Puppy Mills in the News Again.
Adopt! Don't Shop.
Petland Inc. has issued news statements that their puppies only come from "good breeders" and that, while each store is a separate franchise, Petland Inc. provides each store with "humane care guidelines" to ensure quality care of the animals for sale.
What IS a puppy mill, anyway?
From the About.com Dogs site: "Popular usage of the label "Puppy Mill" has it as a large facility, where dogs are crammed into cages, fed little, uncared for, with little or no human contact, and forced to breed heat cycle after heat cycle, while an uncaring owner reaps profits." Read more
Animals that are sick or injured are often left to die, and there have been many reports of the live animals having to share space with the dead ones. Obviously, with sanitation at this level, it is easy to understand that many more animals will get sick or injured before finding that forever home. The animals are poorly socialized to humans, creating many possible behavior problems, and ultimately "not working out" as a pet. Attention to quality breeding practices, including overall health and fitness, genetic diseases, and infectious diseases are ignored, fostering and creating a variety of congenital and life-long health problems.
How do puppy mills stay in business?
Puppy mills stay in business because there is money to be made. I have known many educated people who have said that they want to buy a pet from a store because it will be "better quality" than a shelter adoption or rescued pet. A comparison tour of puppy mills versus many of the animals shelters would reveal quite a different story. Purebred "papers" are only worth the paper they are printed on if the animal is not a quality representation of the breed and free of health problems.
With millions of animals euthanized each year in the US for lack of homes, it is truly saddening to think of all of the many more animals being bred, neglected and abused to create more pets for pet stores. Please consider adopting a pet and help put puppy mills out of business!
News sources and related reading:
- Investigation ties pet chain to puppy mills
From MSNBC.com - Pet Giant Linked To Puppy Mills
From CBS News - Petland Linked to Puppy Mills
From the HSUS -
Humane Society Accuses Petland of Supporting Puppy Mills
From ConsumerAffairs.com - Investigation reveals Petland Inc. is biggest retailer of puppy mills
From SeattleExaminer.com
Comments
I rescued a puppy mill puppy once from a pet store, but the dog proved too much for me to handle. Fortunately, an experienced retired breeder took him and he has worked out well for her.
He was sold as a Newfoundland but was in fact a European Landseer. The front door still has scars from his scratching. On the other hand he remembers me fondly and jumps up to lap my face everytime I see him.
How did you decide that he was a European Landseer? I may have run across another Petland Landseer. He is supposed to be a Newf of the landseer variety but looks very like what I would guess is the european variety.