VICTORY! Cook County, IL pet stores are still not allowed to sell puppies produced in inhumane, commercial dog breeding facilities. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed an attempt by the puppy mill industry to strike down the ordinance passed by Cook County Commissioners last year. This victory sends a strong signal to all industries that exploit puppies for profit.
Friday, May 22, 2015
ALDF Has Great Ideas For You To Do When You Find Animals In Substandard Conditions At A Pet Store ....
What to do when you find animals in substandard conditions at a pet store
PROBLEMS WITH PET STORES
ALDF Suggests: What to do when you find animals in substandard conditions at a pet store
You go into a pet store to buy some delicious treats for your oh-so-adorable companion animal, only to find out that the store is not only selling live animals–which can be in and of itself upsetting–but that the store is keeping these animals in appalling conditions. What can you do?
It helps to be methodical in these situations. Start by documenting your findings in a detailed journal noting dates, locations, and specific problems, including photographs and video whenever possible. Things to look for are sanitation, physical health of the animals, and overcrowding. Also note if the store is selling wild or exotic animals. Educate yourself about any applicable laws and have them on hand to show to law enforcement when you approach them to request an investigation.
Bring your documentation and copies of applicable laws to your local law enforcement agency–such an agency would be your local humane agencies such as the humane society, SPCA, or animal control. If your community does not have this type of agency, law enforcement would be the sheriff or police department.
It is an unfortunate reality that the regulation of retail pet stores is painfully lax. Less than half of all states require pet stores to operate under a license. In the states that do require a license, a business owner must apply for the license, which is usually granted by the state’s Department of Agriculture. Pet store license applications often inquire about the proposed methods of sanitization, animal housing, waste management plans, and whether veterinary care will be provided to the animals. Very few states actually address all of these categories. (“In-Depth Overview of Retail Pet Stores,” Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law).
The regulatory or oversight agency may offer a complaint process. Contact your state’s Department of Agriculture to inquire about the regulatory agencies responsible for oversight of the pet stores in your state. Laws that should apply are state anti-cruelty statutes and health regulations. If the store sells wild or exotic animals, the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) also applies.
Agencies responsible for issues of sanitation are the State Department of Health or the State Department of Environment. If the store sells wild or exotic animals, also contact the United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Inspection Services (USDA/APHIS). To submit a complaint to the USDA, visit their website at www.aphis.usda.gov or call 310-734-7833.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund does not have an investigative unit, so it is imperative that you urge law enforcement and all other relevant oversight and/or regulatory agencies to fully investigate the facility in question. If the overseeing agency is non-responsive, consider circulating a petition demanding that the abusive conditions be immediately corrected. Consider enlisting the help of the local media (newspapers, radio and television stations) to publicize the situation. If you decide to initiate a local campaign, such as picketing the business, handing out flyers about the situations in the store, etc., make sure you have all of the facts to back-up any public statements that you make.
If you bought an animal from a pet store and that animal is now sick or dead, you may have recourse through the courts. If this applies to you, see ALDF’s information about consumer protection and wrongful death or injury of an animal.
Animal Legal Defense Fund Suit Over Weak Puppy Mill Regulations Moves Forward ...
PHILADELPHIA — Today the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania allowed a lawsuit filed by the national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to move forward against the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Last summer, ALDF sued the Department for passing watered down regulations that gutted Pennsylvania’s historic “Dog Law.” The court found that “judicial scrutiny is required,” given the Department’s passage of weak regulations that ensure the continued suffering of mother dogs and their puppies despite state laws that require greater protection. Moreover, the Court observed, dogs and those who ultimately purchase them are the obvious beneficiaries of the health and safety protections provided by the Dog Law, so ALDF’s lawsuit just makes sense.
Where the state’s Dog Law requires nursing mothers and puppies to have unfettered access to an outdoor exercise area, the Department’s regulations allow nursing mothers and puppies to be caged all day; and while the law requires the elimination of wire strand flooring, the regulations allows puppy mill owners to confine dogs on this notoriously painful material. Wire flooring leads to severe injuries including splayed feet, cysts on paws, and painful abrasions. The discomfort of living in such conditions has been linked with permanent behavioral issues, sometimes so severe the afflicted dog must be euthanized. The Department has also drastically reduced exercise space requirements for nursing mothers. Because mother dogs are bred twice a year, they spend more than half their lives in restricted enclosures with painful flooring and inadequate space to move around. Pennsylvania confines more than 100,000 dogs in kennels.
