Watching this a second time - it is really evident that the piece was more about the Amish & Mennonites than the puppy mills themselves. Listen to the beginning of the piece - the intro is not about the dogs or the mills - it's about the Amish.
Amish & Mennonites believe spiritually what I believe as a fundamental Christian. They believe the Bible is the holy inspired word of God. They believe in the Trinity. But I do believe they are missing a huge piece.
They think we are all fools for caring about dogs as companions. It's hard to get past that. They are so sheltered from the rest of the world - change doesn't come or doesn't come quickly in their world. They are continual fighting against being anything like the outside world in every way. It is not only a cultural way of life, it is also generational. They live their lives like the way everyone did 150 yrs ago, they don't want the modern world, and they fight it more & more as our culture goes more bizerk . Theirs is a mind-set that is not going to change over night, or even in the next decade. The way I see it, there are only 2 ways their practice of breeding dogs is ever going to change. One way change may come is with tough enough breeding laws and hard-core inspections to knock them out of business.
I'm not making excuses for the Amish - but when you see reports like this, it's like they don't know better or believe it would make a difference in how they make things for the dogs. The dogs are truly commodities in their eyes, no different than a chicken or a cow. Except, with dogs all the crazy, foolish outsiders want one. If we all wanted chickens in our living rooms, they'd be breeding them like mad-fire.
If laws don't change - the only other thing that is going to change the ways of the Amish & Mennonites is change is going to have to come in the ways of the CONSUMER!
Everyone who purchases from the Amish or from a pet store is responsible! This is where the responsibility also lies! Granted, I know many among us say - I didn't know better when I purchased from a pet store. But if you have learned better now - please, please help spread the word, help shut down the mills, protest, educate, write letters, get involved - don't set on your hands.
Breeding dogs in mass is probably the easiest money an Amish family can make - no wonder they laugh at the outsiders who want their dogs. The easy money is also why so many of this facilities exist in Lancaster County, PA & every other Amish community across the US. When you look at it from that point of view, you almost have to wonder why every single Amish family doesn't breed puppies in mass. -- That very fact makes me wonder, if there are Amish & Mennonite families who do view dog breeding more like the rest of the world?? Would love to know that. |