When you see an adorable little puppy in the window of a pet shop it can be difficult not to stop and oogle over the adorableness. While there is no questioning the fact that puppies of any kind are downright irresistible, unfortunately, many of these dogs are the product of cruel puppy mills.
Puppy mills are large-scale breeding facilities that produce hundreds of puppies for pet stores every year. In these mills, dogs are kept in cramped cages and rarely receive proper care. The breeding dogs will spend their entire lives in these horrific conditions while the sale from their pups goes back to fuel their abuse.
Luckily, organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are doing all they can to put an end to this atrocity. what’s even better is that there’s a way that people like us can help them from the sidelines!
295 dogs were freed from an Arkansas puppy mill thanks to the combined efforts of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, HSUS animal rescue, and a tip from the HSUS’s puppy mill tip line.
Rescuers on the scene say that the dogs were living in their own feces and filth. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t have access to clean food or water either.
The dogs’ owner has surrendered them to the Madison County Sheriff’s office. While these cruel humans are currently being charged with two counts of animal cruelty, we think they deserve more.
Clay Rowland, Madison County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant said, “I can’t believe that something like this could happen in Madison County and I am relieved that we were able to come to the aid of these dogs today.” It just goes to show that something like this could be going on right down the street from any one of us. Keep your eyes peeled!
Many of these dogs will likely suffer from a myriad of behavioral problems, contagious diseases, and physical injuries as a result of their mistreatment.
As you can see, many of the dogs were starved for attention and went nuts the second they saw a friendly human.
The HSUS rescue team is transporting these animals to a temporary shelter where they can be examined and treated by vets.
After that, Red Rover responders will take care of the animals until more permanent arrangements can be made. Greater Good and Rescue Bank will be providing food and medicine. Click either of their links to visit their websites.
This puppy mill shut down was the greatest thing that could happen to these dogs. However, the fight to end puppy mills continues.
We can all help to bring an end to puppy mills by choosing to adopt and never shop for a pet. There are millions of healthy, adoptable animals waiting in shelters and rescues – there is no reason why anyone should have to purchase a dog from a store that fuels this sort of abuse.
If you have any tips about a potential puppy mill near you, please call the HSUS tip hotline.
All image source: HSUS
Please don’t buy from Craig’s list EVER or from a pet shop- there are SO many dogs waiting to be rescued who need forever homes! And they are so grateful to have a person or family to love them!!!It’s horrendous what they do to these puppy mill dogs that end up in pet shops or at farmer markets or in ads. Be smart and help make this stop!