Vets and techs fight puppy mills

What's wrong with pet store and Internet-ordered puppies? If you'd been with Pet Connection director of photography Morgan Ong and me on Memorial Day weekend, you'd know.



Morgan and I spent Sunday of the holiday weekend with a group of Bay Area veterinarians and vet techs and a huge contingent of volunteers and breed rescue workers who have been working to turn the spotlight on where those puppies in the mall pet store window and available for purchase over the Web come from. They travel to auctions where the breeding dogs are being offered to the highest bidder, buy as many as they can, and bring them back to be cared for medically and placed in good homes.



We'll be doing some additional coverage of this in our column, and here on the blog, but in the meantime, it's the subject of my column over on SFGate.com:

I was standing in the heat of a San Jose veterinary hospital parking lot on Memorial Day when the van pulled in. They'd been on the road for over 24 hours, transporting 49 dogs from Oklahoma to California.



One of the dogs, a small female golden retriever, trembled in the van, refusing to be tugged, pulled, cajoled or tempted out. She was finally carried out in the arms of one of the vets, who set her, shaking, on the ground.



"Hey, Sunshine," crooned Pat Lynch from Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue. "Don't worry, everything's going to be OK."



Seeing a golden retriever so scared of people that she shakes is sobering for anyone familiar with the breed's usually happy-go-lucky, ball-chasing, people-loving nature. But Sunshine had reason to be afraid: Until that day, she'd spent her entire life inside a wire cage, pumping out puppies for the puppy-mill trade.



Puppy mills are the factory farms of dog breeding, big commercial operations that produce puppies that are then distributed nationwide to pet stores and sold directly to consumers on the Web. The dogs are kept in small cages -- which USDA regulations require to be no more than a few inches bigger than the dog -- and females have puppies every time they come in season for their entire lives.

Here's the complete article, plus four of the photos Morgan took.



We'll keep you updated on the progress of the dogs -- we got news that Sunshine is doing great, and turned out to have a serious medical problem that was corrected when she was spayed. So she's one of the lucky ones in more ways than one!

Comments

[Linda]

Poor doggies - how can the puppy mill operators be so cruel to these animals - the human race is not very humane.

[Linda]

And just think under the wonderful CA. AB1634 these puppy mills can operate with the State's Blessing - see how progressive we are in CA. we approve of treating dogs and puppies in such Neanderthal ways - makes my heart warm and fuzzy.

[Bj]

Yep. . . AB1634 will make it VERY hard for the reputable breeder who cares for the one or two litters a year in their own home and health tests all their dogs to continue! Its a horrible law!

[Annie]

Good article, but doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose for them to buy all the dogs at these auctions? Aren't they just giving money to the puppy mills so that they can just continue their business?

[Christie Keith]

Well, in this case no, because they limit themselves to puppy mill dispersal sales, where the miller has died or is going out of business for some reason. I actually had that in the original draft of the article, but it was cut for length.



They are trying very hard not to give their money to active millers. Also, they buy dogs out of the "kill box," dogs who are bring thrown away, and are sold for so little money it doesn't even pay the cost the auction house put into them.



Again, they try very hard to make the best ethical use of their money that they can, and not perpetuate the business. They have advisors from some of the breed rescue groups who have inadvertantly created a market for dogs of their breed, being bred specifically because they know rescuers will buy them up. It's an ethical landmine, and they're trying to get through it as carefully as possible. I'm sure there will be a few missteps, as are they, but they're aware and doing their best to break the cycle, not perpetuate it.

[The OTHER Pat]

Christie - when you write your follow-up article, I hope you can explain why it's reasonable to expect to meet the puppies' mother, but should be a red flag if both mother AND father are on-site. (Backyard breeders frequently tout this as a "plus", and it sounds good to an uneducated public.)

[Linda]

What can we do now to stop these Puppy Mills? Can you post or list something and if this is not the place for it here, can you direct me to a website so I can write letters and make phone calls to help stop with animal torture - because that is what it is.

