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Originally Posted by gracielove  I think probably some of the dogs did stay in kennels a good deal of the time. They had large exercise areas and many of her dogs lived in the house with her and her husband. The puppies were in the basement of the house that was fully equipped to care for them. I had never seen so many dogs in one place. They had a large amount of property and a huge house but people who raise dogs have to kennel them in order to keep them from mating. It is the sad nature of the business. I don't think I would ever buy from a place like that again.!
It upsets me that it is some of the AKC show/breeders that are stopping legislation to control and contain puppy mills because they are afraid of the legislation effecting them also. I can certainly understand why after visiting that place. The dogs were all well kept but there were just too many of them! |
I know that at least some so-called reputable breeder/dog show people where I live have many of their breeder dogs and show dogs actually use their large kennels as living quarters & not the home setting or back yard for larger dogs. The dogs cannot come & go inside/outside at will or ask to be let in or out because they actually reside in the kennels mostly & are exercised on a schedule & mostly get to spend time with the family a portion of the day, then back to the kennel - except for a favored dog or dogs that are treated differently & basically live with the family as the other mostly-kenneled dogs look on. During show season, travel & all of the preparations & backstage work associated with shows can involve a great deal of crate time. Basically, the dogs I'm speaking about do not live the life of a regular pet as a member of the family until they are retired, and then some go on to other kennel type living. I suspect this situation is not just reserved for the breeders/show dogs of North Texas. It seems the dogs used in this manner are existing mainly to breed to pass along and/or show their fine qualities in the ring. I cannot purchase a puppy or dog from a place like that, knowing how many of their dogs live much of their lives.