Rachel A. Lamb
It was summer when I visited puppy mills in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania. In the last few years, the area has become a hub for large
scale commercial dog breeding operations. And although the Midwest still ranks
as containing the highest number of dog breeding operations, the concentration
of puppy mills in Lancaster County is unparalleled.
Accompanying me was a Humane Society of the United States investigator who
had monitored the Pennsylvania mills for years. He knew the county well, and had
seen not only the proliferation of puppy mills in the area, but at the same
time, the increased press and public attention in their operations.
Driving through the pastoral landscape, it seemed impossible that animal
suffering could exist amidst such beauty. This illusion was quickly shattered
with my first view of a puppy mill. For years, I had seen and studied photos of
infamous facilities, but nothing prepared me for seeing the real thing with my
own eyes.
We approached a farmhouse from the road and turned onto a muddy lane. Rounding
the corner, we didn't even have to get out of the truck to see or hear what
awaited us. Rows of dilapidated cages were lined up outside a barn. Stopping the
truck, my throat constricted with shock. Dogs were crammed three or more to a
small cage which were elevated over mounds of feces. Matted fur covered their
eyes as they rushed towards the front of their cages, barking at uninvited
visitors. Their plight was so dramatically different than the dogs I knew, the
dogs who lie lazily in afternoon sun, waiting for their next meal or walk. No,
these dogs were here for a purpose and only one purpose: to make money.
We saw many mills that day. Posing as buyers, we were able to handle and
examine some of the puppies. Many seemed sickly, disoriented, and underweight.
And when we were allowed to see their mothers, or sneaked onto a farm to view
the conditions, the hopelessness of their lives weighed on me like a heavy load
that rests on my shoulders even to this day.
Dogs hold a special place in our hearts. Domesticated thousands of years ago,
they were chosen to be our protectors, companions, and best friends. And
although we have betrayed our responsibility towards them in many ways, none is
so distressing or disturbing as the puppy mill.
The term "puppy mill," coined in the mid-to-late sixties to describe large
scale commercial dog breeding facilities, has only recently arrived in the
mainstream vernacular. It is a term that some claim is sensational and
manipulative. The word "mill" refers to an operation that churns out dogs in
mass, using female dogs as nothing more than breeding machines. The term
conjures images of dogs crowded in wire cages, living in their own wastes,
shivering from the cold, or baking in the heat. Tragically, this vision is not
far from reality. Most people, not just those interested in animal protection,
are shocked when confronted with the bleak images of dogs housed and bred in
puppy mills. But in the 5,000 puppy mills found across the country, thousands of
dogs are bred and raised for profit, valued not for their companionship or
loyalty, but for the cold hard cash they bring.
Many consumers possess an image of puppies at a family farm, lovingly raised
and cared for. Others may not even think about where a pet store puppy comes
from. Drawn to a pet store window by a bin of wriggling puppies, the furthest
thing from a customer's mind is the origin of these cute bundles of fur. But by
buying a puppy, often for a price of $500 or more, the consumer is unknowingly
supporting a cycle of abuse that begins at the puppy mill.
What the consumer can't see is the puppy's mother, imprisoned miles away,
pregnant again, her body being used to produce more money-making puppies.
Starting at six months, she is bred every heat cycle. She is often weak,
malnourished, and dehydrated. Rarely, if ever, is she provided with veterinary
care. She cannot maintain her productivity past her fourth or fifth year. After
that, she is nothing more than a drain on the mill's operation and must be
disposed of. If she's lucky, she'll be humanely euthanized. More often than not,
she will be shot or bludgeoned to death. Discarded, her wasted body will lie
forgotten in a local landfill or garbage dump.
This is the picture the pet stores will never show. And until recently, the ugly
truth of puppy mills has been hidden. But when problems with many of the puppies
bought at pet stores across the country began to surface, consumers and animal
lovers alike began asking hard questions. Puppies with seizures, parasites,
infections, bacteria, and behavioral problems were being seen far too often to
be merely coincidental.
