Puppy Mills

www.myrotties.blogspot.com

We have all heard the horror stories concerning puppy mills, but what exactly are they, where are located and who supports them. Here's an example of what a puppy mill is In 2001 the Ontario SPCA seized 180 dogs from a puppy mill located outside Toronto. This was one of the largest puppy mills the SPCA had witnessed in Ontario. The SPCA then had all the dogs vaccinated and checked over for injury and/or disease. The owners of the puppy mill were charged with willfully causing unnecessary suffering to animals. This was not their first encounter with the Courts for animal cruelty.

The Ontario SPCA describes Puppy Mill as a breeding operation in which dogs are repeatedly bred for financial gain and kept in substandard conditions". Often times they are confined to rabbit like cages where the urine drops into a tray below, through a wired mesh. They are kept in these horrific conditions all their life's. They are susceptible to a never ending cycle of nfection and disease. They are not socialized and as a result they develop neurotic behaviours. Imagine how a human would develop if housed in a cage all their lives, with no social contact or stimulation. The treatment of these poor dogs is nothing short of barbaric. Some puppy mills take better care of their dogs and are housed in kennels, but the main purpose of having the dogs is to breed for profit.

The puppies are usually sold through pet shops and sometimes directly to the public, masquerading as reputable breeders. In order to avoid buying from a puppy mill, you should do or not do the following.

Ask to see the both parents of the dogs or a contact number of the owner of the sire.
Under no circumstances buy a dog from a pet shop.
Ask to see documentation on health clearances. Puppy mills do no spend the time and money screening for potential health problems.
Ask to see the show record of the puppy's offspring. Puppy mills do not bother to show their dogs because of the costs involved and because their dogs are typically not sound enough to show. Or, the dogs are not purebred and not recognized by the CKC or AKC.
Ask to see their kennels. A puppy mill does not want you to see where they are raised.
Asks to see registration papers.
Check with the better business bureau.
Ask to proof of membership in dog related organizations.

Petitions to sign

Puppy's Mills Detective Agency http://dogden.ca/phpPETITION/

No Puppy Mills Canada: http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/teja.htm

Notice of Action : Quebec is the puppy mill capital of Canada http://jowlflapper.com/puppy_mill/

Stop Puppy Mills http://www.petitiononline.com/02FFARO/petition.html