1
Dog Breeding: Puppy Mills
Damaris M. Nyasani
Rasmussen College
Composition
December 7, 2020
2
Dog Breeding: Puppy Mills
When you go to a pet store, do you ever wonder where tall those puppies come from? A
considerable amount of puppies are sold in pet stores, the internet, or breeders who might be
having puppy mills. What is the historical backdrop of puppy mills? What is the meaning behind
puppy mills, what are conditions are these animals placed in? These are some questions that will
be analyzed and addressed in this essay. Additionally, there will be a dive into the laws that
obtain to puppy mills. While keeping these questions in mind, the main objective is to find what
we can do to battle against or ended pup factories.
Commercial dog breeding began during World War II, when rabbit meat began losing its
popularity. With the meat not being in such a high demand, the farmers had vacant rabbit cages
sitting around and needed a way to make extra income. McMillan reports, “the USDA
encouraged struggling farmers to raise puppies as an alternative crop” (Mills, 2015). The USDAs
encouragement led to a nationwide rise of puppy sales. Retail establishments such as Sears and
Montgomery Ward's played big roles in promoting puppy sales. This was the beginning of
business for big production of puppy mills.
A puppy mill is a breeding facility that breeds dogs, often in insensitive everyday
environments constraining them to live in compact cages just to make a benefit while the
prosperity of the puppy isn't significant. Kenny states, "pup factories don’t have a standard
definition, the term alludes to high volume breeding operations populated by poorly treated dogs
that are bred at each chance, confined as long as they can remember, and that get insignificant
medical care" (Kenny, 2011). The dogs are usually housed in unsanitary conditions for the most
part, without appropriate medical needs, food, water, cover or human interaction, nor do they
understand what it resembles to be adored. Canines raised in puppy mills almost have no chance
3
of experiencing play time, treats, or now and then a much-needed breath of fresh air. Dogs in
puppy mills are face torture; In numerous cases they don't see the sun because they live in dark
warehouses.
Female dogs might be the most tortured dogs in puppy mills. They are compelled to
deliver puppies again and again for benefit. A lot of these dogs endure maltreatment all
throughout the US in pup factories. In the article it expressed, " They are treated as if they are
nothing more than living machines" (Schamel, 2019), this expression displays how the mills
ceaselessly utilize the females to continue creating litters to offer to the pet stores or any buyers.
When the female no longer has use, she is abandoned. Not only do these practices harm the dogs
physically, they also place a mental barrier on the poor animals. Most of these dogs grow up
having a negative perception of humans due to the traumatic experiences they receive in these
mills.
The puppies in these factories experience the ill effects of health issues in view of the
manner in which they are housed in. The environment they live in can be extremely unsanitary,
crowded and without any veterinary care. Because the enclosures are usually stacked on top of
one another, the pups are exposed to urine and fecal matter which leaves them to the exposure of
parasites or different infections that can cause disease. Canines coming from puppy mills have a
tendency of developing illnesses more often. As the ASPCA reports, “Because puppy mill
operators often fail proper husbandry practices that would remove sick dogs from their breeding
pools, the puppies are more prone to get sick with heart and kidney disease, respiratory disorders,
eye issues or deafness” (Novotny, 2020). Not only is the harm done to the dogs, it can also be
done to the owner or family of the acquired dog. Sometimes, these dogs bring along the diseases
or parasites namely, parvovirus, rabis, or Brucella.
4
Dogs in pup factories can develop major behavioral issues that make it difficult for them
to adapt to new environments. Living in confined spaces with almost no room to move or be
comfortable is one of the factors that causes the issues. Another great contributor is the fact theat
they experience close to zero human interaction. Some issues the dogs can have are fear, anxiety,
difficult to train, aggression, and food aggression. The dogs built up these practices since they are
detracted from their mothers at a youthful age and quit weaning before now is the right time
(Novotny, 2020). A study done by the Pet Food Institute about the prevalence of periodontal
illness was carried out with canines that were housed in a breeding factory, two facilities were
evaluated alongside 42 unique breeds. The study found out that periodontal disease was highly
likely in dogs found in breeding facilities. Kenny notes that, "PD is regularly portrayed as more
common, more extreme and more averse to be treated by a veterinarian in canines utilized for
business rearing than in buddy or diversion reproducing canines" (Kenny, 2011). This is because
in commercial breeding, the canines lack sterilization, veterinary care and not relative lodging.
The infection is seen in more established within reproducing canines, they for the most part have
little teeth left.