[straybaby]

Comment by thomas — June 13, 2007 @ 6:49 am



EEP! I did not know this (obviously am behind on reading the NYDog Law list!)



Do you have a link with more info on the those that intro'd the bill? I'd like to drop them a line.



Would this bill include altering the dog auction law? That's a handy one for getting well meaning charities to not add puppies to their auctions. No back and forth on how they are going to make sure the puppy gets a good home etc, just a simple but pleasant "it's against the law". ;)

[trucorgi]

Comment by Christie Keith "Yeah, and they’d know, since they had a rep at this auction who did NOTHING about the bitches in actual LABOR being auctioned off, the bitch with 2 day old puppies being auctioned off, the sick, hurt, injured dogs, nor even problems with papers that were reported to her.



So their credibility on this issue not so much with me."



While we are all distressed that AKC is there to deal with registration matters, they have no law enforcement authority at all. The bigger question is why those with law enforcement oversight are not there, or if they were, why did they do nothing? Where were the SPCA and the UDSA? These are clear violation of the animal welfare act and cruelty laws. IMO these dogs should have been seized by law enforcement and turned over to rescue, rather than purchased by rescue volunteers. Rescue should not be in the business of buying dogs. It's a slippery slope, I know, but we really should be focusing on prosecuting the perpetrators of cruelty just as much as saving the victims.

[thomas]

In my state New York Senator George Winner was asked by the farm bureau to introduce a bill putting dogs under the right to fatm act. The bill in the Senate is S923 in the Assembly A6468. We have worked very hard to stop this bill. We have written letters, emailed , petitioned, and put up posters.



It is becoming a well known fact that many puppy mill operators are fleeing Pennsylvania and coming to New York to open their prisons of horror in our look the other way area of farm politicians and law enforcement.



One mill operator who had a permit to operate with a limit of sixty dogs in December wrote an article for their millers magazine bragging of having over 400 adults. He has been ordered to down size to 60 , the town has not arrested him for his code violations yet as they do not know what they would do with all the dogs.



We have put out a poster of one of the rescued dogs , a small cocker who had untreated glaucoma and something had been imbedded in her neck , which what ever it was was yanked out leaving her a sore that was oozing puss. We had to have one eye removed immediately and tried to save the other one but couldn't. The second eye was also removed she is a totally blind dog who loves people. She is now a canine good citizen and trains at a nursing home. The puppy mill operator that had her made a decision not spend any money to relieve her pain and suffering after she had been bred every heat so they could sell her pups to make a lazy mans living.



On the poster we did not put our phone numbers but the numbers of the Senatoe and assemblyman who introduced the bills to put dogs under the right to farm act.

[straybaby]

thanks for posting this info Thomas!!!



I *WILL* be using it! farming dogs . . . I think not.

[trucorgi]

Christie- I do agree with you however, I believe it is unethical to buy a dog for any reason and call it a rescue. Many people are under the impression that buying a dog from a pet store rescues it, when in fact it just condemns the parents to produce more litters to fill the empty cages. By going to another state and relieving them of their surplus, it in effect, lets them off the hook of dealing with their own problem. If media attention is the goal work towards exposing the state legislators and law enforcement that allows these cruel auctions to continue. Put a face on them. Right now California is trying to outlaw responsible breeding while bringing in dogs bought at auction in another state.

[straybaby]

"the recent ill-advised and fortunately abandoned idea of entering a partnership with Petland in order to get Petland puppies registered with the AKC"



ill-advised is an understatement, imo!



I fully support Responsible Breeders. Even have my list of a few I'd like my puppy from in a couple years (which I will not alter before 4mos just because of some law! 'grumble') I also realize the imperfections of the AKC, but it is what we have and I do appreciate the parts that work. I just don't understand what they could be expected to do at an auction where there are situations like Christie described. Depending on the laws where the auction is taking place, the authorities may not beable to do much either. From what I understand of animal cruelty laws, immediate seizure of the animals is not the norm. For sick and injured dogs, the people involved can just say they will be immediately vetted and then a follow up happens. If the AKC is doing something after like restricting the breeders ability to register etc, then I can kind of understand why they are there, but otherwise, not.