“Today the Commonwealth Court is making sure Pennsylvania is held accountable for failure to follow its own law and protect nursing mothers and their puppies,” said Stephen Wells, executive director of ALDF. “The time has come to put an end to puppy mill breeders, and this suit will finally give the Dog Law teeth.”
Animal Legal Defense Fund Calls Missouri's Worst Animal Breeders Revealed
Missouri’s Worst Animal Breeders Revealed
Animal Legal Defense Fund Calls on Government to Shut Down Law-Breaking Kennels in “Puppy Mill Capital of America”
For immediate release:
Contact:
Lisa Franzetta, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Megan Backus, Animal Legal Defense Fund
Megan Backus, Animal Legal Defense Fund
See slideshow below for more images.
ST. LOUIS — After extensive review of the inspection records of commercial breeders in the state of Missouri—notoriously known as the puppy mill capital of America—the national nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) sent a formal letter this week to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), singling out the worst of these breeders and demanding the agency enforce the law against horrific violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). ALDF’s review shows animal cruelty routinely goes unpunished by federal authorities in Missouri, and the group is urging the USDA to move suffering animals to reputable shelters where they can receive veterinary attention. Furthermore, the letter calls on the USDA to apply civil penalties and revoke the licenses of commercial dealers that have violated the AWA on multiple, documented occasions, including:
- Antech, Inc. (Barnhart) injected carbon dioxide into a 55-gallon drum to euthanize 60-90 pound dogs who could barely fit into the container.
- Simply Puppies (Hannibal) kept a dog living in an outdoor enclosure with a dead dog. In addition, the breeder failed to provide bedding in 52 enclosures containing a total of 94 dogs, though the temperature was well-below freezing.
- Hill Top Kennel (Clark) allowed 15 puppies to live in wire-floored cages with holes large enough that their feet fell through. On August 18, 2011, the kennel did not provide adequate veterinary care to a dog who gave birth to a litter of puppies during the night and ate most of them by the morning.
- Valente Rios (Galt) failed to provide adequate veterinary care to a dog with a bone protruding from his tail. The breeder admitted the tail was recently docked using scissors without sanitation or anesthesia.
- Cloverleaf Kennel (Willow Springs) failed to provide dogs with access to water in an outdoor facility with temperatures registering 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Inspectors observed mouse droppings on every surface and at least one dead mouse in a food receptacle.
“The failure to provide basic care for these animals is shocking,” said Stephen Wells, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. “We implore the USDA to act on violations documented by their own agency, and to do their job to protect Missouri’s animals. Until then, puppy mills will continue to profit while dogs suffer behind closed doors.”
ALDF’s letter and a complete list of abusive breeders are available by request.
Puppy Mills Are So Cruel ......
Puppy Mills are Cruel
Bulldogs on sale! Yorkie puppies available here! Have you ever wondered where all these cheap puppies for sale in pet stores come from? The answer is that they are produced in factory-like environments known as “puppy mills.” Puppy mills are large-scale dog breeding operations where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. Puppy mills treat dogs like products, not living beings, and usually house them in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate veterinary care, socialization, or even food and water.
The cute puppies for sale at your local mall were probably bred from dogs who don’t play outside or get groomed. Puppy mill dogs are typically kept in cages with wire flooring that injures their paws and legs—and cages can be stacked up in columns (which means waste falls on the dogs housed below them). Compromised health and conditions like matting, sores, mange, severe dental disease and abscesses are often widespread. Many puppy mill puppies are born with or develop overt physical problems that make them unsalable to pet stores—which means they end up abandoned or just left to die. Many sick puppies do manage to end up at pet stores, though, where the new puppy owner unknowingly purchases the sick dog.
Breeding dogs at the mills sometimes spend their entire lives outdoors, exposed to the elements—or crammed inside filthy structures. Female dogs usually have little to no recovery time between bearing litters. When, after a few years, the females can no longer reproduce or when their breed goes out of “style,” the dogs are often abandoned, shot, or sometimes starved until they eventually die.
What "USDA Licensed" Really Means
Many pet stores with cute puppies for sale will tell you that they don't get their puppies from puppy mills. They'll say their puppies are all from "USDA licensed breeders." If you dig a little deeper into what that actually means, you'll find that it's not worth much! The standards of care required by the USDA are woefully inadequate and not what most of us would consider humane. Under the federal Animal Welfare Act, which is enforced by the USDA, dogs in commercial breeding facilities can legally be kept in cages only six inches longer than the dog in each direction, stacked on top of one another, for their entire lives. It's completely legal to house dogs in cages with wire flooring and to breed female dogs at every opportunity. The standards of care currently required leave a lot of room for dogs to be severely mistreated. Take a look at our gallery of breeder photos taken by the USDA to see for yourself where pet store puppies really come from and what it means for a breeder to be USDA licensed.
