and the vet bill is ridiculous and I could find cutier kittens elsewhere. They are the most loving cats with the biggest personalities. Its sad and I always wonder do they remember their lives before. I mean you bring them home and they are here but whatever happened to them before will they remember that.
• Canada
28 May 12
I met a girl not to long ago How worked at a vet clinic nextto a petsmart she had so many small animals as the store would bring them over to bekilledif they werethere tolkng orbit orhid soshe took them home said she couldn't do it I don't blaim her one bit ever since then I have had no respect for petsmart At least the laws are changing slightly in Toronto they have band the sale of dogs and cats inspires but what about all the other animals? What about outside of Toronto?
• Canada
28 May 12
Oh kijiji kills me I find it so hard going on there I do though to pull some animals to find them homes but it's so heart breaking all the animals howdo you justice up an animal itwouldbe like cutting of a limb for me I couldn't do it Yea I find the attitude of employee inthose places is horrible as well the pet shop in Alliston sells guinea pigs at 3 weeks old and itbreaks mhheart asi know they won't live long being taken from their mothers so early
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
28 May 12
I agree. My former SIL used to work at a pet store and the only way they took puppies or kittens were from people who obviously had well taken care of pets who had a litter.
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
28 May 12
Some people are never going to care about it, and there is no way to 'make' them understand. I first heard the term 'puppy mill' 7 years ago after moving to Pennsylvania, prior to that I had not heard of them. And unless you can wipe out greed for money, you won't wipe them out. There were stories every week of law enforcement going in and clearing another puppy mill. For those that do care, not all pet stores buy from puppy mills or other such breeders. If it is a reputable pet store, you can ask, and they can tell you where the puppy came from, the breeder, etc. I have never bought a puppy from a pet store, not because of the breeder issue, but because of the price they sale them for.
• Canada
28 May 12
I have never heard of a petstore buying from a licensed breeder as they tent to not make much money off of them that way and I do not know a single breeder who cares for there animals allowing them Tobe sold in a situation like that withnorphaned background checks or knowledge of the person buying and most breeders actually make propel sign a no breeding clause when they get a pupph Now I do know of a few pet shops who have been faking certificates on dogs pj's pets is always getting busted for that as well as doogans here in Ontario most of the animals here come from the mills in montreal
@Octav1 (1419)
• Romania
28 Jun 12
The worse thing is people think they help the puppies from the petshop if they take them home! They can't see behind the beautiful pup. You know we hardly can resist to a furry ball with lovely eyes. Unfortunately people don't want to think to the backstage of the petshops. The places where there is so much pain and distress. We must do all we can to make negative publicity to puppy millers. There are campaigns against them on Facebook and we must share them so that more and more people will be aware of what a puppy mill is.