Puppy mills and the pet store industry have begun to feel this scrutiny. They
insist that it doesn't make good business sense to sell sick puppies or house
breeding females in less than humane conditions. But evidence gained after years
of documentation and investigation directly conflicts with these assertions. In
addition, those small scale breeders who do treat their animals humanely, who
raise them in their homes or in small, cleanly kept kennels, do not usually make
a profit off their dogs. It is virtually impossible to breed in a humane fashion
and make money at the same time. Although a pet store may sell a puppy for $500
or more dollars, most commercial breeders can only get around $35 per dog from a
broker who in turns sells to the pet store for around $75. In order to make a
profit and cover costs, corners must be cut, and puppies must be churned out at
a furious rate. The cut corners are the animals themselves: their housing, their
health, their cleanliness. Inherent in the profit-making mills is the sacrifice
of humane standards in order to make a profit.
What protection, if any, do these dogs and their puppies have? On the state
level, puppy "lemon laws," existing in a handful of states including New Jersey
and California, seek to offer consumers protection against buying sick puppies.
Although these laws do chip away at the production of sick puppies, they do not
address the inherent problem of the whole system: the selling of dogs for
profit.
The federal level offers even less hope. The current system not only allows
the continuation of a business that makes money off the backs of dogs, but fails
in its responsibility to provide even a basic quality of life for dogs in puppy
mills. Originally passed in 1966, the federal Animal Welfare Act was amended in
1970 to include in its provisions the oversight of large scale commercial dog
breeding facilities. Regulations were written with the intention of ensuring the
proper care, feeding, housing, and veterinary care for the thousands of dogs
found in puppy mills across the country. Mandated by law to enforce these
regulations is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). But with a
shortage of inspectors responsible for overseeing these facilities, the agency
has developed a reputation for failing to meet its mandate.
Not only have outsiders criticized the agency's ability to enforce the Act in
relation to puppy mills, but several internal reviews have also illustrated the
gross inadequacies existing at the federal level. Recently, a damning internal
review conducted by the USDA's own office of the Inspector General of the
agency's South Central Regional Office offered a bleak picture. The South
Central Office, responsible for overseeing the majority of this country's puppy
mills, was found to be sorely lacking in its ability to enforce the Animal
Welfare Act. The report found that the office failed to respond to complaints
from the public, failed to report a large number of blatant violations of the
law, and that supervisors told inspectors not only where and when to inspect,
but instructed their staff not to write up too many violations of problematic
facilities. USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, embarrassed by the report's finding,
has demanded the development of an internal plan to respond to the crisis within
the agency.
The USDA is also feeling the heat over the puppy mill issue from members of
Congress. After receiving constituent mail on puppy mills, Congressman Glenn
Poshard (D-Il) and Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), sprung to action. Working with
The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection
organizations, they gathered over 100 signatures from members on both side of
Capitol Hill in a letter to Secretary Glickman expressing concern about the
problems found in puppy mills across the country. Sent late last summer, the
letter has caused anxiety within the USDA.
This Spring, the agency will consider enacting stronger regulations covering
puppy mills as well as examining ways in which their enforcement powers can be
increased. Although any change in the way puppy mills are regulated is an
improvement, and stiffer rules may even shut down or discourage potential
operators from opening a facility, the changes will not directly eliminate the
mills themselves. Until the demand for mass-produced pet store puppies
decreases, there will always be a buck to be made in the production of dogs.
Rachel A. Lamb is Director for Companion Animal Care at The Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS) in Washington, DC.
By Laura Italiano
Post Correspondent
INTERCOURSE, Pa.
Inside the picturesque barns and wooden fences of Amish country, pedigree
puppies are bred by the tens of thousands, many living in a hellish world of
filthy, crowded cages. They are "puppy mill" puppies, and they bring in $4
million a year for the 100 Amish and Mennonite farmers who supply boutique
dog-shop markets, including at least two New York dealers, the ASPCA says. "It's
not just some cottage industry by people who sell bread-and-butter pickles by
the roadside," said Roger Caras, ASPCA executive director. The farmers sell
20,000 puppies a year to wholesalers for an average $223 a pup, government
records show. And it's making some of these quaint farmers quite rich. U.S.
