Dog's Life Magazine

Puppy Mills

Spring 2008 Issue

By Kyra Kirkwood

TAG: How much is that puppy in the window? A lot more than the amount listed on the price tag.

It's hard to imagine that the adorable, perky puppy in the neighborhood pet shop or on the friendly-looking website is actually the product of abused canine prisoners treated worse than livestock.

But almost always, they are, thanks to the growing blight of puppy mills across the country.

These commercial breeding kennels have been in existence for decades, and kept in business thanks to pet stores. With reports showing that upwards of 99 percent of all pet stores are supplied by these puppy mills, it's not a wonder why puppy mills stay in business. But while consumers have gotten more aware of the genesis of that puppy in the window and often forgo purchasing it at a pet store, puppy mills are actually growing. That's thanks, in part, to brokers, newspaper ads and, mainly, the Internet.

"Saying 'don't buy from pet stores' isn't enough anymore," says Stephanie Shain, director of the Humane Society of the United States' Stop Puppy Mills campaign.

Just like with pet stores, the façade of "breeder" websites looks anything but dastardly. Yet in most cases, it's just that—a façade, hiding the true nature of what animal groups call an aberration almost unimaginable in today's America.

PUPPY MILLS 101

By definition, puppy mills are large-scale breeding operations that operate under substandard conditions. In reality, these "businesses" are tantamount to canine concentration camps.

"The greatest victims are the breeding dogs," says Shain. "It's this life of utter misery. These are dogs who are treated like agricultural products. In a country where we cherish dogs like members of the family, [it's shocking] to know in some places, they're treated like ears of corn."

Dogs are kept in rusty or broken wire cages similar to chicken coops, some not even big enough for the dog to move freely. Most are often filthy and stacked upon each other, left unprotected from the heat and frigid temperatures.

"We've seen photos of puppy mills with piles of dead puppies and adult female dogs rotting in the sun," says John Van Zante, public relations manager for the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. "One breeder had the wire cages stacked six high. Great if you're in the top cage, but it really sucks to be in the bottom cage with the five above you pooping and peeing on you."

Water and food are substandard at best. And love? Affection? Unheard of. These dogs are kept devoid of such human contact, used only as breeding machines, forced to produce as many litters as possible before either dying or becoming barren. Sores crop up on their paws, teeth rot out, disease infiltrates and their spirits shatter.

"They're just robbed of everything that makes a dog a dog," says Shain.

Most puppy mills are hidden from view, such as on a large farm in rural country. But some are in big cities, with dogs housed in basements or garages. Since a vast number of dogs bred in puppy mills are the popular small-breed variety, even an inner-city puppy mill can have a few dozen dogs kept in his home. Yet the majority of these puppy mills are located in the South and Midwest (Arkansas and Missouri are two of the biggest states) and back east, like in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Of course, they're here in California, too, says Van Zante.

"Here in California, an estimated 500,000 orphaned pets are euthanized each year because they have no homes," he says. "That's an average of 1,370 innocent victims killed every single day, seven days per week—including holidays—all year long. Yet the puppy mills and breeders continue to crank out more pets. Why isn't that a crime?"

PUPPY MILL vs. BREEDER

Not everyone who breeds dogs operates a puppy mill. Honest breeders can be found everywhere. They focus on the betterment of the breed, not making money. They prioritize their breeding dogs' health and wellness, and always take into consideration breed-specific health concerns before creating a litter. Legitimate breeders weed out parents with genetic flaws so as not to pass them along to the next generation. The mother dogs are nurtured, the father dogs are well cared for and more often than not, both dogs are either show dogs or specialists in some area (obedience, therapy, Schutzhund, etc.). Being "cute" isn't qualification enough for honest breeders to continue the lineage.

Puppies from these breeders are cared for as if they were newborn humans, receiving the finest of medical care, socialization and love. More often than not, the dogs are raised inside the family home, being exposed to household happenings, people and noises. Good breeders also offer health guarantees for the pups, as well as "new puppy parent" support. In general, these folks do not have large numbers of dogs in their home. Respectable breeders specialize in one or two breeds at a time. Litters are spaced out, sometimes with a year in between, to give mother dogs a chance to recover.

Puppies are properly weaned, and sold to approved and qualified buyers. Many breeders even have new owners sign contracts, making sure these dogs they nurtured into the world will be taken care of until it's their time to leave it.

On the flip side of the coin are the puppy mills. Take everything you've just read about honest breeders and create the antithesis of it. There you have the puppy mills. These groups focus solely on making money, not the advancement of the breed. Genetic problems and proper socialization are not concerns of theirs. The kennel conditions are unsanitary at best, criminal at worst. Water, food and veterinary care are subpar. Most of the breeding stock has never even walked on grass much less slept in a warm home. They've never known love or a kind hand. The whelping box (where mothers birth and nurse their young) can often be found, not in a cozy kitchen alcove, but in a dirty, dark and urine-soaked barn. The pups are weaned too soon, given no proper socialization and shipped off like books ordered from Amazon.com. Several hundred thousand pups each year are carted across country to be sold in pet stores, or through newspaper ads and Internet websites. It's big business, and the higher the demand, the more these puppy mills crank out litters every heat cycle in an attempt to capitalize on profits.

