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When you look into the face of a puppy in the window of a pet store, you are sure to experience a few emotions. The first is likely to be excitement – after all, the smallest ball of moving fluff you’ve ever seen in your life is jumping right in front of you trying to say hello. Next, that excitement will probably quickly turn instantaneously into love. It’s a little bit like being in a Rom-Com the minute the stubborn but endearing character finally realizes they’ve always loved the awkward protagonist. By this point you may find yourself with your nose pressed directly on the glass. But before you spring into full out “I NEED this puppy” mode, a red flag goes off in your mind and suddenly that love turns into concern. You know you’ve read somewhere that puppies sold in commercial stores come from puppy mills.
While seeing a puppy in a window can seem like a magical opportunity to bring the next great love into your life – being the animal lover that you are – you might want to pump the breaks. There is a reason that “adopt, don’t shop” has become a term ubiquitous amongst animal lovers. The truth is rather depressing; that little puppy in the window did not come from a magical cute-factory, but very likely they came from a puppy mill.
Puppy mills are large-scale breeding facilities that produce dogs with the sole mission of turning a profit.
Pam Sordyl / HSUS
Although many of these mills claim may be licensed by the USDA or even claim to be up-scale breeders, the more likely story is that the conditions at their facility are harming dogs.
Pam Sordyl / HSUS
No matter how you look at it, constantly breeding animals to meet consumer demands is a cruel business.
Many dogs encountered in puppy mill raids live in small wire cages that they are forced to share with multiple dogs.
These dogs are given little to no veterinary care and often live in their own waste.
It is not unlikely to find dogs with severely matted fur, dental issues as well as eye and ear infections.
Pam Sordyl / HSUS
Of course, these are not the dogs you see for show in the windows. These are the breeding dogs who are left behind.
Left behind to live in squalor while their breeders profit.
Pam Sordyl / HSUS
While these dogs are being abused in puppy mills, forced to produce puppies for sale, there are millions of healthy, adoptable dogs waiting in shelters.
Animal Rescue Corps/Facebook
When you think about it. Supporting puppy mills by buying a dog not only perpetuates the abuse of animals in mills, but it also takes a potential home away from a shelter animal.
To help end this senseless cruelty, always remember “Adopt, Don’t Shop.”
Every dog deserves to be loved and cared for without having to endure the pain and suffering of life in a puppy mill.
Lead image source: Animal Rescue Corps/Facebook
Gov. Pence continues to gut our public school subsidies, forcing Indiana public schools to make unpopular decisions, including public school systems slashing bus transportation routes, which has left many parents justly outraged.
There is another LEGAL insidious threat diverting the allocation of our tax dollars, tucked away in barns and outbuildings that dot our serene Amish countryside – puppy mills (P.M). Puppy mills are producing millions of puppies that are overcrowding our tax funded shelters. Why, when Indiana shelters are currently facing an overpopulation of pets, WE, the taxpayers are left footing the bill. 2012, Fort Wayne Animal and Care and Control Annual Report, sadly only a 20 – 30% adoption rate, and 2800 dogs were euthanized; it makes no sense to continue manufacturing dogs when so many are being killed for lack of space. There currently, 90 Indiana operational USDA “regulated” P. M; Indiana has shamefully; earned the ranking of 5th in the nation. The largest concentration is located in the Shipshewana area; yes, the puppies at the Shipshewana stores are from P.M.
The barbaric cruelty to the innocent dogs is deplorable; there may be unseen dire consequences for persons paid by tax dollars, as our funds are siphoned to fund the shelters; while the P.M. owners are making huge profits from their operations. Listen how IN P. M. owner, John Graber brags how his P. M. works, he states “he has made over $100,000 a year selling puppies, tax free” in “Indiana Amish Puppy Mill” video, this should infuriate every tax paying person living in Indiana!
This excerpt from The Humane Society of the United States, 2009, “Indiana Taxpayers Pay for Puppy Mills,” adds credence and clarifies the link between taxpayers and P. M.
“Indiana is losing millions of dollars in lost tax revenue each year. In 2010, an Indiana puppy mill operator was charged, failing to remit $193,000 from the puppies she sold. Numerous regulated and illegal unregulated puppy mills are taking advantage of cash sale selling puppies directly to the public through: websites, classified ads, or flea markets, and not remitting state taxes.
These facilities imprison up to hundreds of “livestock” dogs, often kept in extremely filthy and neglected conditions. The single purpose for the dogs in a puppy mill is to make a profit for the owners, without investing any money in the dog’s care or health. The females are used as puppy ‘factories”, until they can no longer reproduce, when no longer productive they are disposed of, often inhumanely.
The reality is, puppy mills not only affect innocent dogs, but taxpayers as well. The financial burden is passed on to the taxpayers for the cost of caring for discarded unprofitable dogs, dogs confiscated by authorities, both, often require extensive veterinary care and socialization. Further perpetuating the cycle, the future generations born to “sold” puppies that are placed in local taxpayer-funded shelters adding more burden to cash strapped shelters.”
2009, Indiana Legislation (HB 1468) was passed; limited the number of breeding dogs in P. M., provided “humane care” for the dogs and an electronic registry of “breeders”. This flimsy law does not afford residents of Indiana safeguards from the tax ramifications caused by greedy, regulated, and the unregulated P. M. that are straining our already tight tax resources. We as parents and public employees are at the greatest risk, we can’t afford to sit passively on our laurels as tax dollars are being siphoned away, assets needed to fund our children’s school and our future job security; while P. M. are producing the last thing we need more of – puppies! Together, we need to demand the legislators of Indiana to abolish P. M. and pet stores sales of P. M. puppies and demand those resources be allocated back to public services.
Jeff Wheeler, Chandler, IN, I, and others across Indian have banded together, we recognize now is the time to demand Indiana to abolish puppy mills and prohibit pet stores from selling P. M. puppies. We are hopeful, a precedent has been set, Chicago, City Clerk Susana Mendoza, stated, “Puppy mills are consumer fraud at its worst on the backs of legalized animal cruelty.” This cruelty inspired her to sponsor a March, 2014 bill; Chicago now joins 45 other US cities banning pet stores from selling P.M and requiring pet stores to only sell animals from shelters.
PLEASE, take an active stance to strengthen laws, and voice your opinion that the cruelty of making money from innocent dogs is no longer welcome in Indiana! Visit Facebook: Indiana Ban of Puppy Mills Project” and sign and share the Ban Puppy Mills in the State of Indiana. My timeline has two petitions: End taxpayer funded animal cruelty, demand shelter reform, and Ban Puppy Mills in the State of Indiana., please sign and share. We comprehend this will be a multi – faceted battle that can only be won when numerous groups, breeders, vets, professionals, average citizens and others present a united front to be the voice for the imprisoned voiceless. Thank you.
Carol Reed