Reporting over the weekend, the Chicago Tribune said activists are after commercial breeders as well as puppy mills. No surprise here, given that Chloe’s Law, written in Jan 2009 to deal with this problem, was gutted in the last quarter of the year due to pressure largely from a lobbying alliance between the AKC and NRA. Defining puppy mills will not be as easy as it should be. Commercial breeders somehow believe they are not part of the problem.
Not long ago, a Chicago pet shop prosecuted protesters who allegedly became a little strident in their attempt to educate the public about the source of pet shop animals. Protesters accused the place of buying their dogs from puppy mills.
The owner took great exception to being portrayed as a seller of puppy mill puppies, proclaiming their shop bought from a USDA approved facility…as if that granted him a clean bill of health, especially in Illinois. There has been no activity in either suspended or revoked breeders licenses for the last five years; funds are not assigned for proper oversight.
Federal laws do not sufficiently protect the welfare of animals, and have been fashioned to make things easy for the commercial breeders, even to imposing unfair taxes on good family breeders. I’m talking about those who socialize their dogs in their home, and who can provide you with a good look at the mom and the dad of the litter. Because these breeders don’t raise pups for profit, they struggle to make ends meet.
Puppy mills are not just the barns in the middle of vast tracts of land run by unqualified or disinterested, sometimes unlicensed owners looking to make a financial killing on the backs of suffering dogs and cats. Puppy mills are any facility that mass produces animals destined to be companion animals. This includes commercial breeders whose only interest is to perform a monetary transaction and transfer of ownership of puppys and kittens. Just like puppy mills. No good breeder is interested in just the money–they want meet you, your family, and find out all about you to ensure you are a suitable fit for their pups. And they sure don’t raise dogs in wire cages outside the norms of everyday home life experience.
The Tribune article seemed to hitch one of its arguments to the fact that commercial breeders are legal, implying that therefore they should not be lumped in with puppy mills who mistreat animals. I would caution that legal status does not guarantee ethical behavior, nor does it confer legitimacy in business practices.
As to Ryan Rauch, the 40-year-old commercial breeder, I would say, even with eight employees, he can’t believe he is properly socializing and caring for 200 animals to be family pets. In wire cages. In a commercial barn. Where he won’t allow photographs, fearing trouble from animal activists, as if interior photos would give away location. This sounds like denial to me, so let me help.
Mr. Rauch, you did not make your case. We are not just pot-stirring “trying to get uneducated individuals seeing everything their way.” We are trying to stop the madness. 4-5,000,000 pets killed per year. How many puppys and kittens are farmed in facilities like yours per year? They are sold without any questions asked by the pet shops you sell to, then a percentage are dumped in the laps of shelters when the puppys are young dogs and people find them difficult to control and too expensive to train? Not to mention illness and genetic defects. If we take it on its face that we have a pet overpopulation problem, do you see a possible connection here? Any questions? We welcome your comments.
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My dream is to see everyone who wants a dog or cat to get one from their local shelter. If you have your heart set on a particular breed, you would be surprised at what you can find at a local shelter. You can also get a specific breed at a rescue club. If you go the breeder route, visit the site; talk to the breeders, examine the premises.
Shopping at a puppy mill, pet store, or backyard breeder is disgraceful.
Good post, Mary. The USDA — theoretically — regulates puppy mills too. That is, some facilities that keep animals crowded in cages pass inspection because they are clean. As far as I can tell, "inhumane" is not on the USDA check list of reasons to ban facilities.
Hi Edie, thanks, and I know I shouldn't but do get more than a little offended by what appear to be disingenuous claims by commercial breeders about how they are okay because they are legal, clean, or have lights, or give fresh water. Not the point. Yes, the USDA and FDA split tasks on commercial puppy mills and lots and lots of things fall through the cracks because of it. Animals suffer. It's ignorant. Yikes, I still have my Irish up on this one:/
Couldn't agree more, Michele, which is why I offered the guidelines from ASPCA in the link on how to distinguish good breeders who preserve the best of the breeds from the bad actors all over the internet and in local pet shops.. You rightly point out that breeds can be obtained through a rescue or shelter. People can just go to petfinder.com and see if what they are looking for is locally available. Can't be much easier:) Thanks for your comment.
Good article. When I got Angeles from his breeder she was one that wanted to meet me and make sure we were a good fit. Also, she stopped breeding for a year as the economy started taking a hit so her dogs wouldn't end up in shelters. That is the sign of a responsible breeder. We hope to breed Angeles with the same care and responsibility one day too.
One of the most troubling ideas is that commercial breeders can make enough money to pay off inspectors. In fact, that may be one of their only costs!
