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History of Puppy Mills
The post-war boom of the late 1940s led to more leisure time and greater amounts of disposable income. At the same time, farmers, mostly in the Midwest, were seeking alternative crops. Available money met with available supply, and the result was the development of commercial puppy businesses. Retail pet outlets grew in numbers as the supply of puppies increased, and puppy production was on its way. Retail giants such as Sears Roebuck sold puppies in their pet departments and pet store chains were born.
Unfortunately, many puppy farmers had little knowledge of canine husbandry and often began their ventures with little money and ramshackle conditions. They housed their dogs in the chicken coops and rabbit hutches they already had, provided little socialization because they didn't know that puppies needed this exposure, and often skipped veterinary care because they couldn't afford to pay. Organizations such as the HSUS (before it joined the animal rights movement) investigated conditions at these farms and eventually were successful in focusing national attention on the repulsive conditions at breeding kennels they labeled as "puppy mills."
The substandard conditions highlighted in this campaign were a major force for passage of the national Animal Welfare Act. "Puppy mill" first became synonymous with horrible conditions, then was used to indict any breeder who breeds lots of dogs, no matter what the conditions of the kennel or the health of the puppies. HSUS, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and other animal rights groups planted and cultivated this "most kennels are puppy mills" idea in the public consciousness to legitimize themselves in the eyes of animal lovers and to collect tens of millions of dollars in donations.
The Animal Welfare Act is administered by the US Department of Agriculture. The act lists several categories of businesses that handle dogs:
The AWA does not define either "commercial kennel" or "puppy mill." The American Kennel Club also avoids defining "puppy mill" but does label a commercial breeder as one who "breeds dogs as a business, for profit" and a hobby breeder as "one who breeds purebred dogs occasionally to justifiably improve the breed, not for purposes of primary income."
AKC does not license breeders, but they do inspect breeders who sell AKC-registered litters. The USDA issues licenses under the Animal Welfare Act after inspecting kennels to determine whether or not applicants meet minimum standards for housing and care. Among the requirements are a minimum amount of space for each dog, shelter, a feeding and veterinary care program, fresh water every 24 hours, proper drainage of the kennel, and appropriate sanitary procedures to assure cleanliness.
USDA licenses more than 4500 animal dealers, the bulk of them dealing in wholesale breeding and distribution of dogs and cats. The AWA does not cover commercial breeders who sell directly to the public, and many animal welfare advocates believe that additional regulations are needed to assure buyers that breeding dogs and puppies are treated properly in these kennels. Some states have passed kennel licensing and inspection laws, but several attempts to amend the federal AWA have failed because they placed a huge burden on responsible breeders.
People begin breeding dogs for all sorts of reasons. Some raise puppies as if they were an agricultural commodity -- they do it solely to make money and they give profit and farming both a bad name. These "breeders" sell puppies to brokers, who generally sell them to pet stores, and breed their bitches every time they come into heat, sometimes twice each year. They care little about the health or condition of the parent dogs or about the housing and care they provide adults or puppies.
Horror stories abound about puppy factories where dogs are crammed into dirty cages or runs, wallowing in their own filth, with little or no privacy for whelping a litter. Dogs of different breeds often run together, so the "purebred" puppy may not be purebred at all.
Puppies are most saleable between seven and 10 weeks of age, when they are at their cutest. Puppy farmers ship pups to brokers at four weeks or younger so that they will get to their retail outlet at optimum sale age. The puppies are shipped by air or hauled by truck, crammed two or three or more to a crate.
Most of the notorious puppy mills and brokerages are located in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Wisconsin, but Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana also harbor some of these horrors. Most puppies from puppy mills end up in pet stores
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