Inside the Puppy Mills

This investigator implies that you cannot buy a purebred dog that did not come from a puppy mill. That is not true as there are thousands of responsible hobby breeders who are dedicated to producing quality purebred puppies. The breeding dogs are well-treated, house pets. These dogs are tested to insure that they are free of genetic diseases to the best of the breeders' knowledge and undergo health checks before breeding. The puppies are raised in the kitchen, bedroom, or family room and showered with the best food and care, usually much better quality care and food than the average pet owner.

HSUS has stated in its website that it supports a pet-free agenda. They don't want anyone to own or breed dogs, cats, or any other pet as they consider that cruel to the animals. I would take any reports on the conditions of dogs in breeding situations as suspect because of their bias. Yes, there are people keeping dog in bad conditions and breeding them to death. The solution, don't buy any dog unless you find a reputable breeder.

LS, Mo

You can't get a full bred animal with papers from a shelter and they are also required to be fixed when they are adopted. Seems like there should be no question about it... buy a quality dog from a breeder, or take someone else's junk from the shelter.

I'll be happy to continue to buy a quality animal from a breeder!

And the puppy millers are here (like rainman) trying desperately to cover for the puppy mill industry!

The millers will tell any lie, any tale to stay in business. ALL puppy millers deny they are millers, deny they abuse and kill animals. Puppy millers are adept liars and thieves.

That is because they hide out in rural areas, in secret, and few will investigate and see their criminal businesses and activities

All lies, all the time.

The puppy millers do not want the truth to get out, including the fact that they oppose licensing and inspection because they hide income and DON'T PAY TAXES!

It's a criminal business.

I think if people would turn the puppy mill owners in to the humane society they should close them down. I also believe if you look on u-tube at what south korea and china do to their dogs and cats the USA should be able to put a stop to that also if everyone would write their congressman or woman, the president and senators then we could help those dogs and cats also.

I think that the government should have regulations set forth that govern anyone who declares any kind of income from the breeding of Dogs, Cats or any domestic animal. It would not be that hard, if they cared enough. There have been several T.V. shows recently and over the years showing how puppies are basically grown, not raised... But... America just sits there, and pretends to care for about 5 minutes, then changes the channel. The complacent attitude of selfish freedom, and the convenience of the remote to change the channel to something less disturbing... so many truth's to blame, so little time.

Prove you care... Do something about it... adopt instead of buying... write to your local government.... picket a local mass breeder. Or... in a true American way, do nothing.

Why doesn't the AKC or American Kennel Club, denie registration of dogs that are registered as a puppy mill with the Humane Society?

In addition to stopping the spread and overall operation of puppy mills we should be boycotting fur coats because many of the animals that have been made fur coats are cruelly treated and their skin is ripped off while they are still alive. Watch some of the animal cruelty videos on youtube of fur coat manufacturers and it will break your heart. In response to the priorities comment, everything can be helped but homeless people atleast have a voice and freedom. Animals that are locked in cages their entire life and not properly fed or allowed to get out can't do anything about their state of being. They are helpless.

It is not true that all purebred puppies come from puppy mills. That is an absurd statement. I bred purebred dogs for years so did my mother. Our dogs were showdogs. Many champions among them. We bred beautiful puppies and sold them to good homes. Show quality sold for more and pet quality went to homes where they were fixed so as not to breed substandard show dogs. Pet quality were just that pets. If you are looking for a good purebred pet puppy check with your local AKC chapter they know these owners.

Comment: I have been to several peoples houses that raise puppies for sale that this story would not fit this in this story. I also raise puppies, that I sell and sometimes give away to people who can not afford to pay a lot of money or pay any money for them. I talk to the people about why they want a puppy and what kind of home whey will be giving it. All my puppies go to good homes. If I think they will not be getting a good home. then I will not sell or give them a puppy. My puppies are all born in my house and raised in it. This way they are not afraid of people and makes for a more people friendly puppy or dog. To tell people that they should just get their pupppies from a shelter is putting people like me down. I am against puppy mills also. I do not breed my dogs everytime they come in heat, because this is not good for them. I have heated dog houses and put straw in them for bedding and I put covers over the tops during the summer for shade. So I hope when you print your stories from now on, that you can remember that there are some people who care about their dogs and puppies. Whising you the best on your quest of getting puppy mills closed.

