BY RACHEL WERMAGER
The facts on puppy mills are startling and unsettling. Stop their profits and adopt instead.
There are an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the United States.
In a puppy mill there is little to no regard for the health of the dogs; their main goal is profit.
“A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs,” states the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Dogs that come from puppy mills are prone to genetic defects, diseases and infirmities.
The dogs used for breeding are kept in wire cages for the duration of their lives and the mothers are bred every heat cycle until they are no longer able to produce, after which they are usually killed.
Puppy mills are everywhere, but there is a high concentration in the Midwest. They breed all kinds of dogs and can house hundreds to thousands of them.
The bottom line is that puppy mills are designed for profit and profit alone, and it is at the expense of the dogs’ well being.
One of the only ways to ensure that you are not buying a puppy from a puppy mill is to see where the dog came from yourself. A responsible breeder will want to meet with the people buying the dog and show the conditions of where the dog lives. When buying from a breeder never meet at an off-sight location or have the puppy shipped to you.
The best way to help fight against this cruelty to animals is for people to start making adoption their first choice when looking for a dog. An estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year, this happens because the dogs are not being adopted and the shelters become overpopulated.
The only way to shut down the puppy mill industry is to stop their profits. Adopting a dog is one of the main ways to fight against puppy mills and give many overlooked and ignored dogs loving homes.
Shelters like the Animals Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) care for thousands of pets a year and focus on the welfare of animals. All of the dogs in their care need homes and when you adopt you support the fight against the puppy mill industry. People should never get their pets from stores in a mall or online: help fight animal cruelty and adopt.
