 Photo Credit: Dahna Bender We’ve all been there. You walk into a pet store to pick up some dog food or a collar and you walk by the puppies and fall in love. Sometimes they’re in pens in sawdust, sometimes they are in equivalent of fish tanks. You ooh and aww over how cute they are. You fall in love with them because they’re cute. You feel sorry for them because they don’t have a home and are living in tiny enclosures. You decided then and there that you are going to “save” that puppy and buy it and take it home. It is understandable. No one likes to see dogs, much less tiny puppies, being neglected or kept in small enclosures. But the problem with buying a pet store puppy is that the adorable little puppy you just bought more than likely came from a puppy mill.  Photo Credit: SAAW What’s a puppy mill? A puppy mill is a “commercial dog breeding operation”. What that actually means is that it is a large scale operation filled with neglected and overbred dogs. Dogs in puppy mills are kept in deplorable conditions. They are stacked in wire crates with no bottoms, so the urine and feces drop down onto the dogs in the lower crates. Their feet become splayed from standing on wire. Their coats become matted with feces and dirt and straw. Their teeth rot from having bad food and no vet care. They get all manner of infections; eyes, ears, urinary tract. They have no toys, no freedom. The lucky ones have no human contact. The unlucky ones are beat and kicked. They are breeding stock and nothing more. These dogs may live out their entire lives in these mills producing litter after litter of puppies. When they become too old to breed and are no longer profitable they are disposed of. Sometimes, but not often, the miller will release the dog to a rescue group. But that's rare. Often they will go to an auction where a rescue group may be able to buy them and save them, but likely another mill will buy them to try to get a few more litters out of them. (Read more about dog auctions here) But more often than not they are just killed by the miller, as that is the cheapest and easiest way to dispose of a dog that no longer brings in any money. These dogs are not humanely euthanized as they would be in a shelter. They are shot, they are hit over the head and sometimes just left to die. That is the truth behind the adorable puppy you see in the pet store. That is the truth behind the puppies you see on websites that sell puppies online. That may even be the truth behind the puppy you buy on an online classified site like Craigslist or KSL. There are puppy mills in EVERY state-yes, even here in Utah.  When you buy that puppy from a pet store or online, you are creating demand for more puppies. Every puppy you buy at a pet store because you feel bad for it means another puppy is going to be born to the parents that live in those mills. And the other side of buying pet store puppies or puppies from online sites is that these puppies are very often unhealthy. The parents aren't properly vetted, so diseases run rampant. Parvo, distemper. Genetic problems are also prevalent due to inbreeding and the breeding of genetically impaired dogs that are bred because they are “pretty” with no thought to any issues the dog may have. These puppies have heart murmurs, ear problems, eye problems, luxating patellas. They are bred for profit, not to better the breed. So oftentimes these puppies die young of hereditary issues. And another problem with impulse buys of puppies at pet stores is that it's likely that the buyer has no knowledge of the breed. They buy the puppy because it's “cute”, without any knowledge of what that dog will be like when it grows up. This leads to many purebred dogs being resold on classified sites, or released to rescues, or left in shelters. People don't know the energy levels of the dog, the care required for grooming. They don't know whether the dog is going to be hard to train. And when they can't handle the dog once it's not longer a cute puppy, they get rid of it. Pet stores don't care who buys their puppies, they just want someone to give them money. They can't tell you about the breed, the temperament of the parents. All of these reasons are why, if you want to buy a puppy, you never buy from a pet store or an online puppy store. You do your research on the breed by going to reputable sites like Dog Breed Info. You look for reputable breeders, breeders that only have a few litters a year, so they can devote time to the parents and to raising the puppies. They have parents that have had extensive health testing. The parents are certified. They are happy to let you in their home, to see where the dogs live, where the puppies are raised. You can meet the puppies parents. If the people want to meet you somewhere, if they won't let you meet the parents or tell you that they don't have the parents, those are red flags. If they don't have proper vet paperwork, health certificates, those are red flags. Even if you are set on getting a puppy, think rescue first. Many rescues get puppies in. You may have to wait for one, but you could still get one. And who knows, you may find that you find an older puppy or young adult dog that is perfect for you! The advantage of an older dog is that what you see is what you get. You can see their personality, their temperament. And the bonus is there are breed specific rescues for any breed you could want. And the people that run breed specific rescues are experts about that breed. They can answer your questions, give you advice. And when you adopt from a reputable rescue, you have support for life. They will always take their dogs back, so you never have to worry. And they should offer you support for the life of your dog. You should feel comfortable calling them with questions and concerns. Puppy mills are horrible. They should not exist, but they do exist because of greed and because of supply and demand. As long as there is a demand for commercially bred puppies, there will be puppy mills. As long as they are able to pass inspections because there are not enough inspectors to keep up with the amount of mills, they will continue to get away with their abuse and neglect. Change starts with the consumers. Buy being educated about the truth behind pet store puppies and puppy mills, consumers can stop buying those puppies. Stop creating that demand. We can all help spread the word. We can educate our friends when they say they are going to buy a puppy. We can all make a difference. Whether you volunteer with a rescue, educate people, donate money to the groups determined to stop mills, you CAN make a difference. There are many resources online to learn more about puppy mills: The Puppy Mill Project ASPCA Puppy Mill Info HSUS: Puppy Mills On YouTube: National Geographic-Cesar Milan HSUS: Reality of Puppy Mills Ella Grace: A Puppy Mill Cavalier Animal Corps Philadelphia: Puppy Mills Exposed  Photo credit: Fun Paw Care
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Thanksgiving is a time of reflection, family, food and giving thanks.
