Outline
Title: Money Breeds Misery
Thesis: Cruel treatment of the animals in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop.
I: American farmers began looking for a new cash crop after WWII ended, beginning the American puppy mill.
- From WWII until the 1990’s animal treatment was fully substandard for a living creature.
- Year 2000 to the present showed a lot of changes in the public opinion of commercial dog breeding centers
II: Puppy mills are the worst possible situation a family pet can come from.
- There is no medication or socialization of the dogs born in a puppy mill.
- When a female is no longer producing the ‘crop’, she is destroyed in an unspeakable manner.
III: Mill owners exploit their animals to generate maximum profits by cutting corners to produce as many dogs as quickly as possible without spending much money.
1. Many mill owners view their dogs as livestock, and do not treat them any differently than a cow or chicken.
2. Medication, toys, and healthy foods are left out of the mills in order to generate more profits.
IV: Animals of all species have evolved in the minds of American owners from working to pleasure animals.
1. Families welcome pets into their home as part of the family.
2. Dogs are not looked at as working animals in the modern American home.
V: Psychological problems in puppy mill dogs make them unsuitable for living in a home with humans.
1. The dogs are mentally abused by the mill owner when he does not give the animal enrichment toys.
2. Mental illness is prevalent in animals that are bored and un-trained.
VI: The physical problems puppy mill dogs endure are quite commonly easily treatable and preventable.
1. The dogs are left outdoors without shelter which is considered abuse in modern America.
2. Non-treatment of medical conditions mixed with no preventative measures creates very sick animals.
Conclusion: Mistreatment of dogs in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop. In the majority of American households, dogs are not the equivalent of money, but that is how they are treated in these puppy mills. Mental and physical abuse destroys these dogs’ ability to be a family pet because they either die at a young age, or are so wildly handicapped that they cannot be kept in the average American household. Americans do not view their pets as working stock, as they once did before, but are purchasing from people who believe the dog who is going to be living in your house, should be treated no differently than a cow or a chicken. Worldwide, people are sickened by animal abuse but these mills thrive in our nation, our back yards, where when female dogs cannot breed anymore, they are simply killed. This is not the standard we hold true in our households so it should not be a standard we hold true in the neighbors’ back yard. Dogs deserve to be treated with dignity. If we expect a dog to live in a household with a human being, they need to be able to trust and accept that human being. The dogs do not learn trust being born in a mill, they learn only distrust. The heartbreak that follows the death of a beloved pet is very similar to the heartbreak of losing a grandparent, sibling or parent to death. It is even more tragic when the beautiful little pup purchased days ago dies in her new owners arms, from a score of infections and diseases that were caused by another human being. There are decent, reputable breeders out there who keep their dogs in conditions worthy of man’s best friend. Substandard facilities that breed dogs must be phased out of the American culture immediately, because my dog deserves to be treated better than a ‘crop’.
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American farmers began looking for a new cash crop after WWII ended, beginning the American puppy mill. The USDA supported these farmers in their enterprise of creating the first commercial dog breeding kennels. By the 1950’s department store chains including Sears and Montgomery Ward began to sell mill puppies, and at the same time the nations first pet store chains were created. The federal Laboratory Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966, setting minimal standards for the care, housing, sale and transport of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and other mammals held by animal dealers or laboratories (ASPCA Puppy Mill Time-Line). Four years later the act becomes the Federal Animal Welfare Act, which covers all warm-blooded “laboratory animals”; animals sold as pets, and animals used in exhibitions, excluding animals sold in pet stores. Licensing was now required of all animal dealers. Fourteen years later investigations find failings in the enforcement of the Federal Animal Welfare Act in commercial dog breeding facilities. During the 1990’s Dockotr Pet Centers were closed nationwide, due to huge numbers of complaints against them for selling sick dogs. The problem was so great that in 1997, Pennsylvania, followed by 17 other states, enacted a “Puppy Lemon Law,” making pet stores responsible for selling sick animals, where they have to refund or replace sick or dead puppies. In late 2008, the ASPCA raided a puppy mill and seized over 200 dogs. Early 2008, a puppy mill owner was required to pay only $35 for operating without a kennel license after being charged with animal cruelty. An amendment to an existing farm bill prohibited importation of puppies less than six months of age for resale in May of 2008. One month later the biggest puppy mill raid in Tennessee occured, where over 700 animals were rescued. In August and September of 2008, animal welfare groups worked together to get congress to pass state laws demanding that only veterinarians perform surgeries on dogs, including debarking and cesarean births and close a loophole on breeders who sell directly to the public through internet and press (ASPCA Puppy Mill Time-Line).