Even if the standards were adequate, they're not enforced! Take a look at a scathing report done by the Inspector General on USDA's lax enforcement of the law regulating breeders (heads up, it's a little graphic!) and judge for yourself whether USDA licensing of puppy mills is enough to make you shop at stores that sell puppies. We don't think it is! In fact, you only have to be licensed by USDA as a commercial breeder if you are selling puppies to pet stores or brokers! So USDA licensure is actually a pretty good indicator that the breeders are, in fact, puppy mills! Small hobby breeders who sell their dogs directly to the public, including those who only sell their puppies online, do not have to be licensed or inspected by USDA.
Don’t support the industry.Most pet shop puppies come from puppy mills, and so do most dogs sold over the Internet. Pet shop puppies are separated from their mother at as young as six weeks of age. The health of the puppies is not always guaranteed.
Purchasing a puppy for sale at a pet store or online often supports the horrible puppy mill industry. Buying anything in pet stores that sell puppies supports the industry, too! Buy all your pet supplies—toys, pet food, kitty litter—from stores that do not sell puppies, or buy your pet supplies online from websites that do not sell puppies.
Help us celebrate No Pet Store Puppies Day on July 21 by taking the pledge and refusing to shop in pet stores and on websites that sell puppies.
Where To Buy A Puppy ......
Where Can I Buy a Puppy?
Wondering where to buy a puppy? If you’re looking to make a puppy part of your family, make adoption your first option and find a dog at your local shelter. Not only will you be saving a life, but you will ensure that your money is not going to support a puppy mill. Shelters across the country have dogs and puppies for adoption that need loving homes.
If you’re committed to a specific breed of dog and can't find what you're looking for at your local shelter, contact a rescue group for that breed or learn how to find a good dog breeder by visiting the ASPCA’s website. Responsible breeders never sell puppies to dealers or pet shops or ship a puppy to a buyer without meeting them first. They operate in an open, undisguised manner, allowing and even encouraging potential buyers/adopters to visit and tour their homes and meet their breeding dogs.
Check out our database of stores offering animals for adoption.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
What The F.B.I. Is Doing About Animal Abuse ....
Do You Hate Animal Abuse? Then You’ll Love What the FBI Is Doing About It!
Starting in 2016, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will reclassify animal abuse as a “Group A” felony in its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which means that it will be a top-tier federal crime.
In the past, animal abuse crimes have been listed under “Group B,” which includes writing bad checks and trespassing, in the category of “All Other Offenses,” which is an aggregate of minor crimes. Under the new guidelines, however, abuse against animals will be comparable to more serious crimes, such as kidnapping and homicide.
Read more at http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/animal-cruelty-felony-fbi/#otr8UWl1hrkGlhaX.99The change will make it easier to track and quantify animal abuse crimes, which will hopefully result in improved enforcement and stronger accountability. With luck, the move will encourage municipal police to reform their policies to reflect the new law, and perhaps reduce or put an end to animal abuse by police and citizens alike.
The new animal cruelty category will include four offense types: simple or gross neglect, deliberate abuse or torture, organized abuse (e.g. dog fighting), and sexual abuse against an animal.
The FBI has been working with the National Sheriff’s Association and Animal Welfare Institute to implement the new category this year, and plan to collect data for such crimes beginning in January 2016. Animal cruelty statistics will be publicly available when the 2016 NIBRS is released the following year.
Read more at http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/animal-cruelty-felony-fbi/#otr8UWl1hrkGlhaX.99
Dogs Catch THUGS ....
An Officer’s Best Friend! Mississippi cop’s K-9 saves his life after 3 men ambush and stab him!
Posted by Fox & Friends First on Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Excellent Turmeric Golden Paste To Help Boost The Immune System ....
Doug English's GOLDEN PASTE
- for people and their animals, furry and scaly
1/2 cup turmeric powder (125 mls) (60 grams)
1 cup water (250 mls) PLUS 1 cup water extra, if needed
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper (7.5 mls)
70 ml cold pressed Olive or Coconut oil
Place turmeric and water in pan, stirring over gentle heat until you have a thick paste, custard or gravy consistency. This should take about 7 - 10 minutes and you may need to add additional water along the way (it seems to depend on the turmeric you have).
