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The truth of the matter
There is only way to make it clear that puppy farms or puppy mills or any
large scale puppy producing factory has one bottom line: profits. And not
the wellbeing of their animals.
This is a photo that was sent to me by a person in rescue. In case you
dont recognise the breed, its a maltese terrier.
Below are the letters that came with the photo.
Why I do what I do, why I continue to "spout from my soapbox",
and why you
should tell EVERY person you know not to buy a puppy
from a pet store!
Hey folks, this dog came to us with AKC papers! We don't know how old he
is. We just know that he spent his whole life in a Commercial Breeding
facility in Lancaster County, fully licensed by the state of PA. We know
that this breeder was inspected three times in the last year and a half.
No violations. How could a warden walk by this dog three times and not
issue a vet check? He is suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, ulcers in
both eyes (permanent damage), mange, infections in both ears, and what's
left of his teeth will need to be pulled if and when he is strong enough. He
had numerous parasites and is being treated for a very contagious organism
that's attacking his intestinal tract. The Vet Hospital who is now
treating him tell me he is one of the sweetest dogs they have ever met. Can
anyone tell me why this is allowed to continue? Look at his spine. It will
cost us thousands of dollars but we'll get him well and find him a home. I
hope and pray that things will change soon.
Bill Smith Main Line
Animal Rescue This was posted to my Cairn Rescue list this morning. It's
absolutely
heartbreaking and I know it'll be especially hard for
those of you who have
special affection for Maltese. But it's
something we need to pass around so
ordinary folks understand
where we as rescuers are coming from. This is why
Col. Potter
rescues mill dogs, and especially older mill dogs. This is why
we try so hard to make people understand what they're supporting
if they
purchase from a pet store....either a live dog or cat or
food, toys, etc.
from a store that sells live dogs and cats.
I'm going to be giving my PA
mill kids extra hugs today....lots
of extra hugs.
Bonnie
Col. Potter
Cairn Rescue Network
www.CairnRescue.com
Why am I posting this on my website?
Because I get really riled up when discussing doodles, designer dogs or
puppy farms. People I talk to think I'm a fanatic and get on
my 'high horse' and preach about the evils of pet shops, not desexing animals
and mass production of puppies because I have an 'agenda' since I'm a breeder.
I can almost read their thoughts:
'Oh, you're just upset by pet shops and anyone else producing puppies cause
they're your competition. You breeders think you know everything and
you make money from selling puppies anyway.'
Well... its not just sour grapes. And if you're interested enough to read
you might find some food for thought.
Ask yourself this...
The first question you need to ask yourself is "How can any place
that breeds hundreds of puppies a year, owns from 25 to over 200
bitches and a slightly smaller number of stud
dogs.... how can they possibly give individual attention to any of their
adult dogs, let alone the puppies?"
You can question the low inbreeding coefficient of these dogs and the resulting
'hybrid vigour'. I know I do! Even if they start off with unrelated dogs,
eventually, unless they keep buying new breeding stock (which wouldn't
make sense economically!) they will be breeding the same lines into eachother.
The hybrid vigour that designer dog breeders base their
entire marketing strategy on flies out the window.
You could go on and ask yourself what kind of life these dogs have... Living
in kennels and/or runs like livestock, bred every season, without love
and companionship...?
Yes, we raise livestock like that. But we EAT livestock. Call me sentimental,
but dogs aren't livestock.... Cows and sheep are never intended to
be companion animals. Companion animals need to be socialised. They need
to be handled and loved and raised in a home environment from the day they're
born. Not raised in a shed, on wire, in crates, with employees looking
in on them on a schedule, hosing down cages and putting down food.
And thats the 'high tech' facilities we hear about. What about the 'others'...
and I assure you. They are out there. They're the ones that raise their
puppies and keep their breeding stock in cages their entire lives, often
without bedding, in damp dirty conditions, without proper protection from
extremes of weather.
Think battery hens.
Its no life for a chicken. Let alone a DOG.
Wouldn't you prefer to bring a puppy into your life that's been given a great start to life?
How much is that puppy in the window?
Pet shops buy from puppy farms/mills cause they need to buy cheap and sell
at a profit. Here in Australia we prefer to call them Puppy Farms.
It sounds so much more palatable. It conjurs up images of puppies
romping in fields of green... It makes us feel better about it.
By buying in pet shops who sell live puppies we are supporting those who
make a living producing puppies for the market. To them its business. Big
business. And like any business they only do what's profitable. Testing
costs money so they dont test. Making as many puppies as possible makes
money so thats what they do.... Any dogs able to reproduce but not good
enough to sell are kept and bred from.
