ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Jay

Why shouldn't you buy from a pet store? Here is their typical outlet where they get these poor dogs. Unbelievable!!

Mill pups and breeder dog sale.

1st. one is May 21 Buhler, Kansas 30 Poms, 9 Yorkies, 16 Poodles, 4 Min pins, 6 Maltese, 5 Shibas Inu and 1 paint filly.

# 2nd sale is a place called Rosehill Kennels it's May 24th at Thayer,Missouri-62 PUGS females 32 males and 47 puppies!!! + 6 Westies, 31 Cairn's, 8 Bostons, 6 Dash's, 4 Bichon's, 2 Yorkies, 36 Chihuahua's, 61 Min Pin's+ 10 pups, 8 Bull Terriers.

Enough to make you sick.

DISCUSSION:

Why are there so many puppy farmers in Missouri? Everytime I read about these auctions, the facatory is in Missouri. Don't they like animals there or whats there problems anyway.
-Marsha

That's over 300 breeding dogs going in to the open market. Some handlers are going to "rescue" some of the dogs. Is this a good thing to do, or are they contributing to the continuation of the sale of these dogs ? I would gladly donate to the rescue, but I have mixed thoughts.
-Marsha A.

It is just unbelievable what goes on. I can hardly stand to read about it or visit some sites because it depresses me so much. I have no idea what to do or how to help stop it except to warn people about pet shop purchases and keep on the watch for legislation to support.

There is a site www.dri-ink.com/pick/ -- this person breeds something like 30 different breeds and puts out like she is a good loving person who loves dogs, etc and breeds to standards, etc. Yet six of the breeds she lists are: yorkie-poo, shih-a-poo, rat terrier, pom-a-poo, cock-a-poo and bichon-a-poo. She is intentionally mixing breeds and selling them as "pure breeds" There is a section of her site that talks about being a good "Christian" and walking with god and a dog. Huh, I wonder what god really thinks of what she is doing.

There is no e-mail address but a snail mail address. Also she lists a shop in IL that she sells through. I intend to write her a snail mail and tell her that I intend to list her name and the pet shops name on the internet as a puppy mill that should be avoided at all costs because of the dogs she breeds and how she cross breeds. I intend to cc the pet shop also and let them know that I am thinking of starting a campaign against them.

That is the only thing I can think of to do immediately. Setting aside any liability factors, though the truth is always a valid and winning defense against a liability claim. What do others think about trying to put the word out to others when one knows about a puppy mill. Thoughts??
-Rebecca

Marsha A.,
In my opinion rescue is very important. Those people who operate puppy mills are dealing with a commodity. To them a breeding dog is nothing more than the dollars she is worth. When she is no longer useful to them they do not want to invest another cent in the "commodity." In fact, they are more than willing to let the dog die rather than continue to pay for food and other living expenses. We found my Clancy in a humane society. One that does practice euthanasia. The breeder who placed her there may have hoped that she would find a home (they lied about her age) but they did not care enough to monitor that process. If she had not been placed she would have been killed. From what that humane society director told me "it happens all the time." I was outraged. Clancy is a wonderful dog and so loving that many people who see her think "she must have been loved at least a little in her previous home." I doubt it. She was afraid of her own shadow when she came here. She had not been potty trained. She was unused to responding to any kind of voice commands. She didn't even respond to the name the breeder had given her. But with us in a few weeks she began to learn all of those things. My point is this: these irreputable puppy mill breeders would still be out there doing their thing no matter how many people rescue these dogs. In fact, if more people would rescue purebred dogs rather than going to the pet stores and buying the puppies then the puppy mills would lose money. Anyway, sorry for the long rant. I just get so outraged when I think about what might have happened to my sweet baby girl and what her life must have been like before she came here. It surely does make me sick.
-Carina

Rebecca, "Puppy Mill" is a very loose term or slang expression and could have different definitions or meanings. To avoid any libel statements one would first have to define what a "puppy mill" is and then categorize which kennels are and which ones aren't. What I would like to see made public is for pet stores having to disclose their source of the puppy "inventory" they carry or would they be too ashamed?
-Jay

Good point,Jay.I would think one factor would be the number of dogs a kennel has. How many is too many? I would say more than a kennel can properly care for. But how many is that? How many people or employees does it take to properly care for 100 dogs? If they fall short of whatever that number may be are they then considered a puppy mill? I am a little confused as to the definition.
-Terry

You're right, Jay, it is a loose term. And I get so angry I just want to shake these people -- and maybe even shoot some of them -- and say: don't you understand what you are doing? I would venture to bet anyone that the "Pick of the Litter" which is the name of the kennel for the site I listed would fall under the term Puppy Mill. In a news article they posted from 1996, it states that the kennel has 500 dog, NOT COUNTING the puppies. They raise 30 different breeds, including 6 different intentional cross breeds. In one shipment they were shipping out 30 puppies. I know there is not much that can be done to really shut these types of places down. And I applaud and say thanks for people like Carina, who like me, adopts and rescues from shelter. Except maybe try to shame the pet shops that carry the dogs from handling them. I intend to write to these people and ask for their list of pet shops. Then write to the pet shops. Part of my point though is, even if this kennel is trying to do a decent job of breeding, and doing shots and all: There are too many dogs being put to sleep every day in the United States for any one place to be producing this many dogs. Sorry, didn't mean to go on and take up such space. But I used to do volunteer work in a humane society and just got so burned out. By the way, one of the breeds the Pick Of the Litter has is Maltese. -- They are in NY! Thanks for letting me blow off steam!
-Rebecca

