Do you Hate Commercial Kennels?

[CricketBaby]

Gosh Ya'll this is a long story but I will try to make it short. A little over a year ago when I started my search for my first Yorkie. I looked high and low...in the paper, on the net you name it I tried it. I ended up driving from Texas to Oklahoma....I ended up 5-6 hours away from home to the worst nightmare you can think of. I saw things that you only read about or hear about on the news. My Mom and my kiddos were driving down this dirt road and we could see trailers everywhere. Attached to the sides of these trailers were cages...about 3 X 3 cages hanging off the sides all the way down .......inside this tiny cages you could see Yorkies ....as many as 5 to a cage running, bouncing and barking their little heads off! I cannot tell you how sick I was feeling at this moment...my children were confused at the sight. We drove down this dirt road forever and conditions were getting worse and many more Yorkies! My Mom knew what I was going to do before I even stopped the car....NO please don't get out of the car she said..."you are in way over your head and your children need you"! I had to see this for myself...If this is what I thought it was I was not leaving till I saw it all. I stopped my Yukon in front of this one particular trailer where an older lady was outside sweeping her porch...she had dogs of all kinds in cages and pens. The barking was so loud and the smell was horrible ....but the never ending cages of Yorkies was incomprehensible! I walked up to her and said hi " I am looking for a Yorkie puppy...would you happen to have any for sale? She said " My Yorkies are going for $800 to the Brokers"...I don't deal with the public but if you have cash you can look at my pups. I told her I had that much in cash on hand and that I would like to see them. She led me into one of the trailers and inside were cages about 2 X 2 feet lining the whole inside. As we walked down I looked in each cage and saw Momma's with their little newborns...At least 50 mothers with pups in each one. She stopped and opened the door and reached inside. I will never forget this little female getting very frantic while this women was trying to pick up one of her babies...she was trying to get on top of them to protect them from her. I was so upset ....I asked her to please put her baby back. I started to cry and chocked back the tears and said thank you but I think I will keep looking. I ran to my car and got in and broke down.... That was the beginning of reality. It is true Ignorance is bliss....before that day I saw only saw sad dog stories on Animal Planet...Animal Cops...it is very sad seeing it on TV but let me tell you if you see in person you will be a changed individual.

Shortly after that the town I live in...Keller Texas...got a new pet store, Pet O' Rama. I ran in one day thinking great dog food....hamsters, fish...this will be fun to bring the kids in....WRONG!!!! Puppies everywhere....Yorkies...I almost flipped my wig!! I walked straight in wanting to see the paperwork on the little Yorkie that was for sale in the front window....oh my gosh... you got it a COMMERCIAL KENNEL from the same City I had been to in Oklahoma. I am surprised I did not get kicked out of the store but I demanded to see the Manager....I told him his puppies were from puppy mills...their Mothers would never be free from their life of misery and torture! He assured me they only dealt with U.S.D.A. certified Breeders and these pups were not from PuppyMills! I wrote a letter to the Keller Citizen, I called the police, I called the Humane Society (FYI) this is legal.....did ya'll hear me say legal????
My husband was about to have me locked up because I was not using my head...I visited the store on a dailey basis and checked on these pups...I knew some were very sick...over the next few months I befriended an employee and she and I became the best of friends. She would tell me about the weekly delivery of puppies that were delivered on Tuesdays...they never knew when the truck would come but always on Tuesdays...she got to go into the van and see stacks of cages of puppies of all breeds...some healthy, some sick and occasionally some dead.

This all took place over a period of 5 months and during this time...one of the puppies, a little Bichon never sold...he just sat, sat, sat and sat looking out his window. I could not stand it .....someone needed to buy this little fella...on the other hand buying him would ensure his Mother's life to an endless life of misery! I looked on the net for a Bichon rescue... WOW... Small Paws Rescue. I contacted them to see if they would help him. They would not under any cirmcumstance pay money for him...that would be insuring the Kennel where he came from more money to perpetuate this endless torture of innocent animals! I still did not understand! Just save him I begged...but now after a year of reading their newletters and hearing the stories of the Bichons being only worth $40 per dog at auctions and hearing that Bishons are not even worth breeding to these puppy millers....I finally get it!!!!