Puppy mills are the worst possible situation a family pet can come from. Dogs in these mills are inbred, generation after generation, in squalid conditions that deteriorates health even further. The dogs live in cages not meant for dogs: wire cages usually built for rabbits are packed full of dogs. Most of these cages are so small that the dog cannot turn around or stand up to their full potential, due to the design or crowding of several dogs in one cage. The cages are usually stacked upon each other to maximize space, forcing the dogs in the top kennels to defecate on the dogs in the wire cages below (Bell). All of the dogs are malnourished and dehydrated. Eyewitness accounts describe animals being fed maggot-infested food (Sacks). Veterinary care is non-existent for these dogs, including serious injuries received when dogs turn cannibalistic due to starvation. None of the animals receive any basic vaccinations and suffer from easily curable illness on top of their painful genetic anomalies. Female dogs suffer the worst of all because when they reach sexual maturity they are bred every six months for the span of their reproductive life: five to six years. When the females cannot be bred the mill owner ends their lives in unspeakable manners sometimes including cyanide, medication overdose, guns, or simply letting them starve to death. Now a new young female becomes a mother. Cruel treatment of the animals in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop.
Mill owners exploit their animals to generate maximum profits by cutting corners to produce as many dogs as quickly as possible without spending much money. Most of the United States puppy mills can be found in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is referred to as the puppy mill capital of the United States (Alfonsi and Gerstein). Large portions of these puppy mill site owners are Amish. The Amish say they raise dogs much as they would any other livestock, restricting the dogs to small cages and killing the parents when they are no longer productive (Hinds). Productivity is needed to be high in order for the entire community to survive in an Amish society. This includes working animals that need to do jobs for their Amish owners to help the community. The dogs become meaningless objects, commodities that are disposable. The 1940’s idea of a cash crop is still a huge part of the feelings of 2009 breeders.
Animals of all species have evolved in the minds of American owners from working to pleasure animals. Most of the pets in American homes are purely for entertainment and love. Some humans even advocate for the rights of their furry, scaly, or feathered family members and would rather they be called companions than pets. In recent years, marketing geared towards the family pet has increased, and humans are increasingly purchasing birthday and holiday presents for the four legged family members. A person can even purchase health insurance for their pet, any and all species included. Many laws exist on both state and federal levels to give American pets some sort of rights when it comes to their individual welfare; most of these laws are the direct result of individuals wanting the best possible life for the pets whom they share the world with. This respect for all living things has come a long way from the prehistoric view of animals as nothing but objects. The modern American family does not ask anything from their pet directly. The dog is thought of as man’s best friend, and this statement cannot be truer now than it was hundreds of years ago. The dog has always given the human master unconditional love, but only now is our society in a relationship where we do not ask for anything but that love from our dogs.
Psychological problems in puppy mill dogs make them unsuitable for living in a home with humans. Close contact between newborn pups and their mothers is necessary for mental development in a young dog. When the mother of a puppy is mentally challenged due to inbreeding, disease, or starvation, she cannot fully care for the pups to give them the benefits of a healthy life. The dogs living in the mills do not get toys or treats to allow them to develop mental capacity. Playing fetch with a dog is a learning exercise with rewards, and it is extremely fun for both dog and person. Eye-mouth coordination stimulates the brain, fights boredom, and strengthens the bond between canine and human. In a mill setting where a dog cannot stand or turn around, boredom sets in and causes a sort of canine psychotic episode, where the dog will chase its tail for hours and hours. This activity in mill dogs is not cute or funny; it is a sign of complete mental instability due to psychological abuse. Human contact is extremely limited for the dogs. They do not receive exercise, or even basic grooming (ASPCA What is a Puppy Mill?). These dogs shy away from hands and contact, sometimes even getting violent due to being a cornered, caged animal. Puppies develop behavioral problems because the big kennels cannot give the puppies sufficient human contact (Hinds).