One thing you can do to help is to educate the general public about what is happening to these dogs. My puppy came from an ad in the newspaper. It never entered my mind that his litter could be bought wholesale from a puppy mill. These people buy the puppies then resale them. Chase had health problems from the start. We decide to keep him instead of giving him back just to be sold again. He had a very large open fontanel which the seller said was common. Turns out it is very commom in the puppies he buys from the mill. Chase died after we had him for 12 weeks. Instead of returning our money they replaced him. I saw two litters that had the same father. Of the 8 puppies, 5 of them had open fontanels. They just keep using this guy as a breeder knowing he is passing down these genes.

Our new puppy Sassie is now 5 months old. She is very small (2 and a half pounds), and her fontanel shows no signs of closing. I would not trade her for any other dog. She is the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever had. If I had it to do all over again, I would choose a different route in finding a puppy. I just never imagined that these people could be a front for a mill. After our experience with Chase, I will always worry about Sassie.

I now tell everyone who is thinking about buying a dog our story. It is sad to think that you can not trust what you see.

Good luck to everyone who takes on the task of trying to stop these people.
-ChrisL

It is so sick just to see these sick people just trying to make a measly dollar. I think that when they die, they are going to hell, because God gave us animals to treat right. I as a vegearian think animals have rights too, it's like breeindg people with the brother and sisters. I feel so sorry for the dogs at the puppy mill.. They should be bankrupted.
-Wendy

I sent an e-mail to the AKC and the WKC asking why these sales continue, and why they don't look into them, as if these dogs were not registered, they would not be taking place. I received this reply from the AKC:

Hello,
The American Kennel Club does not license or endorse anyone engaged in the commerce of selling purebred dogs and, therefore, has no control over the business practices of those involved in such transactions. Membership in The American Kennel Club is comprised of independent dog clubs located throughout the United States. No individual persons are members of the AKC.

It is legal in the United States for anyone to breed dogs and sell them for profit. The American Kennel Club endorses breeding of dogs by responsible breeders for the purpose of improving breeds of purebred dogs. The AKC does not support the random, large-scale breeding of dogs for commercial purposes. We believe all breeders bear a responsibility to assure that those who purchase their stock understand and are capable of carrying out their responsibility as pet owners. We believe the solution to the problem of random, large scale breeding for commercial purposes is scrupulous enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act, state and local regulations governing the humane care of animals, and enactment and enforcement of consumer protection laws for dog buyers. We further recommend and support education of the public to purchase puppies from responsible breeders and to avoid impulse buying of dogs.

The AKC's part in this is to inspect the records and the kennels of the breeders who breed AKC registered dogs. The AKC Inspections and Investigations Unit performs over 2500 inspections a year. When unsafe or unsanitary conditions are discovered in the course of an inspection, the breeder is reported to the authorities who have the power to close down a breeding operation. The AKC does not have the authority to do this. We will suspend a breeder of their AKC privileges if he is convicted of cruelty to animals. We also will suspend breeders for any violations of AKC Rules and Regulations.

Thank you for your email. If you have any questions, please contact me at areid@akc.org

Amy Reid
Electronic Media
American Kennel Club

I received a phone call from WKC, which really surprised me, wanting to know the location of the sales, saying that they would look into the matter. Marsha
-Marsha A.

I have purchased a maltese frm a pet store and from a "private breeder" at least what I thought of as a private breeder. My first guy is a delight although we do have problems with him and he is on the large size, I knew a 6 mo not to even think of breeding him. My bitch was from a "private breeder" out of mo whose cousin sold them here in MI. She has good pedg etc but is the most insure dog I've ever had. this winter I did breed her to a ch and for all her faults she was a super mom. My pups were worked with from day one and every one who took one remarks on how calm and well behaved they turned out, even my vet says its hard to believe the came from their mom. So just because someone says these pups come frm a private breeder, before you buy check out home to see how the puppies have been handled. I found the whole process a wonderful experience, busy but great. 4 puppies tearing around the kitchen can be a handful but all the work was well worth it. The hardest part was parting with any of them, even if they did go to good homes where I check in on them via phone and are all happy & healthy.
-Carol Armstrong

Carol, I hope that after your experience, you sold your puppies with a limited registration and a spay/neuter agreement. As a small breeder/owner/exhibitor, I am always fearful of one of my puppies winding up in an undesirable place. I avoid that by requiring several things: a "pet" must be spayed or neutered. A "show prospect" must be shown and finished before it can be bred, a bitch can be bred only 3 times during her life (with one year between breedings), and a dog must not be bred to pet-quality bitches (IE, ones who have not finished their championships--to me breeding quality and show quality are the same thing). Both pets and show dogs MUST be returned to me if the original owner is unable to keep it (I buy them back at the original price or less, depending on circumstances). There is a $5000.00 + attorney fees damages clause for failure to comply. Fortunately, the few Maltese I have sold are well-loved in lifetime homes, but it is necessary to safeguard them. Honest people have no problem with such a contract; it is the less-honest who balk at it. And I don't want my puppies with them anyway.
-Linda