Add the pepper and oil at the end of cooking. Stir vigorously to incorporate the oil and allow to cool. Store in clean glass jar and refrigerate. (To sterilise jar - place clean glass jar, without lid, on cold oven shelf, turn oven on to medium and heat for 10 minutes. Turn off and pop lid in, leave with jar to cool.)
Should keep for two weeks, refrigerated. You can freeze some if you will use smaller portions.
If your mix is looking too watery, add a little more turmeric and continue cooking a few more minutes. Don't worry too much that it does not look 'perfect' - as long as it is cooked and has the oil and pepper, it will work. If the oil marbles in the jar, it just means it was not stirred enough at the end or the mix is a bit watery, but it will not affect the performance.
Use for Golden Milk, Smoothies, stir into Yoghurt, add to your dinner plate ... your pet's dinner plate or your horse feed ... run wild!
- for people and their animals, furry and scaly
1/2 cup turmeric powder (125 mls) (60 grams)
1 cup water (250 mls) PLUS 1 cup water extra, if needed
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper (7.5 mls)
70 ml cold pressed Olive or Coconut oil
Place turmeric and water in pan, stirring over gentle heat until you have a thick paste, custard or gravy consistency. This should take about 7 - 10 minutes and you may need to add additional water along the way (it seems to depend on the turmeric you have).
Add the pepper and oil at the end of cooking. Stir vigorously to incorporate the oil and allow to cool. Store in clean glass jar and refrigerate. (To sterilise jar - place clean glass jar, without lid, on cold oven shelf, turn oven on to medium and heat for 10 minutes. Turn off and pop lid in, leave with jar to cool.)
Should keep for two weeks, refrigerated. You can freeze some if you will use smaller portions.
If your mix is looking too watery, add a little more turmeric and continue cooking a few more minutes. Don't worry too much that it does not look 'perfect' - as long as it is cooked and has the oil and pepper, it will work. If the oil marbles in the jar, it just means it was not stirred enough at the end or the mix is a bit watery, but it will not affect the performance.
Use for Golden Milk, Smoothies, stir into Yoghurt, add to your dinner plate ... your pet's dinner plate or your horse feed ... run wild!
Can You Help Charley Get Adopted ?
Charley ...
is a lovable, sweet, wiggle butt of a friendly, adorable, 52-pound, eight-month-old, male white and black-spotted Boxer/Pit/American Bulldog-mix looking for a loving guardian.Charley is full of kisses and tail wags for everyone he meets - including children. He rolls over for belly rubs and just loves being touched. He knows the commands sit and down and takes treats incredibly gently from your fingers. He is perfectly housebroken, quiet and well-behaved in the home. He could easily live in a pet-friendly apartment, condo or in a house.
Charley is great on leash - unless he sees a squirrel - and has just the loveliest temperament. He loves to play fetch and is a fun and animated canine companion. He will be a wonderful addition to some lucky family.
Charley is very healthy, and will be soon de-wormed, neutered, up-to-date on vaccines, micro-chipped, and heartworm-tested.
If you are interested in meeting and possibly adopting him, please fill in the online application here and follow up by contacting Gloria at fido@famousfidorescue.comor 773-907-0305
Monday, May 18, 2015
Fabulous Dog By Dog Documentary Premiering That Exposes Puppy Mills Across This Country
Documentary Explores How Corporate Agriculture is Protecting Puppy Mills
Dog by Dog follows the money trail from breeders in overalls to business men in suits on Wall Street
CHICAGO, May 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Next week in New York, 5414 Productions will premiere the documentary Dog By Dog, which explores the role money and politics play in the effort to regulate puppy mills.
This documentary is the vision of two unlikely partners: Christopher Grimes, director and CEO of 5414 Productions, and Chicago banker Chris Ksoll. The partners set out to follow the money and discover what industries were financing and protecting mass dog breeding operations. After following the money trail, it was clear that large Agriculture firms that had no direct interest in dogs were secretly funding the protection of the puppy mill industry.
"The question that I wanted to answer is how your typical puppy mill operator who works in overalls and oversees hundreds of dogs was also able to simultaneously mount such an expensive and aggressive grassroots effort to stop legislative efforts to provide humane conditions for dogs," said Grimes. "After conducting extensive research over many years, we came to realize that in many cases it is massive, publicly-traded corporate farming companies that are protecting puppy mills and blocking any attempts to pass humane legislation that would regulate these large scale breeding facilities."