Has the AKC ever considered having a sep regestration division for the Millers/Commercial Breeders and another for the Hobby Breeders? Perhaps AKC/CO and AKC/HB?

[The OTHER Pat]

Comment by straybaby — June 12, 2007 @ 11:59 pm



"can they (AKC) do anything though when they are at the auctions? i have no faith in the authorities to do anything since they seem to think this kind of thing is fine in general, so i don’t know what the AKC can/should/would do while there."



A lot of us are pretty distressed with the AKC (the organization) these days. Their interest (as an organization) seems to be moving more and more towards "preserving the bottom line" and away from the core message having to do with supporting and preserving the integrity of "the studbook" (i.e. the purebred dog).



But that doesn't mean the basic ideas are no longer valid, or that breeders - as *individuals* - are no longer pursuing worthwhile goals. The breeders - the RESPONSIBLE breeders - are the backbone of the original mission of the AKC, and if we lose them - and what they do - then it's ALL gone.



It means a person like me learns to do a sort of "double-think" - I'm angry at the AKC and many of their actions (such as Christie's description of AKC reps at auctions doing nothing or the recent ill-advised and fortunately abandoned idea of entering a partnership with Petland in order to get Petland puppies registered with the AKC) yet in a lot of ways, it is still pretty much the best game in town. Not perfect - not by a long shot. But far better than many of the alternatives (such as APR which the commercial breeders set up just so that uneducated pet shop puppy buyers could be handed a pretty "registration certificate" when they bought their dog).



So I support the actions of Responsible Breeders, and understand their AKC affiliation. But I no longer expect the AKC itself to do much of anything useful when it comes to trying to put commercial breeders out of business.

[Linda]

Saving bitches at auction or saving puppies from puppy mill hades helps to end their suffering and offers them a chance at a decent life - a life that honors all that is good and right in this world - this is a honorable task.



And if I saw a dog suffering or puppies suffering, no matter how the animal got like that, no matter in what circumstances, I would try to rescue the poor creature.



I hope that one day puppy mills are outlawed across the U.S. and until then the good fight must continue to shut them down.

[thomas]

Christie I agree totally with you on this issue . It makes a difference to everydog rescued. In New york state the bills we are trying to stop are S923 this is introduced inthe Senate to call dogs under the right to farm act. If you http://www.senate.state.ny.us go to scheudle bills and type in S923 you can see the bill. If you go to senators and lokk up George Winner you can call and email him and tell him this is a bad bill.



http://assembly.state.ny.us willopen the assembly page scroll down and to do a search put in A6468 or S923 and it will tell the bill status. Also if you go to assemblymembers , go to Jum baccales and please call or email him and tell him this a bad bill.

[straybaby]

can they (AKC) do anything though when they are at the auctions? i have no faith in the authorities to do anything since they seem to think this kind of thing is fine in general, so i don't know what the AKC can/should/would do while there.

[Laura]

Comment by Patricia Hill — June 12, 2007 @ 7:48 pm



Thanks, Patricia. I couldn't agree more. It's easy to hate puppy mills - who on earth wouldn't? But something needs to be done about the well-intended but under-educated folks who pump out the puppies that keep the market going and raise the prices for "pure-bred" pups in any condition.

[trucorgi]

http://www.akc.org/rules/policymanual.cfm?page=7

The American Kennel Club discourages Parent Club rescue groups from purchasing dogs at auctions. Although Parent Clubs may be doing good things for individual dogs purchased at auctions, it perpetuates the problem and tends to create a seller's market. Reciprocally, auctioneers seek more dogs of those breeds to offer at auctions. AKC applauds the work of Parent Club rescue groups on many fronts. However, AKC believes that the purchasing of dogs at auctions is not overall in the best interest of purebred dogs."

[Christie Keith]

However, AKC believes that the purchasing of dogs at auctions is not overall in the best interest of purebred dogs.