Department of Agriculture documents show that one farmer in the town of Blue
Ball sold 1,293 puppies last year for an estimated $290,000 though federal
inspectors have cited his farm for numerous violations since 1992 including
overcrowded cages and inadequate sanitation, pest control, feeding and watering
of animals. "Then these sickly, genetic nightmares are delivered to the upscale
pet shops," Caras said. "They given them a bath and blow dry them and fluff them
up and pray they don't die before they're sold," for $1,000 or more each.
Separate investigations
by the ASPCA and The Post found the deplorable conditions of puppy mills hidden
away in picture postcard Pennsylvania Dutch country, the fastest growing puppy
breeding region in the eastern United States. Inside one dark, fetid metal shed
inspected by The Post last week, about 40 puppies—German shepherds, dobermans
and shitzus among them—were locked in threes and fours in cages a single dog
would find cramped.
Many were unresponsive to a visitor's presence
and voice. Most had coats matted with feces. There was no apparent escape from
the shed's darkness and stench.
When questioned about the shed,
Amish farmer David Zimmerman denied it was a kennel, even pretending that the
ruckus of dog barks coming from inside was "just Potsy, the family dog, chasing
that gray kitten again." He might have been cautious for good reason:
Zimmerman's license to sell puppies in bulk has been suspended by the USDA.
"It's harassment," Zimmerman said of the USDA, which has also fined him $51,250
for numerous animal-welfare violations. Zimmerman, whose farm is in Ephrata, is
appealing the fine. "I believe this is the wealthy dog breeders trying to make
money" by putting the Amish out of business, Zimmerman said.
He and his wife then chased a
Post reporter and photographer off the property when they'd seen the puppies
inside the shed. "You're not supposed to go in there!" said Zimmerman, clad in
suspenders and wide-brimmed hat. "Get off the land!" shouted his wife, who wore
a bonnet and long dress, as she pointed angrily down the driveway.
Animal-cruelty investigator Sue
Pressman reported seeing even worse conditions. Earlier this year, she visited
the Blue Ball farm of Melvin Nolt, who sold 805 puppies in 1995. Given that the
USDA estimates average sale prices at $223 a pup, Nolt's 1995 puppy income could
have hit $180,000. Despite repeated USDA citations for conditions violating the
federal Animal Welfare Act, Pressman found a puppy farm in full operation on
Nolt's premises earlier this year. "They had the cages stacked so that the
puppies on the bottom were defecated and urinated on, collectively, by all the
puppies above them," said Pressman, who has 37 years consultancy experience
investigating zoos nationwide.
The USDA is the most powerful
agency for preventing puppy-mill abuses. It sets sanitation, nutrition, housing
and other standards for licensed dog wholesalers under the Animal Welfare Act.
But the agency is "spread thin," said agency spokesman Patrick Collins. "We only
have 73 folks [nationwide] who inspect all licensed animal-breeding facilities,
zoos, marine-mammal facilities and circuses," he said. And when the USDA manages
to take on puppy-mill breeders like Zimmerman and Nolt, the agency's bark is
often worse than its bite. Even with Zimmerman's looming $51,250 federal
fine—which he said he won't pay—he continues to mass-produce puppies.
Making matters worse, the ASPCA
says that at least a dozen other farmers also are continuing to mass-produce
puppies, even though USDA records show their licenses to sell have either lapsed
or been turned in. One of these farmers is Daniel Esh, who in May told
Pressman—not knowing she was an ASPCA inspector—that he had 51 newly weaned
bichon frise puppies "ready to go." This despite his having turned in his
puppy-farm license 16 months earlier. "We know Esh is still breeding. But now
with no license he doesn't have to report his numbers to anyone or go through
any federal inspections," Pressman said.
