Cordrey 1
Megan Cordrey
Mrs.Chambers
5th period
4 November 2014
Puppy Mills
“Saving a dog will not change the world, but to that dog the world will be changed.” In
today’s society the love for dogs are is at an all-time high. There is an estimate of 78.4 million
dogs owned as pets. Families are adopting from various places, whether it be pet stores, private
homes, shelters or online. Do we really know where our family pets are coming from though?
Most families do not thoroughly research before buying their new best friend. Without even
knowing it, someone could own a puppy that came from a cruel and unsanitary breeder with a
mental or physical disease. The growth of puppy mills is extraordinary, and most people do not
know the extreme brutality and harm a puppy mill is to our furry friends. Dogs are pushed to the
limits, and sometimes even killed while being confined in puppy mills. The breeders, on the
other hand, are greedily benefited from this process. Not having a guilty conscious of how they
are treating these puppies. Puppy mills should not exist at all, as they are punishing to dogs and
morally wrong.
Puppy mills are cruel in the way facilitators’ care- or better said- do not care, about the
environment and safety where puppies are being retained. “In puppy mills, dogs are typically
kept in small wire hutches inside sheds with no temperature control or outdoors with insufficient
protection from harsh natural elements” (Puppy 2). Dogs under no circumstance deserve to be
kept in harmful conditions like thunderstorms, sleet, or even high temperatures. They cannot
fend for themselves, but they rely on humans to care for and protect them. It is malicious to be a
dogs “care taker” and not protect it from events they cannot help themselves in. If puppies were
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raised in a caring home measured by today’s society, there would be no chance of a dog getting
that kind of abuse. Dogs kept in a puppy mill will not get the proper space they need. Rather, if
they lived in a proper home with a full yard or a cage that follows the Animal Welfare Act
Regulations they would get that space. No dog is comfortable being cooped up with multiple
dogs in a small area for its whole life. Instead, the majority of dogs need a good amount of room
to move around so they are able to exercise and grow. Dogs in puppy mills are typically kept in
small cages with multiple dogs from their litter or even from a separate litter. “The dogs spend
most of their time unattended so fighting goes unnoticed and injuries are untreated. It is not
abnormal to find dead dogs on a regular basis at a puppy mill” (Puppy 2). They are often so
cramped that they step and live on each other. Even moms that have just delivered a new litter
will live on top of each other. This lack of space can instigate fights among the dogs within the
cage-which would never happen if they were in larger cages with more room. Dogs will not get
the treatment they need as the mills provide little to no vet care. If they had larger cages they
would not fight, and it could help prevent diseases and infections dogs tend to get if they have
open wounds. Like stated before, most of the dogs are kept in wired cages that are stacked on top
of each other so it does not take up as much space. “The wire cage floors are meant to allow
feces to drop through, but when cages are stacked; it falls onto the animals below” (Puppy 2).
Although, it is convenient and saves space for the “care taker”, wire cages allow the dog’s urine
and feces fall through the cage land in another dog’s cage below. After many months of multiple
dog feces landing in a cage, it will begin to build up and harden becoming the dog’s new floor.
This is very unsanitary and unhealthy, let alone newborn puppies. Dogs deserve to be cared for
and protected from anything harmful. They are pets that are supposed to be loved on and be
shown compassion-not fighting for their lives every day.
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“Brood bitches” get the worst treatment of all the dogs while in puppy mills. “Female
dogs are bred twice a year and are usually killed or abandoned when they are no longer able to
produce puppies. Mothers and their litters often suffer from malnutrition, exposure, and a lack of
adequate veterinary care” (Puppy 3). First, they do not get to enjoy their pregnancy while being
cramped in a cage with no room. Pregnancy is supposed to be a beautiful part of life whether
human or animal. Brood bitches are miserable being kept in a 2X2 cage and receiving little to no
care. Second, once they have their litter most of the puppies may be taken away from their
mother. It is bad enough that the mother cannot enjoy her pregnancy, but she does not get to care
for them and act out her motherly role. Third, Brood Bitches are constantly being bred with new
litters and never given a break. As soon as the mother can have another litter she is at work
again. Finally, when they no longer can produce anymore litters they are often abandoned or
killed. How is killing an innocent animal that has already been through so much trauma and
made so much profit okay? If puppy mills never existed, no dog would have to go through life
like this. It is bad enough to be in kept in a puppy mill, but to be only used for offspring then
killed off is horrific.
Dogs are being permanently abused by having to live in such harsh conditions for a long
period of time, causing emotional damage and/or physical diseases when they are adopted or
rescued from a puppy mill. For an animal that has been surrounded closely by other animals,
bacteria, and provided no veterinary care there is a good chance, the animal will catch a disease.