Most of the time these designer mutts they spend $$$ advertising and promoting
cost you more than a purebred dog would. With no health testing of parents,
no predictability of what the dog will look like when its fully grown,
what it will act like, and often no early socialization.
There are two types of 'puppy farm'. There's the major mass production
facilities, 'high tech' or dismal. These produce both purebreeds and designer
dogs for the puppy market. They have as many dogs in their sheds as some
people have sheep.
Then there's the smaller concerns... The ones that try to appear more 'humane'
and 'family run'. Yeah right. Bottom line - they are still mass producing
puppies and keeping large amounts of dogs in sheds.
Don't be fooled. Its still the same thing. One will make you throw up and give you nightmares for years. The other may be cleaner and they'll present it as a loving environment owned by
caring breeders, but..... is that the life you would want for YOUR dog?
Here in Tasmania we have a new, large 'state of the art' breeding facility
that churns out labradoodles. I haven't been there so I cant give you personal
observations. I only know what I know from reading about them in the paper
and seeing their ads. They advertise on television about how wonderful
their puppies are. The idiot who narrates the ad even says 'I saw the puppies,
I loved them. I bought one'.
Am I the only person who finds this distasteful? Only BUSINESSES advertise
on TV. Businesses that make tons of money... And this business is making
tons of money by breeding and selling puppies in bulk.
They brag about the amount of stock they have and the puppies they produce. They sell hundreds of puppies a year
locally or overseas for big bucks. Never a mention about health issues.
Heaps of generalities about their hybrid vigour and huge promises about
the 'perfect' pets they produce. To me, the photos speak for themselves...
But they sell cause they employ the best marketing strategy in the world: puppies are cute.
But I get carried away. As I said... this topic gets me really riled up.
An aside - my agenda?
What a huge difference from breeders like myself... who have a few dogs in the house, on our
beds, who are family members. Clean. Spoilt. Happy.
And just for the record... breeders seldom make money. Yes, we sell our
puppies for a fair price. But we also have had years of expenses before
breeding a litter. We raise our dogs with care, we do health tests as required,
we show and title our dogs. None of that is free. Then we find a stud dog,
often in another state or even another country. Enter stud fees, plane
flights, and more vet bills. We raise our litters in the home, give
them the best start we can, feeding them and mom well; suplements, vitamins, special food
- more expenses. Microchips, vet checks, worming etc. Finally we sell these
pups and 'make a ton of money'.
We wouldn't do it if we didn't make money you say.... Let me assure you
that most breeders consider it lucky if they come out ahead on a litter
- a bit of money to put aside to do health tests on the next bitch they
plan to show and breed, pay for the next stud fee and costs related to
getting a bitch mated, perhaps pay for show entries and petrol to title
the next dog. Sometimes all you can hope for is to break even on a litter.
Each of our dogs is special to us. Cesarians and vet visits as needed.
If we lose a puppy or a litter we are devastated. We might lose a ton of
money. Our dogs aren't disposable. We dont have another 50 just like that
one in the other pens.
Why do we breed then? Well for lots of reasons. We love our dogs. We love
our breed. We love to show and we want another dog to show... its our hobby.
We love what we do.
I know I work to support my addiction... oops. I mean hobby.
Either way, its not a business. The bottom line isn't money. Its our love, our
passion. Our hobby.
Make up your own mind
At the end of the day its your own decision what breed of dog (or mixed
breed) you want to live with and where you buy it. But before you rush
out and buy from a pet shop or order from some mass facility online, stop
and think about what you might be supporting.
Go to the RSPCA. Look at all the abandoned and unwanted dogs. Rescue one. You'll find purebred dogs, mixed breeds and TONS of designer mutts that didn't live up to the wild promises made by their 'breeders'. Save a life. Don't perpetuate the problem.
I'm a snob when it comes to my dogs... I'm
not ashamed to say I am a poodle lover through and through. There is no
other breed for me, though I love all dogs. There's no shame in that. If
you're like me and want a pedigree and a lovely example of the breed,
buy from a breeder. Use your gut. Buy from a person who you trust... after
all, a good breeder will be a friend for the life of the dog and often
beyond.
I repeat: USE YOUR GUT. We know when something isn't right... dont buy
when it 'smells bad'.
All puppies are cute. All puppies deserve to be loved and live their lives
in a good home. Even the ones produced in cages in mass production facitlies...
Just ask yourself if we should be encouraging this horrible treatment of
dogs to continue.
So please think about where that cute puppy has come from and what life
its parents are enduring in order for its owners to live a life of comfort.
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