3,000 puppy mills. Thousands of dogs per mill. What’s the reason for all those puppies? Why do we need millions of sick, abused puppies. The answer is, we don’t. Puppy mills are commercial facilities that breed dogs and care more about their profits than the health of their animals. Puppies in the mills are treated cruelly, not getting the love or care that all animals deserve. The puppies get sold to pet stores, where people buy them, unaware that they will end up with a sick dog who’s afraid of people.
States do have laws against animal cruelty, but they aren’t strong enough, and puppy mill owners get away with it. Puppy mills should be illegal in every state because the dogs are treated horribly, people end up buying diseased dogs, and the laws against puppy mills aren’t strict enough. First of all, dogs in puppy mills receive inhumane treatment. This reason is important because dogs in puppy mills live painful, cruel lives, constantly neglected, especially breeding dogs and physically disabled dogs. For example, the ASPCA states that puppies often live in small, wire cages stacked on top of each other.
This shows that in puppy mills, puppies are always in cages, never getting exercise of time to play. They are even forced to relieve themselves in the cages. Also, in the article, “A Closer Look at Puppy Mills,” the text says, “The parents of the puppy in the pet store window are unlikely to make it out of the mill alive-and neither will the many puppies born with overt physical problems” (ASPCA). This means that female breeding dogs and disabled dogs are often killed. The females are killed when they are too old to breed.
Puppies with physical problems are killed because no one will buy them. Therefore, puppy mills are cruel places where dogs don’t receive nearly enough care and instead are abused. Additionally, people end up buying sick dogs. This is important because when people buy dogs from pet stores, they almost always are buying a puppy that was once in a mill. These dogs are ridden with behavior issues and various diseases. The article, “A Closer Look at Puppy Mills,” explains that puppies are taken from their mothers at 6 weeks old, which is far too young. The first months of a puppy’s life are a critical socialization period for puppies. Spending that time with their mother and littermates helps prevent puppies from developing problems like extreme shyness, aggression, fear and anxiety” (ASPCA). This shows how wrong it is to take puppies from their mom too young. Then, people buy the dogs from the pet store, dogs can be aggressive, skittish, or fearful of people. Not to mention health issues, such as heart disease, kidney disease, blood disorders, eye issues, breathing problems, deafness and other problems like fleas and ticks.
Puppy mills trick people into buying unhealthy puppies(ASPCA). As a result, people bring home sick puppies with many behavior problems due to puppy mills. Some people believe that puppy mills are in a big issue. These people say that there aren’t that many puppy mills out there, so it’s not a huge deal. However, are a lot more puppy mills out there than people think. There are thousands of mills in the U. S. A. The article, “A Closer Look at Puppy Mills,” says that in the United States, there are thousands of puppy mills, especially in Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania(ASPCA).
This shows how many puppy mills there are and the true amount of puppy mill dogs. Also, the laws against puppy mills aren’t strict enough. If animal cruelty laws specifically regarding puppy mills were stricter, puppy mills could be stopped and millions of lives saved. According to the article, “Puppy Mills: Frequently Asked Question,” “Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws intended to prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs, most large-scale breeding facilities continue to operate… “(The Humane Society).
Clearly, the laws restricting abuse need to be einforced. Many puppy mills get away with horrible conditions. Furthermore, the Animal Welfare Association(AWA), only requires basic necessities, like food and water. The AWA allows puppies to live in stacked cages and get no exercise, as long as the cage is 6 inches wider than the dog in every direction(ASPCA). Additionally, an unwanted dog can be killed(Puppy Mills and the Law). This shows the need for stronger, reinforced laws. Overall, the laws against the mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills need to be stricter.
In conclusion, puppy mills should be illegal in every state because dogs in puppy mills are treated horribly, people buy sick dogs from pet store, and the laws preventing cruelty aren’t strict enough. The health and wellbeing of dogs need to be taken seriously and laws need to be stronger. Most pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills, so protest the use of mill dogs! Also, stay away from purchasing dogs in the Midwest, where puppy mills are prevalent. Remember, if you plan on getting a puppy, adopt from shelters, not pet stores.