So true, so sadly true...

Thanks for the link, It'll take me a while to read through that and as it is midnight here and a coupla beers taken (normal amber colour, not green) I don't think I can give it the attention it deserves tonight.
I have to say that living in Belfast I have been much more about finding peaceful resolutions to our troubled and sometimes hate filled society than I have been about animal welfare. I only realised recently that we had any sort of puppy mills here and am very shocked that we do.
It is very, very hard here to find any registered breeders, there are nowhere like the same amount of breeder websites here.
I have Alfie's 5 year Kennel Club registration and as far as I know his Mommy has only had 1 litter and would probably be regarded as a BYB!
I do hear about animal cruelty cases but they seem to be quite rare and I do think we have a system where very few dogs, cats or horses are euthanised unless they are in pain or have a painful future ahead.
I am absolutely appalled at some of the terrible stories I have read here and many of the links have had me in a blubbering mess.
I know that you personally are dedicated to eradicating suffering for all our earth species and I applaud you for that.

The answer for mills has to be somehow through enforcement, publishing known mills, shutting them down for what they are.

And what is and how is a puppymill different from commercial breeders? They often keep dogs within the regulations for commercial breeders and somehow don't look a whole lot different to the millers.

The fact remains in my mind Dogs and for that matter cats, should not be overseen by a Dept of Agriculture in either of our two countries.

They are not livestock, and should not be treated as such.

A seachange is necessary, how that will be, how it needs to be molded, I simply don't know.

ONe needs to stamp out the rot at its' core. That being the laws and regulations regarding breeding of dogs under the Dept of Agriculture, for profit.

I completely agree with your comment about the way some rescues have a "relationship" with mills. In fact, I'm not sure if I agree that organizations that get their dogs this way exclusively should be called rescues at all. The sad part is that most rescuers have no idea how that whole system works. I think that if a lot of rescuers really understood the details & process behind that system, they wouldn't "rescue" the dog.

What really bothers me is the ones who go to the auctions and buy pups. :( For the life of me I cannot comprehend it.

What?! How on earth is that rescuing?

They give the same reasoning...they are saving the dog from certain death. I gave up trying to understand that one. I mean..I really DO get that the poor dogs are suffering. It is just the people don't look at the big picture. Of course, anyone I have discussed it with thought I was heartless.

I had no idea that dogs are auctioned off!!! :eek::( Cats, too? Why???? Where??? Is this legal?

I don't know about cats.

Yes, it is legal in some states.

There is a lady in OH who works tirelessly to stop those things. I used to be on her email list...she is mentioned in this link:


Dog Auctions speakingforspot.com

another link..there are so many if you google dog auction

Puppymills - auctions of dogs in commercial kennels.

I agree. That's not rescuing. That's reselling. They're basically pet stores. I don't understand how an organization can do that with a clear conscious. They are supporting puppy mills & then deceiving the public by calling themselves a "rescue". What I don't understand is how they are allowed to label themselves as a legitimate rescue operation. Is there no criteria set on what kind of organization can use the term "rescue" in their name?

Are you kidding? There are mills who call themselves rescues. It's crazy. I see that language about ADOPTING when people are selling and buying. There are people who think they are rescuing a pup if they buy it...and don't even TRY to tell them that is not an adoption. I pretty much avoid those discussions. Of course you can always look for the 501c3 .. most mills wont have that BUT it really does not mean a rescue is doing what we might think is rescue. All that paperwork really is for is to prove it is a non profit.

It's so sad that these days not only do you have to research your breeder, but you also have to research your rescue. It actually makes me angry.

It does me as well. I have reported the ones who list on Petfinder BUT it is hard to prove sometimes and they pretty much stay on there.

very true