Two Amish men at the Esh farm
in Intercourse shoved a Post photographer and reporter who tried to get into the
farm's kennel. Puppies could be seen peering through a barn's second-story
windows, and they were barking in what sounded like large numbers. "Nobody goes
up there!" one of the two shouted. Then he pointed to a German shepherd guard
dog and warned, "You're lucky he doesn't tear that knapsack off your back!"
Caras called it "a federal
offense" to sell what are "essentially contraband puppies" but added that the
puppy breeders "come under no one's apparent jurisdiction." "They found a trick.
You simply drop your license, and then you can sell your puppies and keep them
in whatever condition you want, and the USDA doesn't inspect you any more," he
said. ASPCA investigators have just completed a nine-month investigation of
Lancaster's puppy mills, with Pressman able to gain entry to 42. "None of them
met even the most minimum standards, and some of them were appalling." she said.
Harder to quantify, though, is
what happens to the puppies once the farmers sell them. Caras said two New York
area stores—Yuppy Puppy in Port Jefferson, L.I. and Pedigree Mutt in Brighton
Beach, Brooklyn—told the ASPCA they are supplied by a wholesaler who buys
Lancaster puppies in bulk and brings them east in a converted school bus.
Consumers have filed 23 complaints against Yuppy Puppy with the Better Business
Bureau during the past three years—far more than any other pet store in the
metropolitan region, according to Jennifer Dikes, a bureau staffer. The bureau
has given the Long Island pet shop its lowest rating because of unresolved
customer problems with dogs that had genetic disorders or were sick or lame when
they were purchased.
The bureau listed no complaints
against Pedigree Mutt. Spokesmen at both stores denied dealing in puppy mill
puppies. Caras stressed: "Neither of those two stores is breaking any law, but
it is our belief that, after preliminary investigation, those two and many, many
other stores in New York City are getting their animals from Lancaster, where
the conditions are appalling. "They get nutritional problems and diarrhea,
respiratory infections because they're all crowded together," Pressman said.
"And because of the hither-and-yon 'I don't give a damn' attitude about
in-breeding, there's a lot of genetic flaws: hip dysplasia, crooked bones, bad
eyesight and rage disease [violent episodes]."
Even when the puppies survive
without major health defects, the puppy-mill system is a cruel one, treating
dogs like farm-factory livestock—or worse. They're not being treated like
companion animals, Pressman said. "They're being treated like poorly treated
chickens. And that's a hell of a foundation for a $1,000 family pet."
Pet Papers can be worthless.
The American Kennel Club gives pedigree papers to puppy-mill puppies, the ASPCA
says. "They should be personally checking more of these litters—and the
paperwork—to see what kind of pets are bearing their mark of quality," says
puppy-mill expert Sue Pressman. "Their mark, 'AKC registered,' is what keeps
these pups selling at a thousand dollars a puppy," says Pressman, who spent from
November to July investigating Lancaster County, Pa., mills as a consultant for
the ASPCA. AKC spokesman Wayne Cavanaugh says his organization conducts "about
4,000 inspections a year—more inspections [of puppy breeders] than the ASPCA and
USDA combined." "But the USDA is the only one who can close down a puppy mill.
We are really frustrated there," he added. The USDA, in turn, says it is too
short-staffed to adequately police the mills in Lancaster and in the Midwest.
Consumers shouldn't take AKC
papers as gospel, says Pressman. "Their pedigree means nothing," she said. "All
that paper does is inflate the value of a rotten dog."
Willow
Willow's story started on
Monday, April 26. She is a 3 year old Great Dane that was found among 24 dogs
in a Puppy Mill Raid in Maxton, NC. MAGDRL, Mastiff Rescue, Bull Mastiff Rescue
of America and many other caring individuals were involved in saving the lives
of not only 24 dogs, but also 2 cats, a bird, a snake, a lizard, and a horse.
Unfortunately there were also many carcasses of animals that did not make it.
