What is animal cruelty?
Animal cruelty is considered to be an act of violence or neglect toward an animal.
Do you know what are puppy/kitten mills?
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Credit to the Humane Society of the United States for educational material.
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Puppy and Kitten Mills/Farms/Conveyor are worldwide facilities that support animal cruelty. People who own such facilities give priority to profit over animal's wellbeing. Animals are lacking veterinary care, food and water. They are sick, have congenital defects and emotional disorders. Animals live in small overcrowded cages full of feces. There is one female dog or cat that gives birth at every heat cycle, and when it is unable to produce anymore it is killed or starved to death. Animals do not deserve this! There are around 10,000 licensed and unlicensed dog breeding facilities in the US and much more around the world. Around 3,000,000 animals are being killed in Puppy and Kitten mills. The breeders sell these animals to pet stores for about $50 for each animal. The pet stores know they support animal cruelty by buying these animals and sell them to people for hundreds and thousands of dollars. They have to sell animals fast to get profit, before the congenital disorders reveal themselves as the animal gets older. Granted, not ALL the animals turn out to be sick - but those are a very lucky few. Animals are transported interstate and internationally at 4 weeks old. However, according to research, puppies and kittens must stay with their parents for at least 8-12 weeks so they don't develop behavioral problems later on. Unfortunately, this is not the case and furthermore, many of them are inbred between brothers and sisters. The transport has to be concealed because conditions are inhumane and dangerous and not all animals make it to pet stores. When you buy an animal from a pet store, you cannot always rely on the documents of "authenticity" that they give you - they could easily be forged. Not all animals are vaccinated, or worse, they lost track and vaccinated the animal twice. Unfortunately, not all the puppies make it past their first year. Even when a good and honest person buys a puppy from one of the above mentioned facilities, and brings him to the veterinary's office on time, does everything that is needed, if the puppy is sick - the vet cannot always cure or treat the disease. Another problem is the cost of these treatments - not everyone can afford to take care of a sick dog or cat. Of course animals get sick just like people do from time to time and as they age. However, the kinds of diseases that we are talking about here are ones that can and absolutely should be prevented. Situations like these have a huge emotional affect on humans as well as animals. Many people decide to get a pet for emotional support, and buying a puppy from a store only to see a few weeks later that the puppy is very sick and now needs treatment that costs thousands of dollars is very emotionally challenging. Puppy and Kitten Mills affect both animals and humans in a very negative way. Such a thing should not exist!
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IN MANY PUPPY AND KITTEN MILLS THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS ARE ISOLATED IN SMALL CAGES WITHOUT VETERINARIAN CARE, MEDICATIONS, AND THE BASICS LIKE FOOD AND WATER.
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CARELESS BREEDERS MAKE ANIMALS GIVE BIRTH AFTER BIRTH WITHOUT THE REQUIRED REST BETWEEN LITTERS.
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ANIMALS THAT COME FROM THESE FACILITIES ARE BORN WITH CONGENITAL AND HEREDITARY CONDITIONS.
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THESE POOR ONE MONTH OLD PUPPIES AND KITTENS ARE THEN SOLD TO PET STORES WHO TRY TO SELL THEM TO YOU BEFORE THE CONGENITAL CONDITIONS REVEAL THEMSELVES.
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NOT ALL THE ANIMALS SURVIVE DURING THE INHUMANE TRANSPORTATION PROCESS.
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PLEASE ALWAYS CONSIDER ADOPTION FIRST!!! IF YOU DECIDE TO BUY FROM A BREEDER - MAKE SURE IT'S A WELL REGULATED/LICENSED BREEDER AND THAT YOU KNOW THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE ANIMALS LIVE.
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A NEWBORN PUPPY OR KITTEN HAS TO SPEND AT LEAST 3 OF ITS FIRST MONTHS WITH THEIR MOTHER.
BE OUR AGENTS! PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND EDUCATE OTHERS ON HOW NOT TO GET FOOLED
DO NOT SUPPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY!
A bit more about Puppy and Kitten Mills...