This year I have so much to be thankful for! For my wonderful husband who is so patient with me. He listens to me, supports me, helps with the dogs and so much more. Without his support I couldn't do this rescue. I'm thankful for my wonderful fosters, without whom Cavalier Crazy could never have saved 22 dogs (so far!) in 2014. I cannot thank them enough for taking these sweet dogs into their homes and treating them like part of the family until they find there forever homes. Of course, some of those dogs never leave and become foster failures, and I'm grateful for them too! I'm thankful for my vet, who has helped me more times than I can count. Seeing a dog last minute, taking such great care of all the pups who have been in his care over the years. He is an angel. I'm thankful for each and every one of my friends and supporters who have bought my calendars, referred people to adopt or foster, shared the dogs' photo and sent money to help dogs in need. They listen to my complaints and offer support. They give me advice. They keep me grounded. You guys are the best! And I'm thankful for the many dogs that have come through rescue. Each one has been so different and so special. Each one has had a story, many times very sad, and I'm grateful to have been a part of their life for a little while. I'm so glad to have been able to help them find their perfect forever home. Along with that comes being extremely thankful for my adopters, who keep in touch and send photos and emails. I know these dogs are part of their family now, and I can't say how much that means to me. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones, be they family, friends or pets.  When I tell people that I run a rescue I get a variety of responses.
Some are merely curious. “Oh? Why?” Some want to know if I make money doing it. When I say no they are horrified. “Why would you do something that take so much time if you’re not getting paid?” Inevitably I respond to most with a blanket answer, but the truth is the answer is not so easy. Why? Why do I run a rescue? Why do I do something that takes so much time if I’m not getting paid? There are really no easy answers. I run a rescue because I want to make a difference. I want to save lives. I want to match people to a companion and new member of their family. No, I don’t make money doing it, in fact, oftentimes I lose money doing it. But that doesn’t matter in the end. What I do get out of doing rescue is worth far more than money. I get to see a neglected, abused dog learn to love and trust. I get to see a dog from a horrific hoarding situation get cleaned up and transformed into a beloved family member. I get to see an obese dog lose weight and gain energy and get a new lease on life. I get to see a little girl meet her new best friend. I get emails and texts and photos from people whose lives have changed by taking a rescue dog into their lives. I have made countless friends in my time doing rescue. But there are two sides to rescue. I also see the tears of the person giving up their much loved companion because they know it’s the best thing for them. I see the older dog that is given up because the family has found a newer, younger dog. I see the dog who lost all of its teeth because the owners never took it to a vet. I see the filthy, sick dog that has lived in a chicken coop for most of its life. I see the puppy left in a crate all day every day because its people have no time or patience for it. I see the dogs left on chains outside because in their owner’s eyes they are only good for producing puppies. I have learned to fight back tears and bite back my anger and disgust so I can get a dog out of a bad situation. Rescue is bittersweet. It is never black and white. There is so much horror and heartbreak that sometimes I think I just can’t keep doing it. But then there are moments of such happiness and joy that I know I can never NOT do it. When I see dogs that I fostered in my home come running to see me I am overwhelmed. They are the reason I run a rescue. The neglected, the abandoned, the abused. They are why I do rescue because without rescues, these dogs do not have a voice. We are their voices; we are the ones who can make a difference in their lives. There are no easy answers because rescue is not easy. Fostering is not easy. It is work, hard work. But it is so very rewarding. If you are interested in helping dogs in need, contact a local rescue. Rescues cannot survive without people to help, whether it’s fostering dogs, networking dogs, donating supplies or money. Every bit helps save lives. And that’s why I do rescue. |
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