My friend and I along with a contact from Small Paws Rescued and Channel 11 news tried many times to get the delivery van on film...I was even willing to wear wire and camera and go in the back room of the pet store while the delivery of these sick and dying pups were being delivered. Our attempts failed and my friend was fired and I had to lay low. Now looking back I know the way I handled it was wrong. Very dangerous!


Now back to Small Paws rescue....
My idol Robin Presnall and founder of Small Paws Rescue lost her dog of 12 years. She went to a breeders home in search of a new puppy. When she arrived there was a dead horse in the front yard and need I say more of the conditions of the Breeers dogs? Robin Presnell is everything good and Lovely and someone I want to be like. She has done more for the Bichon Breed than anyone would ever dream of. She is stopping the Puppymillers, the BYBs and the horrible auction houses one dog at a time.

I got an email yesterday and Robin was supoenaed to Federal Court to testify against a Commercial Puppy Mill. She has tried for 10 years for the U.S.D.A. , the Humane Society, even AKC to help. She finally gets her chance for someone to listen. I am thrilled for this action!

I could have written a whole book and I am sure I left tons out but I really wanted to take this time and share what I have learned. Bichon or not we must help them all. I love Yorkies as much as all of you! Unfortunately everytime I see someone posting they got a new baby I feel sad. A new baby means there might be a little Mother sitting in her 2 x 2 cage for the rest of her life...having pups every heat. If she is lucky she will have an owner that will still feed her and vet her for the remainder of her life.

Be careful doing business with people on the net...a web page is very deceiving. Anytime someone is selling multiple breeds...RUN! U.S.D.A. certified RUN!

Please if you get a chance take a peak at Small Paws® Rescue. Tons of great information!

Thank you,

Carree

[cdawnfine]

Thank you

[loveyorks]

Good post!.. When I hear stories like this, it makes me want to cry.. and as tempting it can be to buy from pet shops, we must remember that these pups do come from breeders that are in it for the money and nothing else and as long as people buy from pet shops, the puppy mills will never end. Wishing you luck in your future undertakings. Rooting for you.

[makemepretty]

Breaks my heart to read that. You're a very good person. I will never understand how people can USE animals as an income. They're living things. Sadly, the more money a breed is worth the more people there are breeding them!

I'm glad to at least have found Yorkietalk to find a good breeder if I want a pet and to NEVER buy from someone who does what you described. Even if in your heart you want to rescue some poor puppy, if you buy it then they'll keep doing what they're doing to make money. It's so darn hard.

[fufufashions]

OMG Carree! that had to be the worst site to see! Bless you for your work with the rescues. It is a never ending battle but one we cannot just ignore.
I will not do business with a petstore that sells puppies..period. All of our PetLands have gone out of biz TG. We have rescue groups that come into our Petco and Petsmarts every weekend.
GAWD! That just makes me sick about what you saw in OK. UGH!!
Please don't buy your babies from petstores!!!
Good post Carree!!

[CricketBaby]

Originally Posted by fufufashions

OMG Carree! that had to be the worst site to see! Bless you for your work with the rescues. It is a never ending battle but one we cannot just ignore.
I will not do business with a petstore that sells puppies..period. All of our PetLands have gone out of biz TG. We have rescue groups that come into our Petco and Petsmarts every weekend.
GAWD! That just makes me sick about what you saw in OK. UGH!!
Please don't buy your babies from petstores!!!
Good post Carree!!

Thank you Linda! If you haven't noticed Petsmarts has really lowered their inventory on small animals....hamsters, mice and rats. They were doing business with major supplier who got busted for inhumane treatment of animals.

It takes all of us speaking out and doing our part. Everytime we see someone on here looking for a new Yorkie we must share our knowledge....It only takes a second and think of the Commercial Kennels trying to sell pups when there are no buyers! Robin Presnall has succeeded! If we follow her lead we can eliminate the Puppymills and BYB's.... We can make a difference and save one Yorkie at a time! We need to get some Yorkie Puppy Mill stickers made and every YT'r needs one, maybe even T-shirst. What do you think?