Yeah, and they'd know, since they had a rep at this auction who did NOTHING about the bitches in actual LABOR being auctioned off, the bitch with 2 day old puppies being auctioned off, the sick, hurt, injured dogs, nor even problems with papers that were reported to her.



So their credibility on this issue not so much with me.



However, I think that it's important to read what I said earlier in this thread, what was edited out of the article due to space considerations, is that they only buy at disbursement sales, sales where the miller is deceased or going out of business. They are very selectively doing this to get dogs to be "ambassadors" to educate people about puppy mills by putting a face on the words.

[Patricia Hill]

Christie - since our Northern California shelters already euthanize so many dogs of questionable heritage (once known as Heinz 57)adoptable animals, is satisfying a specific breed rescue's desire to provide supposedly purebred puppies, of questionable blood lines, and, one would think, at a lower price than a local breeder, ethical?



Unfortunately, we have "backyard" breeders we need to deal with in the Bay and Sac areas. I have seen too many cases both in Washington state and California of backyard bred, "Oh, you have a male, let's breed them!" Maltese to ruin the breed.



Even more unfortunate, my sister-in-law was one of them. Being a big dog type, I knew nothing about Maltese 16 yrs ago, and bought one of her puppies. From a 3 mo old ball of adorable white fur, she grew into an 11 pound long-backed female, loosing her black nose and eyerims at puberty, and developing severe eye problems. (The eye problem was finally corrected by the third specialist we took her to in Rocklin, CA.) By the time she was 6 mos old, I had collected a stack of breed books and even talked to breeders that showed up in her AKC papers at shows and by phone.



Yes, we loved and cared for her for over 15 years. We had her euthanized last Tuesday when a biopsy of a growth in her mouth, while having dental done, came back with an agressive Squamous cell carcinoma.



We will miss her forever, as we do all of our past rescues and purebreds.



But is it right to encourage breeding simply for profit, not love or betterment of a breed?

[Christie Keith]

But is it right to encourage breeding simply for profit, not love or betterment of a breed



No, but what does that have to do with this post? You totally lost me.

[thomas]

I have seen horible conditions in puppy mills. One evening I was in the grocery store and I ran into a young man who runs a puppy mill. He knew I was involved in rescue as I already had a black Lab from his hell hole. He proceeded to tell me that he had a female white lab 13 weeks old that I could have if I wanted her. He added if you don't take her I will have someone shoot her. I asked if he was going right home and told him I could be there in an hour to look at her . He agreed to let me come in an hour. I called a friend on my cell phone and she said she would meet me at my house. I went home and my friend and I left for his mill. When we arrived we saw his figure looming in the light from inside the old dairy barn turned into a puppy mill. He invited us in . As we walked in the door we could see dogs all over the barn. The puppy he wanted to get rid of was in a simple wire pen about 3 ft. by 3 ft. She was with 3 larger pups. the pen was 18 inches deep with urine , feces and old dirty straw. There wasn't any food or water. He let the little pup out of her pen and it was obvious she had something terribly wrong with her back legs. She hobbled in stead of walking and running was out of the question. I asked the young man what he would do if we did not take her he replied "I'll have some one shoot her". I said that is illegal in our state. He replied " Then I'll hang her". We said we would take her. To the left of where her pen was six or eight females had litters of pups in little holes in straw. The barn doors were open at both ends of the barn, it was only about 20 degrees out doors and the wind was blowing thru the barn. I tried to explain to him that puppies could not endure the cold and the draft. We would learn later that all the pups died . he offered to show us where he had another group of dogs . There were about 10 dogs running together in another area of the barn .This group was both males and females. There wasn't any bedding , they were expected to sleep on the cold cement floor. when he fed this group of dogs he opened a bag of dog food and laid it on the floor. It truly met survival of the fittest. There water was in a tub in the floor that had been used to water cows, it was filthy and full of green slime. These dogs were able to outside into a fenced area , but because they had chewed wire , dug holes in the out door run and chewed on the barn he had put electric fence around the wire fence and the wood on the barn so they would get a shock if they touched it. He then showed us a new area he was building which housed a male poodle and numerous female labs some still pups. These dogs also had access to the outdoors, had a filthy cement floor to sleep on , they didn't have water as they had tipped the pails over. the male poodle appeared to have never been groomed. We would later get him into a rescue along with around 25 more dogs and pups icluding two of the pups that were in with the little female . As we left his mill we talked about a good name for the little pup. She is now known as Hope.We took her to the vet the next day and she had xrays which showed displaced knee caps we started walking her and put her on a good food and her knee caps straightened out. She has a canine good citizen title and loves obedience. When we went back a year later and picked up 2 of the pups that had been in with her . They were totally afraid of everyone as they had not been out of the barn or petted in a year. They spent along time in foster care but will nevr be a normal dog . when the conditions did not improve and more dogs died, we turned him in for animal cruelty the police opted to look the other way as this is typical in our county.

