Email From Humane Society RE: Puppy Mills
 

Millie, a twelve-year-old Chihuahua, was found wandering alone on a Virginia roadside. Millie was a puppy mill breeder dog who, after producing litter after litter of puppies all her life, was cruelly abandoned when she could no longer give birth.

Dear Kimberly,

Millie's story is just one of thousands that could be told about puppy mill dogs. The way she was treated - and then abandoned - is not uncommon.

Today, you can get an exclusive look at how dogs like Millie end up in puppy mills: Watch our undercover video exposing the cruelty of puppy mill dog auctions. Then, sign our pledge to stop puppy mills.

Puppy mills are large-scale factory farm operations that confine dogs in small cages and force "breeder dogs" to produce litter after litter of puppies to support consumer demand for purebred pets and "designer" dogs. Most puppies sold in pet stores or through Internet sites come from a place filled with suffering, disease, malnutrition, genetic inbreeding, and loneliness. Even the puppies themselves are often prone to a variety of diseases. Some die within days or weeks of purchase.

But the worst fate in this cruel industry is for breeding mother and father dogs who never leave the puppy mill. They endure a lifetime of misery, confined in tiny cages stacked on top of each other in row after row, deprived of exercise and basic medical care, and continually breeding to satisfy consumer demand for puppies.

Many of the dogs used for breeding are bought at auctions. Click here to watch the exposé of these appalling dog auctions, featuring footage shot during our recent undercover investigation.

After you watch the video, please sign our pledge to stop puppy mills. By choosing not to buy your next pet or any pet supplies from retail stores or Internet sites that sell live animals, you are directly helping to end this cycle of cruelty.

When you're ready for a new dog in your life, please adopt from your local shelter or rescue group, or from a pet supply store that partners with one. And if you must, please only buy from a responsible breeder who treats dogs like part of the family.

Thank you for all that you do to help animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States


http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

Wow, that was sad. That is the first time I have seen the auctions. What heartless, cruel people.

Dear God:( How can they sleep at night?

Poor Millie...that picture in my mind is sooooooooooooooooo UPSETTING ! The Mills - her abandonment - she must have been so so confused and hurting:( :( :( :( :(

THOSE EVIL MONSTERS NEED TO ROT IN H*ll for how they treat these poor dogs.:mad: :mad: :mad:

I wish they talk more about PET STORES and how to stop them from selling dogs - that would cut down on the mass breeding.... but the bottom line is this country needs to WAKE UP AND Stop this mass production and cruelty to dogs.

I'll shut up now - I already say too much but this subject makes me so sick and I can't believe Mills are even ALLOWED to do what they do....Thank you so much for posting this Kim :thumbup: - it can't be said enough

Kim....MY GOOD GOOD Friend's little Pepper is on the SURVIVOR STORY PAGE - he was just added recently.....scroll down to read about my little sweetheart - Pepper....http://www.stoppuppymills.org/survivor_stories.html

I've posted about him before and his mom is a member here.

he's a true HERO as they all are .....his condition is due to these DISGUSTING breeding practices and sadly he may not even see his next birthday...he just turned THREE YEARS OLD :( :(

He's one of the lucky ones that has a home and is loved. Not so many are that lucky.

ps - I watched the video AFTER I posted -they DID talk about Pet Stores ..I just wanted to say that....I spoke too soon in my above post

I think EVERYONE needs to watch the Auction video AND the Undercover Mill videos - they'll make you so outraged you won't be able to stop talking about it .....the more people you tell about these horrible places - the better it is for the dogs in the long run

writing letters also helps

That survivor page breaks my heart even though I know that good people got them and loved them all. Pepper is adorable and bless your friends for getting him.

I am so saddened about all of this! It really just shakes me to my core~

This is so so sad but I'm glad that it is getting out there and people are trying to stop it from happening. I hope tons of people sign.

