| My wife volunteers at a pet rescue every Saturday. | | | | is left to fester at the bottom. Since the buildings are |
| A couple of weeks ago, we started to foster a dog | | | | not ventilated well, ammonia vapors and other odors |
| from the rescue. Zora is a 5 year old, female, long | | | | develop. The dogs freeze in the winter and roast in |
| haired Chihuahua rescued from a puppy mill. If Zora | | | | the summer. Some will get its legs stuck in the wire |
| was not taken in by the pet rescue, she would have | | | | floors causing injury. Others are injured in fights. |
| been destroyed. | | | | The mills do not necessary bred purebred dogs. The |
| At first, she was very timid and would hide in her | | | | owners will forge documents claiming its heritage. |
| cage. Slowly, she started to adjust to her new | | | | Some mills will sell puppies at six weeks of age |
| surroundings. Now she is very comfortable with my | | | | violating the Federal law prohibiting selling them under |
| wife, roams around the house but is still trying to | | | | eight weeks of age. |
| decide what to make of me. | | | | The majority of the puppy mills are in seven states: |
| Puppy mills usually keep dogs in overcrowded and | | | | Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, |
| unsanitary conditions. There is poor health care, food, | | | | Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Although there is a |
| water or human companionship. The dogs are bred | | | | Federal law, Animal Welfare Act, to regulate the mills, |
| frequently to sell the puppies for profit. They are | | | | it is rarely enforced. Caution should be taken when |
| kept in cramped cages, bred until they can no longer | | | | purchasing a puppy. A puppy from a mill can be |
| produce puppies and destroyed. | | | | diseased or psychologically scarred. It can cost |
| The puppies may develop health problems like | | | | thousands of dollars to be cured or the pet could die |
| respiratory infections, pneumonia or genetic diseases. | | | | prematurely. |
| There are no state laws banning these mills. As long | | | | For a long time, the Humane Society of the United |
| as food and water are provided, a dog can be | | | | states (HSUS) has conducted investigations and |
| housed there indefinitely. The mills are not regulated | | | | supported new laws to eliminate the abuse of the |
| or inspected by the USDA. | | | | mills. They have participated in many rescues of |
| The average mill houses between 65 to 75 dogs in | | | | abused dogs. The HSUS continues to educate |
| hutch like cages with wire floors for waste to fall | | | | consumers about the risks of buying a pet that was |
| through. Some mills rupture the vocal cords of an | | | | bred in a mill. |
| animal to prevent it from making sounds. The waste | | | | |