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Originally Posted by kwillmann  For those of you who don’t know Tammy Willmann or for those of you who have some warped view about her business, let me shed some light on this for you. My parents are up every morning at the crack of dawn and are out working their butts off in their kennels. The dogs are fed, the pins cleaned out, the concrete washed out, the puppies exercised, and so many other things that pop up unexpectedly, such as a damaged pin that needs to be fixed. All I know is that my dad is out there, come rain or shine, every day from 7am-5pm. This is a 7 day a week job that doesn’t allow for holidays or sick leave. In fact, not too long ago, I was sick and in the hospital. Did I get to have both my parents there by my side? NO! They had to alternate coming up at night because someone had to be there to take care of the dogs. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this to sound bitter, I’m just saying it so that people will see just how dedicated my parents are to the dogs and to their business. My parents miss out on the chance to ever take a vacation, let alone spend one night away from home. My parents have sacrificed so much in order to run their business properly and they are very proud of what they have accomplished, and so am I. It’s very hurtful to see ignorant people get on here and call my parents “puppy mill” owners or to say that they are being cruel to animals.
Have you ever heard of kennel owners taking the time to get down in the floor and play with their dogs? Well now you have. That’s exactly what my dad does. He calls it “exercising” the dogs, but don’t be fooled. He gets right down in the floor and plays and laughs with them! That's how we ended up with our first house dog. It's hard not to get attached to them when you are with them everyday. Seldom does my mom ever leave Wal-Mart without getting the puppies a new toy to play with, not to mention the specialized dog food the picky eaters will only eat! These are the kind of people you should feel comfortable buying a puppy from. The puppies come from a CLEAN place where they are loved and cared for.
Hopefully this has cleared things up for those of you who had questions or doubts about my parents’ business. For those of you who aren’t convinced, that’s fine. You have a right to your opinion, but until you’ve actually seen the kennels and the dogs, you don’t have any business labeling my parents as “puppy mill” owners. (And no, that's not an open invitation for you to come see the kennels) In fact, I promise you that their business is not the horror story you picture it to be. All kennels DO NOT have cages upon cages stacked to the ceiling with ten puppies to a cage. The dogs ARE NOT covered in filth and the kennel DOES NOT reek of odor. Most of you criticizers probably haven’t even set foot inside a kennel! So fine, keep your warped view on reality.
If anyone has any further reservations about buying a puppy from my mother, all you will need to do is talk with her for five minutes and you will see just how much she cares for the dogs and loves them and just wants them to go to a happy home. |
I know this is an old thread and the poster I'm commenting on is probably long gone and can't defend his- or herself but I have to respond for current readers, now that I have seen this.
I take it none of these poor dogs' living quarters is in a real home, living as a beloved pet in the home by the fire at the end of the day, going on car trips, following their person to the bathroom every trip, playing fetch in the backyard, taking nice, long daily walks with their beloved person, sleeping right beside them at naps or night or at least in a little bed beside momma's, feted at birthdays like any family member and specially shopped for for Christmas gifts, lovingly wrapped and placed under the tree. Wonder how many of these dogs go on picnics with the family or watch TV with them, barking at loud when they see another dog or something that excites them and so eager to tell their people what they think about it. How many are actually really living? Or are they just existing.
These dogs don't have the joyful, free and fun care-free life of a beloved family member. They are property, obviously quartered most of their day in a cage or pen and spend long, lonely hours waiting between humans that deign to come out to clean, feed, work and "play" with them. Can you imagine the life these poor dogs live? Where is the enrichment in their lives, daily challenges and honest work learning new things every day, doing a little home agility course and getting/giving frequent daily kisses and snuggle sessions all during the day. When does the running, chasing squirrels, birds and cats from the yard and fetching balls and lying in the sun as mommie or daddy work in the yard come in? Are they ever made to feel proud of their accomplishments? Does anyone brag over them, tell them how wonderful they are every day? Have they ever gone to visit a family member at another house - which is like a vacation to a dog? Do they ever do anything a normal dog loves to do?
These dogs described in the above post sound just like prisoners who just live their lives in cages or kennels - cells of some kind - and all for the purpose to breed, get and undergo pregnancy, whelp and nurse/nurture puppies only to have them whisked away at an early age and then back to more of the same all over again - day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. It sounds so tragic and lonely and awful a life as to fill me with despair. It's happening all over our country. Good people probably in every other aspect of life making vast kennels of dogs live this life. But it's not a life - not really.
It is shocking and awful and no amount of justification can ever make a doglover who cares about the actual quality of life of breeding dogs come to think these breeders are so wonderful and kind to their dogs! And the breeders mentioned above are no different than probably thousands of others who keep and trade in dogs for money with very little thought as to all that it is costing the dogs in their kennels.
Is it fair to dogs living like that? Aren't we overbreeding to the point that the shelters and rescues are overcrowded to the point of refusing new entrants and summarily killing those thousands weekly that never get another chance? Is this the best we can do? Must we have so many breeders with kennels full of dogs living a loveless life of sameness, shut out and cuff off from the rest of the world, just basically waiting there in a cage until they breathe their last?