Me too. It's haunting isn't it ?:( :( :( The worst is the winters and summers for these poor dogs....many are raised in climates that are very severe and with NO protection from the heat and cold - bad enough the cages tear up their feet but to swelter and freeze just makes me SICK

Hi I'm Pepper's Mom. Everyday Pepper lives with what greed does. He has a serious Neurological illness that is crippling him. When I first brought him home at 4 months old I was told that he wouldn't make it to his first birthday, as my sister of the heart, Villette, said Pep just turned 3 years old. When I read the Survivors Stories the same thing hit me...every pup on that page was a lucky one! If even only for a moment in time they were loved. I couldn't stop crying because all I could think of was the number of pups in puppymills and with backyard breeders who are NEVER going to know one second of love! I am blessed because I have had Pepper for almost 3 years, he knows he is loved and very much cherished but our time together is almost over. He is very sick now and I know his life isn't much fun anymore. since the first day I brought him home I have been trying to get the word out there about puppymills, puppy brokers and petstores. Since Pepper was "defective" the petstore where I bought him got a replacement puppy and then they got another puppy to replace him when I went back and bought him back (LONG STORY) so because I purchased a puppy from a petstore 2 other puppies were doomed. I didn't know any better at the time but that is no excuse, I should have found out where all those cute little puppies came from. After a lot of looking I found Peppers breeder and after a LOT of harsh words back and forth she sent me pictures of Pepper's parents. My heart broke. I have never seen such sad, sick and depressed yorkies in my life! When I explained that Peppers illness is hereditary she promised that she would retire his MOM. She never said anything about Dad or siblings...all of whom most likely have this illness. She will keep breeding them and she will keep putting out heartbreak...and there is nothing I can do to stop it except tell anyone who will listen Pepper's story! I was so honored that the HSUS included my baby on their site! Please sign the pledge...if we all band together we can stop this! I can't save Pepper...it was too late to save him the minute he was born...but maybe I can save just one puppy from living in this hell and one family from daily heartbreak watching the pup they love struggle just to take a step, eat a bite, drink a bit of water or just be normal. Pepper used to be very aware and alert, now he doesn't know what is happening sometimes and he gets so scared. He doesn't know who I am sometimes. All I can do is hold him and tell him how much I love him and that I will keep him safe. All of this because a breeder and a broker would get $1600 for his life.

Sorry to be so long winded. I know what puppymills cause and i want to save everyone else from finding out first hand.

Again, PLEASE SIGN THE PLEDGE!!!!! It is such a small thing to do to save a life!

Kathy, thank you so much for posting your story. Pepper is very lucky to have you and you to have him for whatever amount of time that may be. I am so sorry for your story but it is stories like yours that make a difference!

If anyone had any doubts about signing this pledge all you have to do is read Pepper's story! We have so many members here, if we ALL sign this pledge then maybe we can make a difference!

That just makes me so sad.. I posted it in my LJ and on myspace.. passing the knowledge on :(

I have never seen a dog auction before, how horrible! That makes me so sad! :(

Hi peppers mom, thanks for the story. it is so hard to believe that this stuff is happening to our beloved yorkie breed and all breeds. awareness is the only way it will stop but you can also call the humane society on people you think might be puppy mills.
Did you ever end up reporting this woman who was pepers breeder? If you did not you still can. Please do so if you have not yet, it is never too late to be proactive.

Tink's rescue story.
 

I just hate this. Seeing those people at auction made me want to spit! :mad: Tink's mom and aunt were rescued the week after I got Tink from the rescue group. The "breeder" who was going to have Tink put down was actually a farmer with a small puppy mill on his property (Yorkshires, Poms, Poodles, and Chihuahuas). And it gets bitter up here in the winter! The rescue group talked him out of the two moms and their remaining pups because it was getting cold, he hadn't sold them and he didn't want to feed them over the winter. He was going to shoot them. :eek:

I didn't know about that when I got her. I just knew she was going to be put down by the breeder because she was returned by the person who bought her as supposedly deaf. So far, we've been fortunate with health problems except for the Legge Perthes disease which probably isn't genetic. When my son-in-law told me he wanted to buy my daughter a puppy I immediately told him to go to a reputable breeder NOT a pet store or a "farm." I've always gotten my pets (except one) from a rescue group or the humane society. She probably will too unless I talk her into a baby from YT.:)

leg Perthes is genetic.
Do you know if that man was ever shut down or investigated by the authorities?