Willow is emaciated, suffering
from dehydration, has a terrible case of hookworm infestation, and we believe
Kidney Disease due to her starvation. Her teeth are ground down and in terrible
shape due to eating rocks. Shortly after moving to her foster home, she
collapsed. After being rushed to the vet hospital and receiving a blood
transfusion, fluid, and antibiotics she is feeling much better and is once again
in a foster home. Willow is on steroids to help her gain muscle. She is being
fed every three hours around the clock and has started gaining weight.
Willow is a sweet and loving
girl who wants to be loved. She follows her foster mom around the house if she
thinks she will keep petting her. Willow never gives up. Her first couple of
nights she would not lie on any bedding and certainly not the dog beds. She
would lie on the floor. After almost a week she got up on some comforters and
her foster family found her half on and half off a dog bed in the morning.
Willow is beginning to realize that there are finer comforts in life. She has
made friends with the other Danes, the Mastiff, and the Maltese in her foster
home. Willow will need a forever family that will understand the hardships that
she endured all her life. She may always be obsessed with food and she may
always flinch when you walk to fast, but maybe, just maybe with a lot of love
and a little luck she will leave behind her all those terrible, painful memories
of a life as a puppy mill dog.
Willow's vet bills have
already reached $3000 and they continue to climb. If you would like to
contribute to Willow's care please send your donation to:
Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue
League
C/O Willow The Great Dane
3930 York Road #1
Millers, MD 21102
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Puppymillrescue's Cindy
and Donna's ( Ten Survivors) Update
All tested positive for
Heartworm. |
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I know you are all anxious as I
would be to know about these new babies, I was told about this place so
decided to go and take a look for myself. I was passing by this place last
weekend and he had a yard sale sign out so I said oh perfect chance to go
check him out. The first cage I came to was this little Rat terrier (Now
known as BABY) just bursting at the seams, It was cool and rainy out she was
shivering on the wet concrete, I was sickened to think she was about to have
her babies like that, so I called Miss Jean and she said see what you can do
to get her:)
Well, I called a wonderful lady that fosters for us in my area and she was
more then willing to come along.
We got there and he had a
total of 10 dogs Rat Terriers and one Fiest. The dog dishes were empty then
drinking bowls were filthy water filled with debris.
One little girl was circling
so fast in her cage with a limp to her back leg, I said to the miller her
leg is injured, he came back with "no she does that for attention!! " I
wanted to smack him!
There were two others huddled
together frightened to death:( They had no covering over this home made
makeshifts they were in. ( see below) The stench was indescribable.
He went on to say how he lost
his drivers license and was unable to go buy dog food.
Now remember I was going there just for the pregnant little girl, but just
could not turn my back on the others they were in bad conditions and hungry
cold and so very sad, So we said why not let us take this situation off your
hands. He was not to willing at first but between the both of us we
convinced him and made the deal. On the way home I was talking to myself
saying oh gosh They will kick me off PMR and my husband will divorce me lol.
The first person I called was
Jean to let her know what I had done, Well she was thrilled as I new she
would be:) And then I made the call to my hubby and he said GOOD JOB ! So I
knew I did the right thing.
So we know have one very
pregnant little girl that is ready to whelp. Three male rat terrier's and 7
little females. They are doing pretty good as to be expected. I am going to
start baths today on them to get some of the stench off of them. And I will
be sending pictures. Will keep you all updated with them all and let you
know when we have the babies.
It is a bit overwhelming to look at them all and to know that without PMR
they would still be sitting in the cold makeshifts of what they knew of
life.
With lack of sleep and the
excitement I am having for these sweet babies I want to thank you Jean and
all the PMR members who help and donate money from the bottom of my heart
for all you do for these 4 legged babies. And A huge thank you to our Donna!
I could have never done this without you girl!! We did it together and made
a great team:):)
here is a picture of Baby.
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Babies born Thursday
Morning......
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Just got back from vets Momma
& Baby's are doing fine. We have 3 little boys and one little girl, How
about some suggestions for names:) They are all so precious! Thank you for
all the prayers for this new little family.
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Makeshift cages in the woods,
no shelter from the elements!