If all of those things were remotely true, photos would be welcome and encouraged. If animals were being treated in a way that would make people want to purchase them, pictures (real pics, not the crap where the pups are moved, cleaned, and then photographed) would be a great marketing tactics.
I'm Irish, too!
Hmmmmm. No comment from Mr. Rauch yet?
The USDA and FDA don't have the funding to do the best job of protecting humans from bad food and bad drugs. I can only imagine the few dollars and little oversight that gets directed at puppy mills.
Inspectors at all levels of. are capable of being on the take. That problem may have increased significantly given financial picture.
Yes, I thought it was funny/odd–how many different breeds did he have? No good breeder I know has more than a couple. There's just too much to know and you have to know everything to do a good job of shepherding in future generations that are excellent examples of any breed.
Ha, Irish, eh? Then you know what I'm talking about;-) Thanks, Nicole!
Oh absolutely good breeders are every bit as picky as shelters and even more intrusive! Basically they are both looking for a lifetime match. While events can conspire to cause an adopter to bring a dog back, even many years later, generally neither shelters nor breeders look to adopt to those who are just shopping for a new "toy" for the kids. Those are the folks that call and say "Sally's off to college, we need to return the dog." Ugh.
Yes, I'm a little disappointed we haven't heard from Mr. Rauch!
Money changes everything. We don't have any anymore. I imagine this is a major issues throughout the States and these millers know it. Maybe States can recruit animal advocates to inspect, take three or four minutes of video, some still photos and submit report to State inspectors.
Great post Mary! I look forward to a time when there is such a shortage of pets that they are cherished as a valued commodity and treated with the love and respect they deserve … and when they will no longer be disposable items.
I agree whole-heartedly with Amber. These animals are not a "product," they are someone's new family member. I guess these commercial breeders are trying to protect their business investment – what they need to understand is that our society is moving forward and this industry is will be reformed. They should accept reality and move on.
Hi Eddie, there seems to be some confusion about the definition of the term "Puppy Mill" and some people and organizations like deceive the public by inferring that puppy mills and commercial kennels are one in the same. Here is an article that defines the term.
DISPELLING THE TERM "PUPPYMILL"
There is no legal definition for the term "puppymill".
The term "puppymill" is a phrase coined by animal rights activists and supporters against anyone who breeds dogs, regardless of the care the animals receive. The name-calling is a means to turn the unknowing public against all dog breeders and to raise endless funds for continuous propaganda and money-making schemes by animal rights activists and organizations.
There is a difference between professional kennels and sub-standard kennels.
Substandard kennels are illegal, unlicensed facilities that produce animals with no regards to their health and well-being.
No one supports neglect or abuse of animals. Calling legal, licensed, professional breeders "puppymills" and claiming that they abuse their animals is grossly unfair and unjust, and is not acceptable.
The term "puppymill" is a derogatory word used by animal rights activists and supporters against anyone who breeds dogs, and is no more acceptable than using slur names for those of different ethnic backgrounds. It is as degrading and offensive to professional breeders to call them "puppymills" as it is to call our fellow man slur names. It is not socially acceptable to call our fellow man names, nor is it acceptable to call breeders slur names.
Animal rights activists use the term to garner support for fundraising, and those funds are being used to eliminate all agriculture, use and enjoyment of animals. Please help us to stop the spread of animal rights issues. Let's all begin by eliminating the term "puppymill" from our vocabulary.
I don't know who "Eddie" is, but your position is that commercial breeders are not always "puppymills"? While opinions in Animal Welfare vary widely, I think you'll find more rather than less in the field would vehemently disagree. This is not only an AW or Animal Rights concern. It's a general public concern looking at a complete lack of compassion coming from commercial breeders/puppy mills. Commercial breeding is the antithesis of the care and work responsible breeders put into hand raising one or two breeds. Turning the breeding of sentient beings into a factory output endeavor is ridiculous. It makes such facilities a factory farm. Mass production of family pets turns the whole laudable endeavor of maintaining breeds on its head. Like something that belongs in a creepy science fiction piece, not reality.
And as to the idea that the term puppymill should be expunged from language, well…while whitewashing the truth may be an exercise popular in some circles, I have no intention of living in delusion or allowing this notion to stand unaddressed. What is suggested in this article is frankly disgusting and cowardly…sticking our collective heads in the sand pretending that commercial breeding is okay because they are legal or clean, providing fresh water and food, does a deadly disservice to the animals we love. The concept of such a business must absolutely be put into the spotlight.
People who do this kind of work need to stop looking at this from a "free market" perspective. Millions of animals are killed for no reason every year. Are commercial breeders seriously going to pretend they are not culpable in all this death? The culture is changing, as it always does, usually imperceptably. Commercial breeding, like the pet shops they serve, are hopefully running out of favor and time.
Continuing the Discussion