The Fight Against Puppy Mills
Before I began working in a Chicago dog shelter, I was pretty clueless regarding puppy mills. I liked to go into pet stores and snuggle fluffy pups. And then I began working at the Chicago Canine Rescue (CCR). CCR is a dog rescue that specifically focuses on the neediest dogs-- those in need of medical treatment and socialization because they have been neglected or abused. Because of CCR's mission, I saw more sadness and devastation than I ever wanted to. Part of it involved puppy mill dogs, and it opened my eyes to the issue of breeding for profit.
If you don't know much about puppy mills, let me lay out some brief descriptions. Keep in mind, puppy mill operators can be considered breeders, but not all breeders are puppy mill operators. Some breeders treat their dogs wonderfully, and they cannot be lumped into the same category as puppy mills regardless of their business. With that said, puppy mills function as commercial breeding facilities. They are usually overcrowded, and dogs are kept in small cages without clean water or enough food. A lot of the time, they sit in their own feces. The breeder dogs are allowed out only to breed and then are returned to their kennels. These dogs are not socialized, and their health is compromised by disgustingly sub-par conditions.
When these dogs are rescued and adopted out, they suffer emotional trauma, and it's not often that they ever fully recover from their fear and painful past.
The Huffington Post recently posted this article about the Missouri anti-puppy mill law. To sum it up, the law is being overturned. Breeders are complaining about the strict rules they were forced to abide by due to Prop B, but more importantly, the upkeep they must maintain according to these laws is becoming too costly.
Animal welfare, specifically the fight against puppy mills, is facing an ugly fight, and it begins in Missouri.
Puppy mills are not something to be taken lightly. They are ugly, painful, profiteering organizations that should not be allowed to run. When you think of a dog, do you think that they'd be afraid of grass? Of course not. And yet, many puppy mill dogs are fearful of grass because haven't been exposed to nature. Vet care is withheld and they are shut into horrible conditions, so many of them suffer from heartworm disease, disease and illness related to over-breeding, malnutrition, and debilitating emotional trauma. When they are no longer able to produce viable offspring, they are usually euthanized-- and not in a humane fashion, either.
With Prop B being overturned, the horrible treatment we see in these facilities is being allowed to run rampant without anything to hold it back. It's a huge blow to a cause that is not taken seriously enough in the first place.
Do some research on puppy mills, and then visit ASPCA.org and see what you can do to help. For more information, you can also visit WAGSShelter.org. WAGS Shelter was founded by some wonderful friends of mine, and their mission was inspired by their rescue dog, a little, sassy Shih Tzu named Tally, who was a breeder at a puppy mill for eleven years before she was rescued. After suffering from horrible periodontal disease, heartworm disease, breast cancer, and pulmonary hypertension-- all related to her life as a breeder dog-- she is still staying strong, and I hope her story can help push you into action.
In a way, wars overseas have taken precedence over the health and safety of our people.
ReplyDeleteIn a way Gia? Don't be afraid of your inferences. Wars are astronomically more important over the health and safety of people. War is a crutch, a misdirection tactic used by politicians, a means to protect corporate interests, cull the population, and garner secret deals between political parties abroad.
And you are correct, the country does run on money, but cold, brute savagery to other beings and creatures for the sake of profit is cancerous greed.
In what way? Simply, they are not our wars, and yet so much of our country goes into them. Years ago, we barged into a country searching for weapons, and years later, we are still sans weapons. While I understand that any "superpower" should consider aiding countries in need, we were JUST on the brink of our government shutting down, so I feel that our home front deserves that money and effort. We have children starving here; we have wars in the forms of gangs here; we have people who are unable to eat or afford medical care here. Cancerous greed, indeed.
ReplyDeleteGia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing this. The more awareness we have about puppy mills the less dogs will be bought at stores. Most of all Tally thanks you in aiding her in the fight! She is peacefully sleeping on the couch right beside me.