Once one dog catches a disease, it will spread like wildfire. Like stated before, animals that live
closely together have a better chance of getting into aggressive fights. Fights can cause broken
bones, injured paw pads, or an open wound. These dogs do not get proper veterinary care;
without the proper treatments they need it could lead to many diseases or infections. Parvovirus,
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Canine Brucellosis, and Canine Distemper are all common diseases that are in puppy mills. Dogs
also can catch pneumonia, Bordetella bronchiseptic (which is a fancy word for kennel cough),
and other respiratory infections pretty easily. That makes sense though as these dogs are not
getting the proper hygiene they need in order to stay physically healthy. If humans did not bathe
and were kept in close conditions like them, then people would have a higher chance of
infections and a disease; the same thing goes for animals. Even more upsetting than a physical
illness, a puppy could end up with a mental illness. “More than 1,100 dogs rescued from puppy
mills who had been in their new homes for 2 years were found to have significantly elevated
levels of fears and phobias, compulsive and repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivity to
being touched” (N). Dogs in a puppy mill do not just face the harsh physical elements, but they
will carry on the mental ones. A dog that has known nothing but being independent and fighting
its whole life will get a culture shock when it is rescued and adopted into a loving family. It does
not know that it is okay to relax and enjoy life so it will bring its characteristic from the shelter to
the new home, or even develop new mental setbacks. “With no human contact [puppies] develop
poor socialization skills and when they eventually get to a home, they have problems adapting
and thus may end up abandoned on to the street” (Puppy 3). A puppy is safe in a loving new
home, but it may not know it and will take a lot of patience from the family to understand that it
is protected. If a family does not have the time to help this young puppy, they could possibly
send it to the animal shelter. What once could have been a loving sweet pet may not get the
chance to be after aggressive traits brought on because of a puppy mill.
Puppy mills are not only morally wrong, but there are legal complications too.
According to the USDA, the Animal Welfare Act is, “[a] Federal law in the United States that
regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers” (Animal).
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The Animal Welfare Act is important for the dogs because it protects them from harmful
breeders or shelters. The demands for purebred dogs make it impossible for all puppy mills to be
shut down. However, the USDA and Animal Welfare Act prevent as many puppy mills as
possible. “Breeders must be licensed by the USDA if they own more than three breeding females
and sell dogs to brokers, research labs, or pet stores” (Learning). Many breeders sell directly to
the public through the internet and at their homes; because selling the puppies directly exempts
them from this regulation. Many puppy mills that stay in business are run in rural areas that are
undetected by the USDA so that they are not able to be enforced these laws. “Several state
agencies across the country, as well as the IRS, have reported that commercial dog breeders have
underreported their income on federal and state tax returns” (Legislation). Not only do the
breeders try to sell unhealthy dogs that have been tortured, but they are trying to make and keep
as much profit as they can. Often time’s breeders are caught applying for federal disability
payments while they have no disabilities and are working as dog breeders. Puppy mill breeders
are scamming our government and selfishly taking the money without seeking the care of the
dogs.
Most people do not see the first months of the puppies’ lives. They do not see the tragedy
that is happening to these puppies. Some may not even realize that this is happening. They will
buy a puppy online, through ads, or at pet stores and never know where the puppy came from.
Dogs are fighting for their lives every day while being contained at the puppy mill. They are not
getting the love and comfort they are supposed to have. Once they do receive the love and care
they need, they are hesitant not being able to live a life as a puppy like they should. Many
puppies face challenges every day from the day they are born to the day they die. Even if they
are rescued they will continue to face the harsh reality of having mental and/or physical
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disabilities. If more people were aware of the cruelty puppy mills create, puppy mills could come
to an end with time. The breeders will finally come to an end of their selfish ways of collecting
money and not caring for a man’s best friend. Puppy mills need to come to an end for the
puppies’ lives and for our society.
Cordrey 7
Works Cited
"Animal Welfare Act." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Last Chance for Animals - Puppy Mill Facts." Last Chance for Animals - Puppy Mill Facts.
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Learning to Give, Philanthropy Education Resources That Teach Giving and Civic
Engagement." Learning to Give. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Legislation, Missouri Alliance For Animal, Fall 2013 Newsletter, " Welfare Swindlers + Tax
Cheats + Consumer Fraud + Animal Neglect = Puppy Mills (n.d.): n. pag. MISSOURI
ALLIANCE FOR ANIMAL LEGISLATION. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
N, And Lack. Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) Veterinary Report on
Puppy Mills (n.d.): n. pag. Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. Web. 31
Oct. 2014.
"PAWS - People Helping Animals." Buyer Beware: The Problem with Puppy Mills and
Backyard Breeders » PAWS. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Puppy Mills | Animal Rescue Corps." Animal Rescue Corps. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
"Puppy Mills: Dogs Abused for the Pet Trade." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Puppy Mills." Society for the Advancement of Animal Wellbeing. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.