[thomas]

In response to stray baby I will post new york web sites for senate and assembly shortly.

[Christie Keith]

Why bring dogs from Oaklahoma, when we can’t find homes for our own adoptable dogs and cats here in California?



To put a face on the suffering of puppy mill dogs. These vets and techs LIVE in California. They are trying to right a wrong, bring it to light, regarding a problem that knows no state boundaries. They go where the dogs are, bring them where they are and where they can give them care, and then use the stories of those individual dogs to get media attention to the issue.



And it works.



Dr. Hamilton said quite clearly, even though they of course want to get the dogs out of there and care for them and give them a better life, their actual goal is to EDUCATE. And the most effective way to EDUCATE is to put a face on these dogs for people, to make it real.

[Patricia Hill]

Christie - Sorry I got off point, I'll be more concise. Why bring dogs from Oaklahoma, when we can't find homes for our own adoptable dogs and cats here in California?



Are there any shelters, private or county, that couldn't benefit from additional pro bono vet services, volunteers and money? I've yet to find one.

[Linda]

This is my take on helping animals outside of our local area - I believe that each of us has a burden in our hearts to help in various areas - some help close to home - some help afar - and as long as we answer the call in our hearts - no matter the location or even the cause - then we are doing good in this world. And God requires that we each do what we know in our hearts is right - and on that we are judged - but God places unique burdens in each soul - and we serve and help when pay attention to this unique calling. And that is how the world is changed.



So even though one can critize another person's calling - it is only important for each of us to follow where our heart leads. And I do believe that giving focused media attention and bringing these animals from afar into California will help stop the misery of not just midwestern puppy mills but puppy mills here in our State also.

[Mary O'Connor-Shaver]

Consumer demand for purebred puppies, more than any other factor, perpetuates the misery of puppy mills. Unfortunately, a dog’s lifespan is often longer than a consumer’s desire to maintain their “product.” As a result, millions of purebred dogs are sent to animal shelters every year, where roughly half will be euthanized.



As a member of the Central Ohio companion animal rescue community, I’ve been working very diligently with animal advocates through the U.S. in addressing this very critical issue for Ohio citizens.



For more information on our efforts, I invite you to visit our website www.BanOhioDogAuctions.com and read the article “New bill targets puppy mills, auctions” in the Winter, 2007 issue of The Animal Insider - http://www.animal-outreach.org.....01-07.pdf.



It is my firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect - not to mention the corruption and consumer fraud - connected with “dealing dogs”, puppy mills will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.

[Linda]

People are accustomed to accept the unacceptable and maybe too their own laziness or apathy.



So they say: I'm stressed and really they don't care or are too lazy to care - yes that too.



Still some are busy and people cut corners - especially families and also the dogs live lonely solitary lives in the back yard or garage and that is just as bad.



Maybe some just don't care. People generally do what they care about....but as a society we are maxed out. Rushing here rushing there no time for walks or smelling the roses.....no time to make informed choices.



Especially families with young children - and if both parents work.....lazy? maybe and maybe not.

[Gina Spadafori]

It is my firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect – not to mention the corruption and consumer fraud – connected with “dealing dogs”, puppy mills will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.