This is not a documentary about the breeders, although we do discuss their business. The documentary shows how money and political influence continue to stall meaningful legislation that will give the breeding animals a humane life. Monsanto, Smithfield and many other Agriculture giants are exposed in this film for funding and protecting puppy mills.
"It all comes down to money," said Ksoll. "Large-scale dog breeders do not have the political muscle to influence state and federal politicians. This documentary shows that in fact the AKC and large agriculture corporations are funding the opposition to any meaningful legislation or enforcement of laws to protect these breeding dogs."
Each year in the United States, 2 to 4 million puppies are purchased from puppy mills. As shelters continue to overflow with dogs, puppy mills continue to breed and profit. This documentary aims to wake up the public to the cruel reality of puppy mills. A solution to the horrors of the puppy mill operation can only be achieved if consumers stop buying puppy mill dogs and if the government enforces meaningful laws that will ensure basic humane treatment to the dogs that will live in these breeding factories their entire lives.
Details of the documentary's release and future screenings will be available on the Dog by Dog website. To view the trailer and access more information about the film please visit www.dogbydogdocumentary.com
Please Consider Adopting This Sweet Dog !!!
Tootsie ...
is a handsome and dog-friendly three-year-old, 40-pound, male, fawn Lab / Shar Pei-mix looking for a loving guardian.
Tootsie has the softest fur and gives his favorite people kisses. He knows the command sit and takes treats gently from your fingers. He would do wonderfully in a home with another dog since he is very playful. He was originally found stray with his sister who had been hit by a car. She lost one of her legs and has since been adopted. Tootsie would do best with teens and adults as he is a little nervous and is a flight risk.  He's a smart guy who teaches himself how to open doors. When he settles down in a loving home, I think that fleeing will be the last thing on his mind especially after taking some training classes with his new family. Tootsie's adoption fee of $300 benefits the rescued pets of Tails of Hope. He is now healthy, neutered, de-wormed, up-to-date on vaccines, micro-chipped, heartworm-tested, and on monthly heartworm preventative. He is currently at the Tails of Hope Shelter in Highland Park, Illinois. To meet and possibly adopt Tootsie, please fill in the adoption application here and follow up by contacting tailsofhope@aol.comor 847-557-9554. |
To share Tootsie's availability on Facebook:
To see other pets for adoption, please visit:
Sheri
Petraits Pet Photography
773-777-2891
|
Friday, May 15, 2015
2015 Missouri Legislative Recap On Animal Bills .....
2015 Legislative Recap
The Missouri General Assembly wrapped up its 2015 legislative session today at 6:00 pm. Opponents of the animal welfare movement have continually tried to chip away at our animal cruelty laws, and 2015 was no exception. Bills were filed that would have moved Missouri one step closer to horse slaughter, created an exemption to the Large Carnivore Act for mini-circuses, massively weakened the disposition process for animal cruelty and neglect cases, punished counties who have health and zoning ordinances against factory farms, and even one that exempted all animal and environmental records from Missouri’s Sunshine Law. Thank you to everyone who took part in this process by participating in Humane Lobby Day, contacting your legislators, and sharing our action alerts. We couldn’t do it without you! Here’s a brief summary of some of the worst bills we were able to stop this year:
HB 79- This bill made detrimental changes to Missouri’s animal cruelty laws and would have left animals in the hands of their abusers by forcing changes to the disposition process on cruelty and neglect cases. Final status: FAILED!
HB 196- This bill would have prohibited the Department of Natural Resources from denying waste water permits based on the species of animal being processed. It is a pro-horse slaughter bill that has been filed two years in a row in direct response to DNR denying Rains Natural Meats a permit to slaughter horses in Gallatin, MO. Final status: FAILED!
HB 479- This bill would have exempted all environmental records and animal health inspection reports from Missouri’s Sunshine Law. This bill was a threat to public health, and is designed to protect factory farms and puppy mills from public scrutiny. Final status: FAILED!
HB 882- House Bill 882 would have created an “Agri-Ready County” designation for any county that had not adopted any health, environmental, or zoning ordinances against factory farms. It would have encouraged counties to roll out the red carpet for factory farming by unfairly giving these counties priority status when applying for grants from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, and Department of Conservation, and punished those counties that have taken steps to protect their citizens. Final status: FAILED!on Animal
'
Cutest Bath Time Ever .......