After reading several of these comments. The biggest problem I see is lack of education. Almost everyone is emotinal about the issue. The fools who keep saying every pet should be fixed are at the top of that list. What would happen if every dog in US was fixed today? The next generations would only know the love of a dog from a video. Because they would be gone. Do puppy mills exist? YES. The solution isnt more laws, its common sense. Dont buy puppies from pet shops or the internet, there you only have the word of the person selling the dog for profit of where it came from. Buy a dog from a local breeder wher you can and should go and visit them and the parents of your new puppy. See for yourself where you are getting the dog from. If it turns out to be some gross puppy mill contact the humane society and report them. So if your really concerned about fixing this problem. The solution starts with the buyers being informed about where the dogs come from and what kind of living condition they have. Yes I am breeder. I have 8 females 2 males, They are housed in a 12X24 building. each as a outside run that measure 8X70, I have a whelping kennel. Both have air and heat. I am licensed and inspected reguarly and no I dont make a profit, I have to work a full time job. But I love the breed and my dogs. No one comes out to my kennels and thinks of it as a puppy mill. But I invite everyone whom wants a puppy to come and see the parents. So as I stated earlier if you are really concerned about puppy mills only buy from people whom you can go and visited them and see where the dogs are raised at. And yes my dogs live better then a lot of people out there. So are breeders like me the solution. No the uninformed people making impulse buys of puppies without seeing where they come from are the problem and so by using some common sense or we going to stop this problem. More laws only make it harder on the good legimate breeders. The puppy mills are not currently following the existing laws, so I find it hard to believe that passing more laws will make them behave. As long as they can make a profit they will continue to operate and mistreat thier animals. But if no one is buying the puppies they will go out of business. Does it help the animals today? No, but it will help them later.

What people are able to do to animals is just disgusting at times. I'm both upset and saddened after reading this... but find it ironic that some of the "sponsered links" for this article are websites selling dogs. what are the chances those aren't puppy mills?

Sadly this is an article that combines some good information with the new ignorance of what a dog is, how it sees the world and how it really is an animal. Now that HSUS is run by former PETA folks, whose stated and published agenda is to remove ALL animal ownership from the world, good investigations of bad people will no longer happen. Are the huskies lving in the arctic abused because they live in the snow? No, that's what they were bred for. Are the salukis that live in the desert heat with the Bedowans abused? No, it is what they live for. Understanding a dog's psyche used to be a normal part of life, when folks used dogs as tools as well as comanions. Nowadays, people think of dogs as their children, or little humans, which they are not. A dog appreciates being dominated - it's what makes them feel safe and be able to properly socialized. You can change the outside look of a dog but its instinct remains. And I suppose as a descedant of people who were killed by the Nazis in concentration camps I should be used to people, especially from PETA, continuing to equate us to animals. Oh, well - anti-semitism meets political radicalism yet again.

We must realizw who the HSUS really is. It is not the Humane Society that takes in unwanted pets or has pet support programs. It is in no way connected to your local Humane Society.
The Humane Society of the United States is a multi-million dollar propagand organization. The "investigators" are not actual investigators but instead are people who gain access tto facilities by lying about their identity, illegal deception, and illegal entry often through breaking and entering.. They are not in any way associated with any government agency, except the IRS. They represent themselves as ,after the fact, as official investigators,while actually doing their "investigating" under cover. They do not fill out inspection reports or act in any other way that will benefit the animals. The HSUS has no legal sanction to "investigate" anything. They are listed with Homeland Security as a domestic terrorist organization. They use the title of "Humane Society" to decieve people into thinking that they are an animal welfare enforcement organization. They are not !
Before giving any type of support to the Humane Society of the United States I reccomend that everyone investigate who thay are supporting. Even the writer of this articlle should be questioned about who they are. To represent this as an "interview" with an "investigator" is in fact a deception. And Newsweek should in fact investigate who they accept "news" articles from. Their "investigative" reporting needs to check their facts before publishing articles supporting propaganda machines that are in fact domestic terrorists and liars.