Thank you for your story Pepper's mom. I signed the pledge and sent it to friends and family. Pepper has such a great home with you and is blessed.

Hmmm, I thought the surgeon told me it was not genetic. I must have misunderstood him. I'll ask him today when I see him. I googled it to read some more articles and some do say that it is genetic. That makes sense if it is.

No, nothing has been done to the "breeder", but the rescue groups keep close tabs on all of these farmers who manage to side-step alot of laws the rest of us must live by. They may make good baked goods and furniture but I'm not buying any of it!

HUGS Kathy...and MONSTER HUGS to my hero Pepper....

Thank you so much for posting and being outraged enough to talk about this problem whenever you can - I know how much this means to you and what you go thru with Pepper on a daily basis ....:(

people just don't know how heartbreaking it really is - they may SEE a happy little face.... but behind that cuteness...an evil lurks and that evil is called a PUPPY MILLER.....

For anyone interested - My WEBSITE is DEDICATED to Pepper (and all his friends) ...if you can take the pledge to help fight they'd be eternally grateful. I know some can't be saved :( but for future dogs.... they need to be stopped NOW.

this is terrible. I can't believe people can do this... I'm so sad :(

man - they were going to put her down ? A perfectly normal puppy ?? :(

I went thru similar with my cocker Tessa.....Little did I know 13 years ago that we were in a puppy mill when we bought her - she had a very bad underbite and they were talking about putting her down too....She is now 13 - hand fed by me everyday and the BEST dog.

I fell in love with her on site ...when we took her to her Vet Visit, the Vet also discussed how bad her bite was and putting her to sleep - I ran to the car with her and locked ALL the doors ....:( :( :( :( my husband felt so bad seeing me cry he told me that was never going to happen.....we took her home & she's had a happy and full life - no problems whatsoever except I hand feed her.

For anyone that doesn't know what a Mill is - when you're in one - you'll know it. :( :( The Smell - the noise - the dogs all begging for you to take them....back when I got Tessa there wasn't as much info online as there is now and to this DAY I wish I sent the LAW to that awful place.

Villette, thanks for posting the story of Tessa, that is so touching and shows what a big heart you have. You are an angel.

Peppers mom, you are an angel for taking Pepper and loving him. God bless you.

I singed the pledge, thanks.

Ooops...I SIGNED the pledge...(not singed it) .... wouldn't let me edit...

Thank you that was very sweet...but I did nothing special.....I do know I was haunted by that place for a long long time and when I learned what puppy mills actually are then it hit me - she came from a mill

It makes me so mad at myself I didn't know back then - Lucky ...they went out of business for whatever reason.

I know...I have learned a lot of lessons over the years about where to get a dog too...YT has been a GREAT learning place for me...I'm glad they are out of business.

I went to the site and read the storys of the 'lucky' ones. It truly breaks my heart! I still am in shock that this goes on here in the USA :mad:

I didn't watch any videos though, I have seen some in the past and they still haunt me to this day. I will never forget anything that I have seen. But I made a donation to the Humane Society to help in their campaign to Stop Puppymills.

Why can't this be better regulated. I know in my heart that the greed of $ will never shut them down completely, but there has to be better regulations on the puppymill breeders and those auctions have to stop :mad:

This makes me sick to my stomach. :mad: Those people should be ashamed of themselves. Everytime I go to the mall petstores and see these poor dogs I get upset. When I went to Miami a few weeks ago, I found a pet boutique that had cute expensive dog clothes, beds etc. Then they had a few puppies for sale...a couple of yorkies and maltese. They looked so pitiful and clearly looked unhealthy. I almost bought a tshirt for Izzy but changed my mind, I just couldnt support them.:(

GOOD FOR YOU ! I won\'t and can\'t step foot in Pet Land for that very reason :thumbup:

They\'re the BIGGEST buyers of Puppy Mill puppies and I wish were RUN OUT BUSINESS - if everyone stopped shopping at these stores there would be far less breeding going on at the mills.

I don\'t know how to do it, but either I\'ll do it if somebody tells me how, or could somebody put this video on YouTube?