[MyPeanutAbbyGra]

Thank You for sharing and thank you for caring.

[CricketBaby]

Originally Posted by loveyorks

Good post!.. When I hear stories like this, it makes me want to cry.. and as tempting it can be to buy from pet shops, we must remember that these pups do come from breeders that are in it for the money and nothing else and as long as people buy from pet shops, the puppy mills will never end. Wishing you luck in your future undertakings. Rooting for you.

Thank you!

[JohnnieWalker]

You're BRAVE!!! I wish there would be more people like you and I truly wish, I could have been this gutsy when I discovered a Puppy Mill in my area. I drove by three times but was too afraid to get out. My husband (who is an impressive 6'4) unfortunately is not willing to get involved. Since I didn't get close enough I can't make false accusations but I'm pretty sure the dogs are living in filthy conditions. Outside cages were visible, the main house looked run down and just as neglected as the rest of the property. This is a place that is licensed by the USDA and when I asked my vet about it, he had never heard of it. He's been fighting puppy mills and told me, that it does absolutely nothing to contact the USDA with a complaint. When they show up for an inspection, the places are usually cleaned up and many of the dogs even shipped out for that day. I'm so frustrated that I don't know what to do! It makes me feel better though to hear, that sometimes these horrible places to get taken to court. Let us know what happened with the case, would you? You are truly an inspiration!

[jencar98]

What you've described makes me cry and hurt for those poor innocent dogs. I've written an email to a local televisions news station asking for their help in investigating. I will let you know if they do get back with me. I will also write my representatives again. This just has to stop!

It's heartbreaking and I'm embarrassed by and continue to be ashamed of the people in my State that continue this business.

[CricketBaby]

Originally Posted by jencar98

What you've described makes me cry and hurt for those poor innocent dogs. I've written an email to a local televisions news station asking for their help in investigating. I will let you know if they do get back with me. I will also write my representatives again. This just has to stop!

It's heartbreaking and I'm embarrassed by and continue to be ashamed of the people in my State that continue this business.

Girl don't even think for one minute this only happens in yours state! This happens everywhere! Desperate people do desperate things...when we help people find a way to make a living without exploiting animals only then will we really find a cure! In the meantime education is the only way we slow down the misery. This is the whole countries problem and it starts with our Government...I think I might be sticking my neck out a little far on this statement. Please forgive me I have hurt any feelings...not intended.

[ARCHIE]

LEGAL Makes anyone with a heart sick to their stomach's.

Money, it's always about money no matter what the pain and suffering.
Thank you so much for all you do to help this horror stop.
I think finally, our local municipalities are starting to take the horror
of BYB and puppymills more seriously. I pray it continues and with the
help of people like you and all the other's it comes to a stop!
Bless you.

[Izzy Princess]

Carree thank you for telling us this tragic story and for all that you are trying to do. So sad. I, too, will not go into our local "pet store" where they continue to sell these poor puppies that are kept in the smallest of cages. Makes you sick to your stomach.

[jencar98]

Originally Posted by CricketBaby

Girl don't even think for one minute this only happens in yours state! This happens everywhere! Desperate people do desperate things...when we help people find a way to make a living without exploiting animals only then will we really find a cure! In the meantime education is the only way we slow down the misery. This is the whole countries problem and it starts with our Government...I think I might be sticking my neck out a little far on this statement. Please forgive me I have hurt any feelings...not intended.

I was just telling a friend the same thing this morning after reading your thread.....this is the way some people make their living and if you're going to take that away from them, they'll need an alternative. Education and legislation are the answers, I believe.

And, I know puppymills are nationwide, it's just there are so many more in this State than others and it's sad.

[cockerduchess]

I really don't know what to say I just knew you were going to say Atoka I had no clue there were puppymills in Mcalester..... I am stunned..... Ok someone who has experience with reporting puppymills tell me what I can do to bring this to the attention of the proper authorities. Thanks Criket for posting this.