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A puppy/kitten mill, sometimes known as a puppy/kitten farm, is a type of commercial dog or cat breeding facility. They are all around the world and have similar characteristics
Top 10 Signs of Mills/Conveyor Animals
1 – Out-of-State
You should really just stay away from pet stores when buying a puppy. Be especially worried if those puppies are coming from out-of-state, particularly Midwest states (Missouri and Illinois are two of the biggest "back door breeders").
2 – No Parents
If the breeder cannot let you meet the parents, you should walk away. Not meeting the parents is like buying a car without knowing the make. Don’t do it. For all you know, these people did not even breed the puppy, but are selling him secondhand for unknown reasons.
3 – Let’s Meet
If you call a breeder and they say “let’s meet somewhere” when you ask to visit their kennel, it’s a puppy mill. Usually they will try to get you to meet in a store parking lot or a park. Unless there are extreme circumstances, there is no reason why you should not see where your puppy was born.
4 – Several Breeds
Reputable breeders focus on one breed, maybe two, MAX. If you find a site offering five different breeds (and their mixes!), it’s a puppy mill.
5 – Multiple Litters
When you call the breeder and ask if they have puppies, do they respond with “I have one litter coming, but there is already a waiting list” or “oh yes, I have 3 litters on the ground and 2 more on the way”? If the breeder has 30 puppies, that is definitely a puppy mill.
6 – Vaccinations
Puppy mills don’t like to spend money, it deters from profits. So the parents may not be vaccinated (you should ask!) and the puppies probably are not either. Or, conversely, they have so many puppies they lost track and your pup got vaccinated twice.
7 – Extreme Promises
Dr. Kathryn Primm DVM, owner and chief veterinarian of Applebrook Animal Hospital, says to be wary about the breeder promising a certain size, temperament, or characteristic that seems extreme. For example, a dog came into her clinic that was supposed to be a Pomeranian and Husky mix that the breeder had promised would never grow over 7 pounds. She was 42 pounds.
8 – Cleanliness
This goes for the dog and the breeder’s home or kennel. Dr. Primm says puppies from puppy mills are more likely to smell like a kennel and have poor coat quality.
9 – Contract
Your breeder should care enough about what happens to the puppy that she has a contract protecting both you and her. Reputable breeders have a spay/neuter agreement, breed papers, health contract, and a request that you return the dog to them if it doesn’t work out (rather than dumping him at the shelter).
10 – Too Young
Another way they can cut their costs is by giving you the puppy early, because they do not have to feed them, give them shots, etc. Question any breeder wanting to give you the puppy before they are eight weeks old. This is the minimum age you should be taking a puppy from their mother and litter-mates.
How to recognize a puppy mill or backyard breeder when visiting the location:
A bad odor. Beware of an overuse of deodorizers or bleach to cover up the odor.
Dirty or long coats on the dogs, as well as missing teeth, eye or nose discharge, overgrown nails, visible injuries or sores, patches of missing fur, or excessive scratching.
Some of the animals appear aggressive, vicious, excessively shy or fearful.
The cages or containment areas look more like a parking garage than comfortable accommodations. The animals don’t have enough room to turn around or stand on their hind legs, or they don’t have a clean sleeping area away from food and water.
The animals are contained in an area with urine or feces (or both).
The animals are not properly protected from the weather. Outdoor facilities should be climate controlled in areas with extreme heat or cold, and adequate shelter for all animals should be available. Look for small structures in disrepair or animals chained to fences, trees or stakes.
You don’t see food or water for every animal, or the water is dirty.
Some animals are very thin or overweight.
The numbers don’t add up. If there are only 1–2 people at the location but dozens of dogs, it would seem impossible to think each dog gets proper care, exercise and socialization. Unless the staff work in shifts or have a system for individualized care, ask them to explain their process or check for other signs listed here.
The breeding parents are not available or are kept offsite. So basically this site is where the puppies get dropped off every time the parents breed — which can also be a sign that the parents are kept in bad conditions or are being forced to breed with every heat cycle.
There is only one female breeding. Forcing one dog to constantly breed at every heat cycle is cruel and can cause health concerns. The dogs are also more likely to be destroyed once they are no longer able to produce litters.
The breeder can’t recall how many litters the female has produced.
When you’re at the facility, use your phone to take pictures of any of the above signs to document the conditions and send it to us.