Baby vs Dachshund
Posted by Sausage Dog Central on Saturday, July 19, 2014
Stop Breed-Specific Legislation in Chaffee, Missouri ....
Stop Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) in Chaffee, MO!
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Leanne,
I am a pit bull terrier owner living in Chaffee, MO, where there are very strict requirements to own a breed considered "dangerous" or "vicious." Please sign my petition to ask city officials to repeal its breed-specific legislation!
My family fell in love with my dog, Sophie, after finding her through the Humane Society. We already filed paperwork to adopt her when someone told us Chaffee might have breed-specific restrictions – and they were right.
Chaffee’s restrictions are incredibly burdensome and effect a whopping 18 dog breeds – despite the fact no evidence exists to support the assumption specific breeds pose a danger to the public.
Under Chaffee's requirements, “vicious” dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than 4 feet and muzzled at all times when out in public – even if they’ve never harmed anyone. The dogs must be kept in enclosures with strict and expensive requirements set forth by the city. The dogs are prohibited from being kept on a porch or patio or in a house with open windows and screen doors.
Homeowners must display a “Beware of Dangerous Dog” sign on their property and purchase a $100,000 liability insurance policy. People who violate these unnecessary requirements can face up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.
Laws like these are unfair and only contribute to negative stereotypes of specific breeds. I believe a dog is only as good as their owner. Just like a child, if you raise a dog to be violent and aggressive, that is how they will act. Sweeping restrictions punish good dog owners and deter them from adopting these breeds, pushing more dogs into shelters.
Thank you,
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Wednesday, May 6, 2015
100 of the Worst Puppy Mills Exposed .......
100 of the Worst Puppy Mills Exposed
- by Alicia Graef
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/100-of-the-worst-puppy-mills-exposed.html#ixzz3ZPZDcZ3tWe are a nation of dog lovers, but our demand for cute puppies and unwitting purchases are continuing to drive an industry that’s contributing to the suffering of thousands of dogs living in puppy mills.
For the third year in a row, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has released its list of the 100 worst puppy mills in the U.S. The report, The Horrible Hundred 2015, has again uncovered the heartbreaking treatment of dogs that, it’s probably safe to say, no one would knowingly support.
Just a few of the nightmarish issues highlighted in this report include dogs without shelter, living in filthy conditions, starving, sick and left with untreated wounds and other serious health issues.According to the HSUS, the report was compiled based on a number of factors, including state and federal records of violations and warnings, their severity and consumer complaints.
The worst breeders were found in 16 states, with Missouri and Kansas topping the list for the third year in a row, followed by Nebraska, Iowa and Arkansas. Because these breeders sell either to pet stores, or directly to the public, puppies from these mills can end up in the hands of unsuspecting consumers anywhere in the U.S.
These breeders are all required to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). That should mean something, to both consumers and dogs, about the level of care required but as this report and other investigations have shown it really doesn’t.
Licensing only requires the bare minimum standards of care and even those are apparently too much for some breeders to be bothered with. Dogs can be kept in cages only a few inches longer than their bodies for their entire lives, cages can be stacked with wire floors and dogs can be bred as often as they can produce to maximize profits. Often they are left without adequate care in unsanitary conditions. None of those standards are exactly our idea of the kind of humane care breeders should be required to provide to stay in business.
When it comes to inspections, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Animal Care (AC) unit is responsible for enforcing the AWA, but it has been ineffective in terms of dealing with problem breeders and repeat offenders.
While some breeders that were identified in previous reports have since been shut down, many of these breeders continue to be licensed again despite their known violations and obvious cruelty that’s taking place at their facilities.
Worse still, as the HSUS points out, is that this report only offers a glimpse into a much bigger problem, but it’s also “a reminder not to be fooled by a cute name, a USDA license or registration papers.”
While laws and regulations dealing with this industry lag far behind what dogs urgently need now, a growing awareness about this problem is leading the change as more communities act to protect both pets, and people who want to welcome them into their home, from bad breeders.
We can all also stop supporting the suffering immediately by being careful about where we’re getting our dogs. There are millions of pets in shelters and rescues waiting for a chance at a forever home and hundreds of breed-specific rescues around. There are also breeders who care about their dogs, and the quality and future of the puppies they bring into the world, and they will never sell their dogs to brokers or pet stores.
For more info on how to help dogs this Puppy Mill Action Week, check out A Puppy Is Not a Product.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/100-of-the-worst-puppy-mills-exposed.html#ixzz3ZPYxxrkF
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