The Humane Society also carried out an investigation on one of the largest breeding
facilities, Pet Land Inc, who is the biggest ally of puppy mills; This facility sells a great number
of puppies every year. The Humane Society visited 21 stores, with one of the stores being in
Minnesota. The examination results demonstrated that a significant number of the dogs come
from pup factories, where the dog does not receive enough care. The Humane Society revealed
during their examination "specialists saw shocking conditions: little dogs living in smudged,
desolate enclosures, smelling of pee, with inadequate care and socialization" (Mills, 2015) This
investigation went on to prove how damaging puppy mills are to dogs. Inviting organizations
5
such as PETA to fight for animal rights and encourage people to adopt pets rather than purchase
them.
On July 1, 2014 former Minnesota governor, Mark Dayton, passed a bill that all
commercial dog and cat breeders get a permit through the Minnesota government, which will
require the breeders to have yearly examinations by the Board of Animal Health. The entire
motivation behind the law is to ensure the well-being of cats and dogs when the businesses are
carried out: "The compassionate and nice treatment of proposals blameless animals is not, at this
point an unwritten desire it is the law," said Governor Mark Dayton. While this law took years to
get into effect, it acts as way to ensure commercial dog owners keep the animals safe and follow
the guidelines of providing a good environment for the animals.
Fast forward to the following year, Minnesota made it in the list for puppy mills in the
United States, two of the puppy mills being in Becker County. The report is done every year by
the Humane Society, they list contained Michelle Sonnerberg's pet hotel, John and Lyle Renner's
pet hotel, Clearwater Kennel close to Motley, and Minnesota owned by Wanda Kretzman. Each
pet hotel had various violations which most of the infringement were rehashed ones from an
earlier time when they had been inspected. The Renner's with more than 100 adult canines and
around 70 puppies had many harmed dogs, some with irritated skin, eye issues, and a few dogs
with serious teeth issue. It was also reported to the Humane Society that purchasers who bought
dogs from these establishments were in poor health condition. Clearwater Kennel, one of the
biggest doggy plants in Minnesota, with more than 1000 dogs “willfully violated the Animal
Welfare Act to establish and maintain a program of adequate veterinary care, failing to provide
the proper cleaning, maintenance and sanitation, and failing to maintain enough employees to
carry out the level needed by the enormous number of dogs at the facility” (Santos, 2020).. It
6
goes to show that these establishments are more focused on the profits and less on the animal’s
health.
Here are a few actions that can be taken to battle against puppy mills. We can report pup
factories that we believe may not be authorized by the state. This way, the government or the
Humane Society can go out and inspect the issue. Sign petitions to stop puppy mills or compose
a letter to your local government. Spreading the word about puppy mills factories to friends and
people you know is also a great way to increase awareness. And as mentioned before you might
need to consider adopting your next pet as opposed to purchasing from a pet store or breeder.
Despite the fact that numerous individuals think puppy mills are coldhearted and pitiless,
there's certain individuals who uphold the factories. The puppy mill offers purebred puppies at a
reasonable price; this makes it easier for the consumer to get a puppy they want at a cheaper rate.
The purchaser can have a more extensive scope of pups to pick from when searching for a dog.
However, these pros do not come close to outweighing the cons. The proprietors of puppy mills
are the ones who end up benefitting the most because of how much fortune they receive off
offering the dogs (Kenny, 2011). Puppy mills are merciless and insensitive, a dog raised in a
factory does not receive the proper opportunity to live or have a family that cares for them. There
needs to be a stop to puppy mills, and adopting is the easiest way to help.
7
References
Kenny, K. (2011). A Local Approach to a National Problem: Local Ordinances as a Means of
Curbing Puppy Mill Production and Pet Overpopulation. Albany Law Review, 75(1),
379–406.
Mills, G. (2015). Call for action on puppy smuggling. Veterinary Record: Journal of the British
Veterinary Association, 176(11), 274. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h953
Santos, N. R. D., Beck, A., & Fontbonne, A. (2020). The View of the French Dog Breeders in
Relation to Female Reproduction, Maternal Care and Stress during the Peripartum
Period. Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010159
Schamel, B. M. (2019). Made in the Midwest: Missouri’s Puppy Mill Problem and How It
Should Be Fixed. Missouri Law Review, 84(1), 279–296.
Novotný, L. (2020). How to Fight Puppy Mills: Toughening the Sentences for Animal Abuse in
the Post-Communist Region. Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 10(6).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061020