Puppy/Kitten Mills

[Lehcar]

Do you think that operating puppy/kittens mills is wrong and should be illegal? I sure as hell do.

 

I have a strong suspicion that my very first cat came from a kitten mill, because he was in such poor health when we purchased him from the pet store (and he even had a number of health problems that lingered for the rest of his life), and why he was so aggressive with food (probably because he was kept in extremely sh*tty conditions where he wasn't taken proper care of and literally had to fight for his food).

 

I'm disgusted that any pet store would be willing to purchase kittens and puppies from these places and I think it should be stopped. As far as I know, these mills are not illegal in either Canada or in the United States, which is really upsetting to me. I absolutely despise them, I think it's wrong for innocent little kittens and puppies to so poorly bred and raised in dumps by people who just want to profit from them.

 

Down with kitten and puppy mills I say. Throw those disgusting animal abusers in prison, take the animals away to a better place, and burn them all to the ground.

[AlienSlof]

Here in the UK, the RSPCA are stamping down hard on these, more and more are shut down every year. A good thing, too. The best way short of an organisation like that stepping in, is to buy a puppy/kitten from a reputable breeder if you want a pedigree animal. If a breeder will not let a customer have a look around their premises first, then avoid them like the plague. A good breeder will welcome viewing, show you the relevant papers to show that the animals are disease-free and not inbred, etc. Without these careful checks, you will likely end up with a huge and ongoing vet's bill just trying to keep your purchase alive.

 

People can make these mills no longer a going concern if they buy sensibly. Or take on a rescued pet from a shelter. These mills only exist because people want cheap.

[Balagor]

Here in DK, it is more or less like @Slof says it is in GB. We have had very good organisations created during the past decades. Petshops can have a certificate, but it is not a must.

We avoid those with no certificate and/or with bad reputation. The will be registred by the organisations, and you can now look at the Internet if YOUR shop is ok.

However, it is still a problem with pedigree animals, because they are expensive. Newest problem now with the opening of new borders in the EU, is that low price and poor shape animals are coming into the bad reputated shops in a large number. :confused:

[Aurielius]

Unfortunately i come from state that is known for this practice (Pennsylvania) and there are large puppy mills in the Amish farming counties. These places are appalling I would never buy an animal from one of these factories. Recently we have had the good luck to pass legislation controlling the conditions that they may operate under but as of yet are not banned. I only visited one by mischance and it turned my stomach, had to leave almost as soon as I arrived. If someone wants a dog or cat then they should go online to the respective Breeders association and find a reputable breeder to purchase from, if they are not sure of the bona fides of a breeder check what the Rescue Associations of that breed have to say about the breeder in question.

[grannywils]

I absolutely agree with every poster here, and would take it two steps further. In addition to refusing to purchase from such places, if you can do without a purebred animal there are millions of unwanted pets in shelters looking for good homes. In fact there are also shelters for pure bred animals as well.

 

The second point, which maybe should be on a second thread has more to do with the treatment of food animals by many of the large industrial farms. Chickens kept in despicable conditions, cows badly handled, etc. The injection of antibiotics and who knows what else to keep them healthy and make them grow faster, just so they can be brought to market. Anyway, this is, as I said, maybe a subject for another thread.

[ginnyfizz]

I come from the UK myself and can echo what Slof says. Puppy/kitten mills are the pits and are being eradicated steadily over here. I myself took very good care when I was buying a dog a few years back. I particularly wanted a cocker spaniel, and did a lot of homework to find a breeder who bred for temperament and did not indulge in inbreeding. I ended up with a very beautiful orange roan *censored* pup, who rather than spend her time at shows was taken for walks on Dartmoor, was allowed to get covered in mud, who was ecstatically happy as a result, and also made a darned fine rescue dog as she had a superb nose for scenting. So I can certainly say that if you want a pedigree dog for a particular reason, choose your breeder carefully, it paid off for me.

 

Aurelius also makes a good point, the place to start is the breed societies and then consult with the rescue societies about your choice of breeder.

 

Of course you can always go to the rescue centres and pick up a mutt/moggy instead. I had my cat from the Cats Protection League. Some rescue animals do have problems, if they have been previously maltreated, so you have to be careful. My cat just had an attitude problem to dogs. She loved them..for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Yep, she was the size of a small panther.

 

Wow this rude word censor has done odd things to my post...I was only using the usual term for a female canine, dear staff members, I was not intending to use a profanity or insult!

[Maharg67]

Totally agree. They should be made illegal as should many exploitative abuses of animals and, come to think of it, humans as well. This problem highlights the troubled condition of this world.

 

PS: recently gained the companion of a troubled, abused, neglected stray cat. Getting her socialised has been a real chore at times but somehow we did bond. The process has a long way to go. I could write a whole topic on my companion the female ginger cat.

[Vindekarr]

I completely agree.

 

It's even worse with the sort of zero, four, six, eight, ten, and one-hundred and twelve legged creatures I keep.

 

A real problem is greed arising from poverty. When a starving man gets a whif of money, most will go beserk trying to get more. It makes me rightfully furious-the act of trapping wild animals and selling them in pet shops is becoming an increasingly huge problem in south and central america. Peasents just go out with a bag, grab any old spiders, insects and scorpions they see, throw them in said bag, and sell them to petshops to fulfill their own greed.

 

Whenever you buy ANY creature, you've got to make sure it's not only what it's being sold as, but also that it's been treated humanely and doesnt need any sort of medical care right away.

 

Lastly, make sure it's what they say it is: dont let them try and sell you a male spider for example, with spiders, the diferences are vast, males live about 1-5 years, are skittish, frail, and agressive. Females live 25-55 years, are sturdy, gentle, and very dificult to alarm. Males are evolved to be rather disposable and die after they've mated, females are long lived, have divers personalities, and are ideal pets.

 

Hoever, while it's extremely obvious which sex is which once they're older(1) as spiderlings they look quite alike to the untrained eye and I've had three diferent pet shops try and sell me a male priced as a female. Since males are tiny, physicaly weak, and sometimes even used as food, they're about a tenth the price of the large, long lived and powerful females.

 

(1) (females are about twice the male's size, have radicaly diferent behaviors, and depending on breed, are very colourful, males are about half the size, are much less physicaly powerful, and are usualy a dull grey)

[Harbringe]

Not sure about making them illegal but they really need to be reined in .Its reprehensible the conditions some of these mills put the animals through.Penalties need to be made much more severe for this kind of mistreatment.

 

Though if it was decided the only way to deal with it was to make it illegal ,I could live with that too

[Chaosblade02]

Neighbor down the road from me raises and breeds Beagle hounds, they are hunting dogs. Anyway they are well taken care of. Some people might call this a puppy mill, but these animals aren't being abused.