They may say they sell only to qualified buyers, but in reality, that just means anyone with a credit card, says Shain.

But what about pedigrees? Papers? That's all these things are—pieces of paper. Many of these dogs are registered, even with the AKC, says Robert Baker, anti-cruelty investigator for the ASPCA. These credentials don’t guarantee puppies' mental and physical health, and, in many cases, can even be faked.

PUPPY MILL CONSEQUENCES

With conditions so disturbing, it's not a wonder most of these dogs, both the breeding stock and the puppies they produce, wind up with lasting scars.

Let's begin with the puppies. They are often weaned too early and sent like cargo to brokers, pet stores or buyers all over the nation.

"Do you really think a reputable breeder would pull their puppies away from the mother at five weeks of age and put them in the back of a truck and ship them halfway across the country," says Van Zante.

This period of socialization and education for newborn dogs is vital for lifelong skill learning, say canine experts. Ideally, pups should stay with their mothers and littermates for 12 weeks, says the HSUS. With puppy mill dogs, it's far, far less than that. If you see an eight-week-old pup in the pet store window with a tag that claims he came to California from Missouri, how long has he been without his birth family? Dogs separated too early often fail to develop appropriate "social skills," like bite inhibition and play proficiency. In other words, they have trouble learning how to be a dog.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Products of puppy mills suffer a whole host of diseases: skin problems (mites, ticks, fleas, mange), upper respiratory problems (kennel cough, pneumonia), worms and intestinal parasites, viruses like parvo and distemper, hernias, genetic woes (dysplasia, luxating patellas, detached retinas, deafness) and a slew of emotional issues that range from aggression and fear biting to nervousness, shyness and "general weirdo behavior," says Baker. This is if they survive at all. The sick, deformed or weak pups are often left to die.

But sometimes, the sick make it to the pet stores, or on the plane. Then days or months later, after being loved by their new families, these dogs die of various illnesses, leaving heartbreak and humongous veterinary bills in their wake. Even if they live, some of these dogs wind up with chronic medical woes and fragile health that cuts their lives short.

All this is all not to say you can't find healthy, happy, wonderful dogs born into puppy mills. But the odds are severely stacked against you, say experts.

Now let's take a look at the breeding dogs. While their puppies may escape the prison and go on to live pampered, luscious lives, these "mama dogs" are forever chained to a filthy cage and life of bleak isolation with little to no human contact. With litters every heat cycle (about twice a year), these malnourished and ill-cared-for dogs are forced to reproduce, nurse and then reproduce again, paying extremely high prices both physically and emotionally. As anyone who has ever had a child herself knows, it takes a healthy mom to grow a healthy fetus. With each litter that passes, the breeding dogs get more and more physically depleted, possibly leading to less stellar offspring.

When their breeding days are over, the dogs are often abandoned, left to starve in their cages or dropped off at county shelters to be euthanized. After earning thousands upon thousands of dollars for the puppy mill owner, these dogs are forced to face an ungracious death that the puppy miller has taxpayer money fund.

"To the puppy miller, the parents are just baby-making machines," says Shain.

INTERNET

With so many people becoming educated on the plights of pet-store puppies, how can puppy mills not just continue to exist, but thrive, in the 21^st century?

The Internet.

Technology has proved to be a huge boon in this industry, enabling puppy mills to not only profit, but expand, using adorable photos and clever wording on gorgeous websites to entice even well-meaning buyers to purchase from these carefully disguised hellholes. Responsible breeders have informational websites, sometimes with photos, and that is fine. But if a website allows you to buy a dog site unseen, that's a problem. Use the Internet for information, not credit card transactions.

According to Baker, some of the most popular websites where puppy mills advertise are Pets4you.com, greefieldpuppies.com and lancasterpuppies.com.

"That doesn't mean that everyone posting dogs on these sites is a puppy miller, but how does a consumer distinguish where the dogs come from," Baker says.

Other websites pretend to be local breeders, all the while purchasing dogs from puppy mills and reselling them to naïve consumers. And it's nearly impossible to tell, by looking at those photo-filled websites, who's the fraud and who’s the friend.

"I think the Internet is good to research breeds of dogs to learn their characteristics and what breed might be best for a person's lifestyle," says Baker. "And the Internet can be valuable in locating local breeders and learning what puppies are available."

But not for "ordering" puppies as easily as you pick up concert tickets from Ticketmaster.com.

"The puppy mills took advantage of people not wanting to buy from pet stores," says Shain. "They hit these people in their homes through the Internet."

The individual websites are not only as warm and fuzzy as a cozy pair of slippers, but seem even more caring and legitimate than Oprah. But as anyone with a shade of technological training knows, making a website, or hiring someone to create it for you, is a snap.

"There is absolutely no reason to believe what you see on that website is true," says Shain. "These people have gotten savvy in marketing their puppies."