The physical problems puppy mill dogs endure are quite commonly easily treatable and preventable. When (the dogs) come out of the rabbit hutches they walk like crabs because they do not know what it is like to walk on a proper surface, and they drag their bodies (Alfonsi and Gerstein). Some farmers debark their dog, which consists of hammering a pipe down the throat to break the vocal cord. Cuts and abrasions from the wire cages cause bleeding paws, and by adding in the filth and common dogfights infection is a problem for these dogs. Kennel cough is a common respiratory infection that can occur in any kennel that houses several dogs in close quarters, including shelters and dog sitting businesses. Mange and fleas are easily preventable by simple grooming practices, but most puppies suffer from both when they arrive in pet stores. Some mills keep their dogs indoors, where heating and air-conditioning does not exist and these dogs must deal with un-circulated, un-cooled air during the summer, and freezing air during the winter. Other mills keep their dogs outside with no shelter at all from any of the elements (Bell). The common puppy mill states have four seasons, and these dogs must deal with blizzards, thunderstorms, and heat waves by cuddling together for safety and warmth, or using each other for wind and sun blocks. All of these factors and more contribute to the illness dogs endure, that come to pet stores and are sold to unsuspecting consumers.
Mistreatment of dogs in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop. In the majority of American households, dogs are not the equivalent of money, but that is how they are treated in these puppy mills. Mental and physical abuse destroys these dogs’ ability to be a family pet because they either die at a young age, or are so wildly handicapped that they cannot be kept in the average American household. Americans do not view their pets as working stock, as they once did before, but are purchasing from people who believe the dog who is going to be living in your house, should be treated no differently than a cow or a chicken. Worldwide, people are sickened by animal abuse but these mills thrive in our nation, our back yards, where when female dogs cannot breed anymore, they are simply killed. This is not the standard we hold true in our households so it should not be a standard we hold true in the neighbors’ back yard. Dogs deserve to be treated with dignity. If we expect a dog to live in a household with a human being, they need to be able to trust and accept that human being. The dogs do not learn trust being born in a mill, they learn only distrust. The heartbreak that follows the death of a beloved pet is very similar to the heartbreak of losing a grandparent, sibling or parent to death. It is even more tragic when the beautiful little pup purchased days ago dies in her new owners arms, from a score of infections and diseases that were caused by another human being. There are decent, reputable breeders out there who keep their dogs in conditions worthy of man’s best friend. Substandard facilities that breed dogs must be phased out of the American culture immediately, because my dog deserves to be treated better than a ‘crop’.
Bibliography
Alfonsi, Sharon and Gerstein, Ted. “Puppies ‘Viewed as Livestock’ in Amish Country.” ABC News 27 Mar 2009 Web. 22 Apr 2009.
Bell, Alison. “Tales of Woe: The Shocking Truth About Puppy Mills.” Teen Magazine 14 June 1997 73-75 Web. 22 Apr 2009.
Hinds, Michael. “Amish at Heart of ‘Puppy Mill’ Debate.” The New York Times 20 Sep 1993
Web.22 Apr 2009.
“Puppy Mill Timeline.” The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2009. ASPCA. 22 Apr 2009 <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/puppy-mill-timeline.html>.
Sacks, Pamela. “Puppy Mills: Misery FOR Sale.” Animals 133Sep/Oct 2000 10-14. Web.22 Apr 2009.
“What is a Puppy Mill?.” The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2009. ASPCA. 22 Apr 2009 <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/what-is-a-puppy-mill.html>.