WOLFJIVE, I don't defend animal abuse. YOU abuse an animal thinking it understands respect and love. These are feelings EXCLUSIVE to humans. Dogs are pack animals and if you are not the dominate animal you are abusing that dog and anyone unfortunate enough to be around it. I respect my dogs and have never had to use any physical force to get them to obey whatever command I have trained them. Dogs crave being part of a pack. My animals respond with great affection to ANYONE that comes in contact with them. My gripe is about people thinking animals can be treated as people and that is simply ludicrous and in NO way helps an animal!

The puppy making industry is despicable. However, I would like to direct this post at the "holier than thous" at the humane societies. Just recently, we were looking for a dog so I explored various humane society websites. They treat the process of obtaining a dog like a [human] adoption. I adopted a child, so I know what that is like. In addition to requiring the completion of detailed personal questionnaires, many require references as well as the right to contact veterinarians and landlords. This is a turn-off to many people, including myself. Although we wouldn't want to send a dog into an unsafe situation, it appears that in many cases the humane societies are turining their noses up to adequate homes in search of the perfect one. Unfortunately for the animals, this does not lead to better homes, it often leads to euthanasia.

ALL dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills. ALL OF THEM. They buy cheaply for maximum retail markup.

The puppies are cheap because they are cheaply raised by the puppy millers. No vet care, often live outdoors, bred to death. Cheap as possible.

These puppy millers hide out in state or counties where there are few or weak laws, and local authorities will often collude with them and ignore or hide the abuse and consumer ripoffs.

Many of these puppy millers are unlicensed also because they hide income and don't pay taxes. It's a giant scam.

What does it take to get government to act on this issue. This is cruelty . The presidential candidates want my vote they better get something done befor i vote...OR, i WILL vote for a third party candidate.

I would just like to say I rescued to dogs myself from a puppy mill. I heard there was a three year old dog that had 3 liters (and was unable to bread again) so they "wanted rid of her". I was so sickened that they even acted like that I immediately asked for directions and picked her up (they just gave her away to a stranger- no questions asked) and took her home. She was a bischaun-frisse that they used to mate with various large dogs. She was filthy and matted and constantly shaking. They said she didn't have a name. I was shocked. I fell in love with her instantly and took her in and cleaned her up. I named her Lucy and she has been my best friend ever since. She's jsut the sweetest little dog ever and she is now 5 years old and so happy. She has just recently started to play like a little puppy (she never got to play being stuck in a cage all the time). It's so cute to watch her and it makes me cry every time I see her run around and play. I even ended up with one of her "grandsons" a few months later! We named him Buddy. Anyway, I just want to say that I tried a few times to report the farm I picked them up at. No one seemed to care. All I remember is it was a large farm about 30 minutes outside of Winchester, VA. It deals mainly with labradoodles. I know they have it looking great on the outside, but once you go in barn where they keep the dogs, it's just a nightmare. I can only hope that by writing this someone who can really make something good happen here reads this and takes action. - Anonymous, Altoona PA

Thundermug kennel in Alabama has14 neapolitan mastiffs - starved, infested with flees, many inbread and sick. Supposedly it is a big and reputable breeder. Yet he breeds sick dogs for money and does not provide proper care. The puppy we'got from him for over 3000 was abused beyond imagination. I'd rather buy from a small breeder who cares about his dogs. Small breeder will pay stud fee so you woun't get crippled inbread animal. Small breeder is also more likely to feed better food and keep puppy in the bedroom. Big keenels keep puppies in barns, outside kennels...Puppies from big kennels often lack attention. Can Garry from Thundermug kennel give his 14 dogs and their puppies enough attention? Nope. It seems that he lives in a different century - has no idea about "Advantage"; the puppy we've got from him had billions of flees and wounds from flees all over her body. The puppy had bones sticking out from malnutrition. Here is your big kennel. I vote for small breeders who care!!! Big breeders will say all kinds of nasty things about small breeders but it all comes to money, they the market because they have lots of pupies to sell. It is sad that media and kennel clubs do not see it.