Comment by Mary O'Connor-Shaver



I wish that were true. Unfortunately, the first reports of puppy mills came out in the '60s, in Life magazine. In the early '80s, another big media push. And now, in the age of the Internet, there's no way that anyone doing even the tiniest bit of research can not know about puppy mills.



My only conclusion is that a whole lot of people truly don't give a damn about anything more than their own immediate gratification. They know about puppy mills, and don't care as long as they can plunk down their credit card and take a cute puppy home now.

[FrogDogz]

"My only conclusion is that a whole lot of people truly don’t give a damn about anything more than their own immediate gratification."



How very, very true. I spoke to a man less then two months ago who was calling about buying a dog. He made it perfectly clear that he wanted a dog with 'no strings attached' that he could 'breed if he wanted to'. When I politely and carefully explained why this was never going to happen with one of my dogs, he cursed and hung up. Less than a week later, he called to leave a gloating message telling me how he'd bought a puppy at PJ's, and was going to 'breed it and put snobby %&*^) breeders like you outta business'. I saved the voice mail, btw. I might add it to my blog.



You can never win against the truly ignorant. They don't care. They don't care their on-order puppy had to sit in a cargo hold for 24 hours to get here from Europe. They don't care that puppy mill dogs suffer. They want their puppy, NOW, and they want to be left alone to do what they want with it.



Unless something goes wrong, of course. Then all they want is some 'poor me' sympathy. I'm almost all out of it, personally.



Carol

[FrogDogz]

"I believe that part of the problem is that people are so stressed and maxed out that they simply can’t allocate the resourses to some of these issues – be it food safety, ped food education, or where they buy their puppy."



I'd be more likely to believe that if pet store puppies of my breed didn't regularly sell for $1000 more than a puppy from a top quality breeder who tests. I'd happily substitute the word "lazy" for "stressed and maxed out".

[Linda]

I believe that part of the problem is that people are so stressed and maxed out that they simply can't allocate the resourses to some of these issues - be it food safety, ped food education, or where they buy their puppy.



Many of these people do love animals and don't want them hurt and perhaps they just don't see that they are part of the problem.



My sister-in-law bought a puppy from a pet store when they were walking in the mall. I told her not to and fussed at her, but she just thought me off base.



We need to change some laws but that would put these pet stores out of business, at least some of them, and for the most part our government protects commerce - even if it hurts.

[FrogDogz]

"Especially families with young children – and if both parents work…..lazy? maybe and maybe not."



I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound argumentative, but if *anyone* has a responsibility to learn about responsible pet ownership and purchasing, it's parents with young children. The last thing a parent should be doing is teaching their kids that a puppy can be bought at the mall, like a new iPod.



Call me cranky, but I'm done with making excuses for people who still buy puppies from pet stores. I don't feel sorry for them, I don't care how stressed or maxed out they are, I don't care how many kids they have. Responsibility is part of being a grown up, and a busy life doesn't give you a 'get out of jail free card' for ethics.

[Linda]

Well I just remember a couple of news stories that showed working moms with several young children and how difficult it was to get everyone ready and then commute and doctors and sports and some just had only about 10 minutes a day to themselves - I suppose those people should not have pets - and that's what I was thinking about with the busy lives we lead.



I am big on the "ethics" part and then too I know that good people with pets sometimes just get busy.



For instance, I don't let dog pooh sit on the ground or in the yard - and I try to pick it up right away even with several big dogs - and I see people with big dogs (sometimes only one dog) and the back yard is so filled with pooh that the poor dog(s) can hardly find a place to step. Maybe this isn't an ethical issue - but it's a health issue. Busy, lazy, ignorant....????



Getting good vet care is important too. I wondered how poor people can afford pets - most times my vet visits cost me at least $250 to $400 and if there's something serious going on then it goes up from there. So my friend said that the poor will have to make tougher decisions, ethics besides, so many pet are in shelters and don't have home, she'd rather see them in poor homes than put to sleep or left in concrete stalls.



No perfect solution exists - and people that buy from pet stores are not trying to do evil. And if it is so wrong, then they need to be outlawed.