Many people are unaware of the abuse which animals suffer in puppy mills. Others are simply shocked by the fact that puppy mills are legal in the United States of America (USA), excluding California. Frank McMillan, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, defines a puppy mill as “any breeding facility where puppies are produced for profit and their physical and psychological needs are not met to provide a decent quality of life.” Regulations regarding treatment of animals in commercial breeding facilities are established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA is the only federal law in the USA that regulates the treatment of animals through dealers, research, transport, and exhibition. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) enforces the AWA and oversees the commercial animal breeding industry; however, the USDA and AWA are ineffective. Under the AWA, the number of dogs allowed in mills is unlimited. There is no requirement for the number of staff who must care for the dogs. Cages must be only 6 inches bigger than a dog’s body, excluding the tail. A dog may only be taken out of its cage for breeding; there is no requirement regarding human interaction. A female may be bred during each heat cycle, which is when she can become pregnant. This occurs about every six months. Unwanted animals may be killed or auctioned off. The vagueness of the AWA allows puppy mill owners to determine what is proper treatment of the animals. In addition to commercial dog breeding facilities, the USDA currently has about 110 inspectors to supervise animal exhibitors (zoos, circuses, wildlife parks, petting farms), research facilities (hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, universities), and animal transporters (trucking and airline companies). In 2010, these 110 inspectors were responsible for supervising 8,782 facilities, which may only be inspected once a year. The USDA often documents violations incorrectly, leading to infrequent inspections and high risks for animal abuse. Serious direct violations, such as cockroach-infested food, excessive waste, and substantial tick infestations on the dogs have been reported as indirect.
Puppy Mill Owners
Puppy mill owners put profit over the well-being of the animals. A peer reviewed article by Krysten Kenny, J.D. Candidate at Albany Law School, states that extremely poor regulations allow mill owners to force the puppies under horrific conditions. Dogs receive little to no veterinary care. Female dogs are killed after they are physically depleted to the point where they can no longer reproduce. Dogs are also killed when mills are too full and/or due to a lack of adopters. After being bred at mills, the dogs are shipped to pet stores across the USA. Shipping conditions are brutal; dogs are packed together in small cages where disease easily spreads. The animals can be kept up to 12 hours without food or water. Many dogs do not survive the trip. Pet stores use deceptive sales pitches, saying that they receive dogs from “USDA licensed” or “professional” breeders; in reality, these claims mean nothing due to the loosely regulated puppy mill industry. It is evident that the conditions in puppy mills must be improved.
Rescue Organizations
Kim Kavin from The Washington Post states that rescue organizations buy dogs from puppy mills. When commercial breeders were more popular, rescuers would buy surplus dogs to save them from euthanization; however, as the number of commercial kennels decreased, rescuers turned to the auction market. Now, rescuers who are dedicated to certain breeds have an especially hard time finding what they want. Rescuers who turn to the auction industry advertise the dogs as “puppy mill rescues”. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and other nonprofits claim that rescuers who buy dogs at auctions are encouraging the commercial breeding industry. Bob Hughes, owner of America’s largest commercial dog auction “Southwest”, states that rescue organizations support 33 to 40 percent of the company’s income. Due to this cycle, eventual adoptive families are unaware that their dog was bought at an auction. Confirming this unawareness, the ASPCA published a first-hand account of a woman who purchased her dog from a pet store, which swore that the dogs were rescued and not from mills. When the owner brought the dog home, she discovered its persistent cough, stomach rash, and intestinal infection. Another example of a fraudulent rescue organization is “Paws, Claws, and More”, an online company exposed by Eric Barton from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Owner Shannon Lacewell claimed that the dogs were “puppy mill rescues”; however, when the horrors of the business were discovered, Lacewell faced 94 counts of animal cruelty. The dogs were extremely sick, and some shared cages with the corpses of other dead dogs. Tracy Coppola, campaign officer of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, states that people often turn to adoption sites since they seem more legitimate. It is evident that more awareness must be spread about these fake rescue organizations.
Animal Rights Activists
Animal rights activists along with organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and ASPCA are trying to end the cruel conditions which the dogs face in mills. These organizations commended Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of the California law passed in October of 2017, which requires pet stores to sell pets from rescue organizations. Although California is on the right track, there is still much more work to be done to end the cruelty of animals in puppy mills. Humane Society’s 2016 Facts and Figures Report stated that there is an estimated number of 10,000 puppy mills in the USA, including both USDA licensed and unlicensed, from which about 3 million dogs were euthanized. The Puppy Mill Project (TPMP), an organization in Chicago that is dedicated to fighting puppy mill cruelty, claims that when you buy a puppy in a pet store, it maintains the cycle of cruelty and supports the puppy mill industry. TPMP educates audiences by going to schools and shelters and has currently presented to over 2,400 people with the hope of spreading knowledge. TPMP offers classroom kits with interactive activities for ages kindergarten to grade 12. It can be inferred that activist organizations must reach a wider audience in order to have a substantial impact.
Limitations
Although TPMP has the dogs’ best interests in mind, speaking exclusively to audiences in Chicago is simply not enough. Information must be spread further to have a significant impact on the puppy mill industry since many people outside of Chicago are still unaware of the horrors that occur. Another weakness of The Puppy Mill Project is its lack of active social media platforms such as Instagram, which is a crucial means of spreading awareness. Additionally, using social media as a platform is a cost-free method of promoting awareness. The Puppy Mill Project’s mission also does not yet educate others about fraudulent rescue organizations, which must be addressed in order to stop the commercial dog breeding industry.
Solution
TPMP, ASPCA, and other nonprofits from different regions of the USA should help spread each other’s messages to promote more awareness. These organizations should use each others’ strengths of social media and marketing to achieve their mission. Collaborating would solve TPMP’s limitations regarding physical boundaries and lack of awareness about fake rescue organizations. Organizations strongly encourage to “adopt, not shop”, so a crucial message in their campaigns should be awareness of fake rescue companies. By spreading the word about the cruelty of animals, voting for animal-friendly candidates, and supporting legislation that reduces and regulates the breeding of animals, the USA will become one step closer to ending the inhumane puppy mill industry.
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