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| Tiny Jazz - Today. She spent 10 years in a puppy mill. Weighing less than 5 pounds, rescued with lice and flea anemia, horrible skin infections and a bladder stone that filled her entire pelvis, Miss Jazzy Sprite had emergency surgery that saved her life. |
| Dogs we have shared our homes and hearts with |
Facts provided by the Humane Society of the United States:
Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers. The
puppies are sold either directly to the public via the Internet, newspaper ads, at the mill
itself, or are sold to brokers and pet shops across the country. Puppy mills have long
concerned The
Humane Society of the United States.
The documented problems of puppy mills include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal
veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans,
overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this
situation frequently
means buying a puppy facing an array of immediate veterinary problems or harboring
genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.
Sadly, some dogs are forced to live in puppy mills for their entire lives. They are kept
there for one reason only: to produce more puppies. Repeatedly bred, many of these
"brood bitches" are killed once their reproductive capacity wanes.
Thousands of these breeding operations currently exist in the United States, many of
them despite repeated violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is charged with enforcing the AWA; however,
with 96 inspectors nationwide who oversee not only the thousands of puppy mills, but
also zoos, circuses, laboratories, and animals transported via commercial airlines, they
are an agency stretched thin.
The HSUS, along with other animal-protection groups, has successfully lobbied for
increased funding for AWA enforcement. Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws
that should prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, such laws are
seldom enforced.
The Laws Aren't Enough
Because a puppy mill is a business, the facility is designed purely for profit, not comfort.
Laws are on the books to provide minimum-care standards for puppy-mill animals, but
enforcement has historically been spotty at best. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) licenses
and inspects puppy mills for violations of the Animal Welfare Act; likewise, some state
laws are designed to protect the charges in the average puppy mill. But puppy mills can
successfully navigate around these laws, whether by selling directly to consumers
(thereby avoiding USDA licensing requirements) or simply by avoiding the reach of law
enforcement (with so few USDA inspectors and minor fines, it's easy to stay in business).
What You Can Do
To help close down puppy mills and ensure the safety and humane treatment of dogs
trapped in commercial kennels, you can:
Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers. The
puppies are sold either directly to the public via the Internet, newspaper ads, at the mill
itself, or are sold to brokers and pet shops across the country. Puppy mills have long
concerned The
Humane Society of the United States.
The documented problems of puppy mills include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal
veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans,
overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this
situation frequently
means buying a puppy facing an array of immediate veterinary problems or harboring
genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.
Sadly, some dogs are forced to live in puppy mills for their entire lives. They are kept
there for one reason only: to produce more puppies. Repeatedly bred, many of these
"brood bitches" are killed once their reproductive capacity wanes.
Thousands of these breeding operations currently exist in the United States, many of
them despite repeated violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is charged with enforcing the AWA; however,
with 96 inspectors nationwide who oversee not only the thousands of puppy mills, but
also zoos, circuses, laboratories, and animals transported via commercial airlines, they
are an agency stretched thin.
The HSUS, along with other animal-protection groups, has successfully lobbied for
increased funding for AWA enforcement. Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws
that should prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, such laws are
seldom enforced.
The Laws Aren't Enough
Because a puppy mill is a business, the facility is designed purely for profit, not comfort.
Laws are on the books to provide minimum-care standards for puppy-mill animals, but
enforcement has historically been spotty at best. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) licenses
and inspects puppy mills for violations of the Animal Welfare Act; likewise, some state
laws are designed to protect the charges in the average puppy mill. But puppy mills can
successfully navigate around these laws, whether by selling directly to consumers
(thereby avoiding USDA licensing requirements) or simply by avoiding the reach of law
enforcement (with so few USDA inspectors and minor fines, it's easy to stay in business).
What You Can Do
To help close down puppy mills and ensure the safety and humane treatment of dogs
trapped in commercial kennels, you can:
 | Encourage state and federal officials to stop the mass production and exportation | |
| of sick and traumatized dogs. In addition to passing new laws, legislators can demand that existing laws be enforced. |
| Urge other people not to buy puppies from pet stores, over the Internet, or from | |
| newspaper ads. |
| Write letters to the editor about puppy mills and pet stores. Explain the mills' | |
| inhumane treatment of puppies and their contribution to pet overpopulation. |
| Visit a local pet store to determine where it obtains its puppies. Don't be misled by | |
| claims that its dogs were not bred in puppy mills. |
| Insist on seeing breed registry papers or the interstate health certificate for each | |
| puppy. The papers will list the breeder's and/or wholesaler's name and address |
| Contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives and your two U.S. | |
| Senators, asking them to urge the USDA to strictly enforce the Animal Welfare Act and to support efforts to increase funding for USDA/Animal Care. Members of Congress can be contacted at: The Honorable _______________, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC 20510. |
| File a Breeder Complaint Form if your new dog appears to be suffering from a | |
| medical condition. |
| Jazz - Above - First picture after being rescued from a Missouri puppy mill |
| Above is Betty Rescued just in time. This blind little old lady was almost starved to death. |
| Below are Betty and Jazz Rescued from a Missouri puppy mill, both of these little angles would not have survived more than a few more days. Rescued by PuppymillRescue. |
Betty
Jazz - shortly after being rescued.
Her hair beginning to grow back
Her hair beginning to grow back
