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Morgan Bond
Mrs. Chambers
12th British Literature
7 November 2014
According to The Humane Society of the United States, it is estimated that there are at
least 10,000 puppy mills in the United States. Additionally, 500,000 puppies are born in puppy
mills and sold in pet stores every year in the United States. Puppies are frequently being adopted
from online breeders or pet stores, with a majority of those puppies coming from puppy mills.
Puppy mills are commercial breeding establishments that mass produce puppies in terrible
conditions. These puppy mills are too unsanitary and unhealthy for any animal to be living in
them. They are expanding more and more each year, and more people should be educated on this
issue. The government should pass more laws to prevent the establishment of puppy mills and
also enforce harsher punishments on people who run them. Owners of these mills can be
manipulative and dishonest about the conditions of the facility, including where the puppy
actually came from. In reality, these puppies are living in unbelievable conditions with little
shelter, food, or water and it is happening every day across the United States. Puppy mills are
detrimental because of their unsanitary conditions, their threat of lifelong damage to a puppy’s
behavior, health, and their risk of major injuries to these puppies.
Puppy mills across the country are deplorable because the puppies living in them reside
in unsanitary conditions that can cause illness or disease. “At mills, puppies are often kept in
cramped and unhygienic cages and denied adequate food, water, and veterinary care” (Davis).
All of the dogs and puppies are kept in tight spaces inside small cages. Most of the time there are
too many dogs in one cage, and they end up living on each other or stepping on one another all
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the time. These cages are typically stacked on top of each other, which can lead to a dog’s urine
or feces falling through the bottom of the cage and landing into another dog’s cage. This alone
can cause diseases to spread among the dogs. Most breeders sell puppies on a variety of
websites, claiming the dogs were hand-raised in a “loving and well socialized environment”
(Stapleton). This is obviously not the case. “All of these conditions can harbor microorganisms,
spread disease and attract insects and rodents-increasing the risk of disease and crosscontamination. If kept outside, dogs from puppy mills are often not provided adequate protection
from the elements” (Humane). The cages are often placed outside in extreme heat and cold
weather. Exposure to the elements can lead to sickness or even death for the animals.
The wire flooring at the bottom of the cages also causes problems for the dogs and
puppies. Wire flooring can cause dogs to stand for long periods of time rather than lay down.
They avoid laying down because of the discomfort they feel when laying down on the flooring.
Standing for long periods of time can damage their paw pads because the dogs splay their paws
in order to maintain balance in the cages. Sores can also develop on their paw pads from standing
for long periods of time. Damage can include cuts or cracks in their paw pads, which could lead
to infection. The weather elements can affect the wire flooring of the cages, causing them to rust,
which leads to additional danger to the dogs. The discomfort from the cages can lead to
depression or anxiety among the dogs. “The wire can also become extremely hot in warm
temperatures or in sunlight. In cooler weather, wire mesh flooring allows for increased drafts in
kennel cages. It is more difficult for dogs housed in drafty cages to thermo‐regulate
appropriately. This is particularly true for puppies and other dogs with minimal body mass or
fat” (Humane). These harsh living conditions can cause health problems among the puppies.
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Puppy mills are inhumane because of the potential lifelong damage to a puppy’s health,
such as matting, blindness, intestinal parasites, and joint or respiratory disorders. “Many of the
puppies sold suffered from congenital defects, parasites, or other serious health or behavioral
issues” (Stapleton). Causes of these health issues are directly related to the unhealthy conditions
the puppies are kept in and the lack of proper care they receive. Matting refers to the clumps of
tangles in a dog’s fur. This is typically caused during dog’s seasonal shedding when excess hairs
are not removed. Matting can cause extreme pain to a dog because of the resulting sores on their
skin. It also results in the skin being denied fresh air and stimulation, which can become irritated
and unhealthy. Dogs may also develop blindness from lesions in their eyes from the unsanitary
conditions and high levels of ammonia in the air within puppy mills.
Intestinal parasites are a huge problem among dogs and puppies inside puppy mills
because they are highly contagious within close proximities. “A few of the common intestinal
parasites of dogs do not cause health issues. Some, like roundworms and tapeworms, absorb
nutrients through their skin (cuticle) and do not normally injure your pet’s intestine. Others,
however, like hookworms, chew and erode the lining of your pet’s intestine. Strongyloides
tunnels through the lining causing inflammation” (Intestinal). Intestinal parasites, just like fleas,
move from pet to pet. Fleas and mange, which are skin mites, are also a common illness obtained
by these dogs. Another problem among puppy mill dogs are joint and respiratory disorders.
