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Brett · 08-27-2005, 09:31 PM

Please do not mistake this post that I agree with the mistreatment of animals.

First let me state my views on the proper treatment of animals.

I love animals. Always have and always will. However, I believe that pets are pets and should be treated as such. They should not be dressed up on a regular basis as if they were a person. An occasional shirt on a college game day or holiday should be accepted; however, I don't think that one's pet should consume his or her entire life. I think it is completely ridiculous for one to revolve their life around their dog. Pets are great for companionship and fun to play with. I also believe that animals used for breeding should be well exercised, nourished, vaccinated and not over bred. If the breeder follows those four things, but doesn't treat the dog as if it were their only child, does not make it a bad breeder. It simply means that they are doing it as a business venture and are treating it as such.

OK Kelly and I got into an argument over what a "puppy mill" really is. She sees Bentley as part of the family and loves devoting her entire day to him. In doing so she seems to have joined this yorkie forum bandwagon of, classify nearly every breeder as a mill, shut them down, and lock them up.

The reason Kelly and I even had this argument is because she is wanting another puppy and worried about it being from a "puppy mill". I said to her, "so, if this lady has 30 dogs that makes her a puppy mill?" Her response to me was "yes” I then said, "so having 30 dogs makes you a bad breeder?" Her response was again "yes, because you honestly think that she gives enough attention to those dogs?" I said if that was her only source of income I could see her devoting enough time to the dogs to make sure they were properly taken care of i.e. exercise, nutrition, and vaccination. When I asked why people wouldn't buy these puppies to rid them of these horrible conditions she informed me that I "didn't understand and I needed to do research on it."

"I don't understand"? What's there to not understand? Why not buy these puppies to take them into a home? It would insure that they would not be kept to be over bred when they reached maturity.

This brings me to my thoughts on what a "puppy mill" actually is. I don't agree with everyone protesting "puppy mills". It is true that animals are living creatures and deserve to be treated in a humane manor. What I do question is what people will actually classify a "puppy mill" to be. A mill is "a machine or device that reduces a solid or coarse substance into pulp or minute grains by crushing, grinding, or pressing" (dictionary.com mill ) This is what the breeders are doing to the dogs. Reducing them (in health) by over breeding to produce the most puppies insuring the most profit. If you would ask me if I thought this was wrong, my immediate answer would be most definitely.

I don't believe there is such thing as a "puppy mill". However, I do believe that there are terrible breeders out there mistreating dogs. A person having 30 dogs does not classify them as a bad breeder as long as they provide their dogs with sufficient nutrition and exercise, as well as keeping them up to date on their vaccinations and breeding them sufficiently but not over doing it. What if a breeder had 3 females and one male and kept them each in their own 3x3 cage, fed them sufficient food and kept their vaccinations up to date but bred every cycle the females had? That would make them a very bad breeder.

I believe that these two classifications of breeders (good and bad) should be used to describe a place where puppies can be purchased. People should just not assume that because a breeder has 30 dogs they are automatically classified as a "puppy mill". People need to desensitize themselves from this happy-go-lucky world of spoiled dogs that wear clothes and that have human tendencies, and remember that they are pets and should be treated as such. People should breed the dogs, but do so in a humane manor.

Just thought I could get some well thought out arguments by throwing some spice on the board.

Brett

08-27-2005, 09:31 PM	#1
Brett Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 38	Mill argument Please do not mistake this post that I agree with the mistreatment of animals. First let me state my views on the proper treatment of animals. I love animals. Always have and always will. However, I believe that pets are pets and should be treated as such. They should not be dressed up on a regular basis as if they were a person. An occasional shirt on a college game day or holiday should be accepted; however, I don't think that one's pet should consume his or her entire life. I think it is completely ridiculous for one to revolve their life around their dog. Pets are great for companionship and fun to play with. I also believe that animals used for breeding should be well exercised, nourished, vaccinated and not over bred. If the breeder follows those four things, but doesn't treat the dog as if it were their only child, does not make it a bad breeder. It simply means that they are doing it as a business venture and are treating it as such. OK Kelly and I got into an argument over what a "puppy mill" really is. She sees Bentley as part of the family and loves devoting her entire day to him. In doing so she seems to have joined this yorkie forum bandwagon of, classify nearly every breeder as a mill, shut them down, and lock them up. The reason Kelly and I even had this argument is because she is wanting another puppy and worried about it being from a "puppy mill". I said to her, "so, if this lady has 30 dogs that makes her a puppy mill?" Her response to me was "yes” I then said, "so having 30 dogs makes you a bad breeder?" Her response was again "yes, because you honestly think that she gives enough attention to those dogs?" I said if that was her only source of income I could see her devoting enough time to the dogs to make sure they were properly taken care of i.e. exercise, nutrition, and vaccination. When I asked why people wouldn't buy these puppies to rid them of these horrible conditions she informed me that I "didn't understand and I needed to do research on it." "I don't understand"? What's there to not understand? Why not buy these puppies to take them into a home? It would insure that they would not be kept to be over bred when they reached maturity. This brings me to my thoughts on what a "puppy mill" actually is. I don't agree with everyone protesting "puppy mills". It is true that animals are living creatures and deserve to be treated in a humane manor. What I do question is what people will actually classify a "puppy mill" to be. A mill is "a machine or device that reduces a solid or coarse substance into pulp or minute grains by crushing, grinding, or pressing" (dictionary.com mill ) This is what the breeders are doing to the dogs. Reducing them (in health) by over breeding to produce the most puppies insuring the most profit. If you would ask me if I thought this was wrong, my immediate answer would be most definitely. I don't believe there is such thing as a "puppy mill". However, I do believe that there are terrible breeders out there mistreating dogs. A person having 30 dogs does not classify them as a bad breeder as long as they provide their dogs with sufficient nutrition and exercise, as well as keeping them up to date on their vaccinations and breeding them sufficiently but not over doing it. What if a breeder had 3 females and one male and kept them each in their own 3x3 cage, fed them sufficient food and kept their vaccinations up to date but bred every cycle the females had? That would make them a very bad breeder. I believe that these two classifications of breeders (good and bad) should be used to describe a place where puppies can be purchased. People should just not assume that because a breeder has 30 dogs they are automatically classified as a "puppy mill". People need to desensitize themselves from this happy-go-lucky world of spoiled dogs that wear clothes and that have human tendencies, and remember that they are pets and should be treated as such. People should breed the dogs, but do so in a humane manor. Just thought I could get some well thought out arguments by throwing some spice on the board. Brett