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They had to drink from this
slime bucket full of mosquitoes and debris
How can anyone care for more than 1000 animals?
The National Animal Interest Alliance is a group who with supporters in
all walks of animal use philosophy including the Animal Research and
Commercial Puppy Mill Industries.
It appears that one of the key supporters of the NAIA has a problem with
anyone who has more than a 1,000 dogs in their care. I have a problem
with the many commercial breeders who also have more than 1,000 dogs in
there care. Does this mean that Norma is opposed to commercial breeders
who keep hundreds of caged dogs that epitomize the commercial breeding
industry many oppose?
This was posted on the Pet Law group by Norma. Obviously, I have MORE
concern over the kennels in MO and the heartland that USDA Inspection
reports show have more than 1,000 dogs in their care. Actually, I'm
offended by kennels that house even hundreds of dogs simply to mass
produce puppies for market.
Yet, it is well known that the many breeders, including some of the worst
Amish puppy millers have routinely over 1,000 dogs in their breeding
programs. Where is Norma's outrage against these breeders who equally
can't provide adequate care?
There is a MAJOR difference between a large commercial breeding kennel and
No Kill sanhave more than 1,000 dogs in their care. Actually, I'm
offended by kennels that house even hundreds of dogs simply to mass
produce puppies for market.
Yet, it is well known that the many breeders, including some of the worst
Amish puppy millers have routinely over 1,000 dogs in their breeding
programs. Where is Norma's outrage against these breeders who equally
can't provide adequate care?
There is a MAJOR difference between a large commercial breeding kennel and
No Kill sanctuaries like the Best Friends in Utah. Best Friends takes in
dogs who have NO PLACE to go, breeders on the other hand keep dogs that
could easily be placed if mot for the greed that drives these breeders to
imprison large quantities of dogs in often times squalor conditions.
Yet, these puppy mass marketers receive the comfort and support of NAIA
affiliate groups like MoFed. The Missouri Federation of Animal Owners
would like you to think that they are interested in protecting dog
owners. But let there be no mystery - their supporters are the worse of
the worst puppy millers that MO has to offer. Kind of a who's who of
puppy mill shame that donate freely to MoFed to grease the political
wheels of injustice with greedy politicians needing financial support to
maintain their power bases.
These same politicians have for years protected, defended and been in bed
with the Puppy Mill Industry throughout the state. Many of us who have
watched frustrated have quickly come to learn that MO is more a "SHOW ME
THE MONEY' state than the SHOW ME State depicted in their tourism
brochures.
With MoFed's help, and with the huge financial war chest that commercial
breeding can fund MoFed has become firing back. In recent years MoFed has
contributed tens of thousands of dollars to lobby for a new state law
which would make even the act of taking a photograph of a puppy mill a
felony with punishment to include prison time. Lets' see, MoFed stands
for sending photographer's to prison as felon but protects those who
neglect and abuse hundreds EVEN thousands of dogs in the despicable puppy
mill trade.
How very Strange these exploiters think. There is a NEW discussion group
on yahoo where these right wing extremists have gathered to defend their
rights to exploit animals for profits. Don't be fooled by the welcome
message written by owner - moderator - king "Sir Wally" Hutchens. In
Wally's World their are no irresponsible breeders - simply irresponsible
shelters and rescuers. In Wally's World there is no animal overpopulation
issues - those are merely made up by a vast Animal Rights conspiracy
working at taking all of the nations dogs and cats and ending pet
ownership. (How this ploy will be carried out is a closely guarded secret
amongst Wally and his merry group of paranoid followers.)
In many ways, Wally World's Pet Law group would merely be comical except
when talks focus on distorting the role that rescue plays in saving
THOUSANDS of dogs from being slaughtered in our shelters. When Sir Wally
and his group start pushing for rescue groups to be regulated to strike
back at the much more needed changes in our laws that would require
licensing of all breeders - then we who rescue and simply enjoy the role
pets play in the family's lives need to stand up and pay attention.
You can learn more about the Pet law group by visiting Walt's site at:
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