Joint disorders are common among dogs inside puppy mills because the size of the dog in
comparison to the cage it is placed in is confining. For example, a golden retriever would most
likely obtain a joint disorder if it resided in a cage that it could barely stand up or move around
in. Respiratory disorders among the dogs are caused by the unsanitary conditions of the puppy
mill that contribute to pollution in the air. They can also be caused by too many dogs being in
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one area, which would lead to less oxygen supply. “Brachycephalic (or short-faced) breeds like
bulldogs and pugs suffer from breathing problems; Great Danes and other large dogs from joint
problems; long dogs like dachshunds and basset hounds from back problems; wrinkly-faced dogs
like boxers and shar-peis from skin and eye problems” (The Purebred). Living in these
conditions and obtaining injuries inside a puppy mill can result in behavioral problems among
the dogs and puppies.
Puppies living in puppy mills across the country are at risk for lifelong behavioral
consequences, including being aggressive or skittish. The puppies and dogs are never fully
socialized with humans while at the puppy mills, so if they were to get rescued, they would be
more likely to obtain behavioral issues and have less trust in humans. “These puppies are
separated from their mothers early and not socialized with humans, leading to trauma and
behavioral troubles” (Davis). The dogs are always confined to their cages with no toys, treats, or
even exercise, which can lead to emotional stress. These dogs also tend to have, “significantly
elevated levels of fears and phobias, compulsive and repetitive behaviors, and heightened
sensitivity to being touched” (Humane). Most dogs develop unwanted characteristics, such as
aggressive behavior as a result of living in puppy mills. An example of the lack of trust a dog
could obtain from residing within a puppy mill is a story of a dog that was rescued from a puppy
mill in Iowa. “Diann Helmers slowly approached the timid Bernese mountain dog last week. She
held out her hand and petted her neck. Jordi trembled, and her hind end sunk” (Hinz). According
to Hinz, the dog also would not walk over to the owner because of a caterpillar that was crawling
in the grass. So puppy mills not only affect a puppy’s trust in humans, but they also affect them
enough to become more wary of their surroundings.
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Puppies can obtain major injuries, such as a broken jaw, when living in the unhealthy and
unsanitary conditions inside puppy mills. Leg injuries are also commonly acquired by dogs and
puppies from standing up for long periods of time, rather than lying down, because of the wire
flooring in the cages. “Injuries also plague puppies from puppy mills. These injuries can range
from damaged paw pads to broken jaws. And the lack of grooming and proper hygiene that these
dogs endure leads to severe coat matting and foot and nail problems” (Humane). Most injuries
are not treated as long as the injury does not affect the dog’s reproductive capabilities. Injuries
that are overlooked include dental disease, eye or skin infections, and overgrowth of nails. In
some cases, when owners of the puppy mill do decide to treat a dog’s injury, it is actually more
beneficial for the dog to be left untreated due to the lack of veterinary experience of the puppy
mill staff. Sometimes the staff perform veterinary practices on the dogs without even having a
license. Some of the veterinary practices they perform include giving antibiotics, performing
surgeries, and attempting to treat diseases with their own diagnosis for the dogs. Some of the
surgeries they attempt to perform are ear cropping, surgical births, and tail docking. “A lack of
professional veterinary medical care can lead to deadly mistakes when puppies are
misdiagnosed, overmedicated, or given an inappropriate medication” (Humane). Even though the
dogs and puppies are in bad physical conditions either way, it is better to leave them untreated
than to try and treat them with unlicensed puppy mill workers who might make their injuries
worse.
Puppy mills are establishments that mass-produce puppies in horrific conditions. These
mills are too unhealthy and unsanitary for dogs to be living and reproducing in them. Owners of
puppy mills should receive harsher punishments for running these establishments because of the
terrible conditions for which the dogs are exposed. A harsher punishment is also warranted
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because of the threats the puppy mills impose on the puppy’s health, such as matting and
diseases, behavior issues, and the high risk of major injuries to the animals.
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Works Cited
Davis, Susan. "Take Action to Promote Animal Welfare." Gale Power Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov.
2014.
Hinz, Tina. "Iowa a Haven for Puppy Mills, Pet Advocates Say." Galileo Ebsco Host. N.p., 24 Sept.
2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) Veterinary Report on Puppy Mills."
(n.d.): n. pag. May 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Intestinal Parasites In Your Dog And What To Do About Them." Intestinal Parasites In Your Dog
And What To Do About Them. N.p., 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"The Purebred Paradox : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of the
United States, 20 May 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
Stapleton, Christine. "Atty. General Shuts down Bulldog Puppy Mill." Galileo Ebsco Host. N.p., 23
July 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.