From "hand-raised" to "family-raised," wording such as this is meant to convey heart and love, but really is just a marketing ploy, Shain says. In fact, those words are often red flags to puppy mill investigators. Contacting the "breeder" and receiving emails packed with the most adorable puppy photos imaginable, even if they include children snuggling with dogs and Grandma baking an apple pie, don't guarantee you're not dealing with a puppy mill. Buyers just can't trust online images or "nice" emails. The only way to make sure you're dealing with a reputable breeder is go and look for yourself. There is absolutely no other answer, experts say.

"It's too important to let it go by," Shain says. "There are too many things that are going on you can't see [if you don't go in person]."

Ordering your dog online, even if the "breeder" offers to send you complete lineage with photos as well as carry the dog on an airplane to meet you at Los Angeles International, is a huge mistake. You have not one single way to ensure you are not buying a dog that was birthed in a rabbit cage to a mother suffering from mange and tick infestation. Sure, you may get a relatively healthy dog out of the transaction, but what about the mother?

"This purchase goes well beyond the individual animal," says Shain. "The money has gone to keep [the puppy's] mom or dad in a cage for years."

But if the websites weren't legit, then they'd be shut down or exposed, right? Wrong. It's nearly impossible to monitor the accuracy of what is said on each and every website, meaning that the majority of puppy mills will continue business as usual, without getting busted.

HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN HERE?

Which leads us to the big question: If puppy mills are so heinous, how can they continue to exist? Federal investigators are overburdened, local animal control officers may not have proper jurisdiction, and breeding operations are regulated differently than individual pet owners, say experts. The HSUS is working to change this. Fortunately, thanks to the voices being raised in opposition, legislators have begun new regulations on puppy mills. But it's still not enough.

But at the end of the day, it's the dog lover that keeps these puppy mills in business.

"There's a ready supply of people [who want to own dogs]," says Shain.

Don't think you're "rescuing" a dog from a pet store, either. You're only fueling the fire and underscoring the ability of puppy mills to stay in business.

"It doesn't matter what their reasons are [for buying from the Internet or pet store]," says Shain. "They're still handing over their money. The money doesn't care why [they] bought from puppy mills."

It just cares that there's a market for what's being sold.

HOW TO AVOID

But you can help stop this.

Do not buy from pet stores. Ever. Even if employees swear they don't ever receive their inventory from puppy mills. Van Zante says every time he's investigated this claim, "their puppies were from puppy mills." With nearly 100 percent of all pet stores being puppy mill clients, it's going to be nearly impossible to find the one percent that isn't participating. With hundreds of fantastic and reputable breeders out there, why waste your time at pet stores?

Also, to avoid buying directly from a puppy mill, don't patronize long-distance newspaper ads, classifieds or the Internet. Again, the best and ONLY way to avoid falling prey to a puppy mill is go to the breeder in person. There is no way around it. You must see the facility with your own eyes, and then trust your instincts.

"This puppy, for all practical purposes, is going to be a member of your family for the next 10 to 15 years, and it is imperative that [you] exert the effort to ensure [you] are purchasing a healthy and well socialized animal," says Baker. "And more importantly, that [you] are not financially contributing to a puppy mill."

If, when you arrive, the facility has stacked cages, dozens of dogs, inadequate shelter or inferior cleanliness, leave. Is everything about this place reminiscent of how you would treat your dog? If not, leave. If the breeder offers to bring the dogs out to your house, the Wal-Mart parking lot or even your car in the driveway, leave. Don't fall victim to the hard sell; there are lots of good breeders out there, and this is not the only one selling your breed of choice. Take your time, investigate, trust your gut and ask many questions. You need to see the house, where the dogs were born, the parents, the conditions of the property and the way the people interact with the pups.

"Responsible breeders are proud to show off their kennel," says Baker.

Echoes Shain: "If they have nothing to hide, they should show you everything."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Even if you're not in the market to buy a dog right now, there are still things you can do to help end the puppy mill reign of terror.

• Tell everyone you know about puppy mill facts.

• Encourage your friends and family to save a life by adopting their next pet.

• Tell those who want to buy a dog to find a responsible, local breeder.

• Offer to go with them to investigate breeders or visit shelters and rescues.

• Write, email or call legislators, voicing opposition and asking for better laws and better enforcement of current laws.

• Donate to groups that fight puppy mills.

• Refuse to buy—ever—from pet stores and Internet ads. Use the Internet to search for info about a breeder, or any complaints about her. Never use an online order form to buy a dog.

• Visit the HSUS at stoppuppymills.org for more information.

It's like that pebble-in-the-pond cliché: one small action has a ripple affect. Don't be afraid to make a difference in your own backyard, say experts. In the end, you may be helping to create a new world without the suffering caused by puppy mills.

SIDEBAR:

• For more information on steps to take when buying a puppy, visit Puppybuyers.org.

• Don't forget about adopting! Check out www.petfinder.org, or your local animal shelter website.

• To order a $3 Dog Savers Kit in order to help spread the word in your community about puppy mills, visit www.stoppuppymills.org.