Much of the public hears when they are purchasing a dog from a pet store, they are likely purchasing a dog from a puppy mill and in turn, supporting said puppy mill. There are many puppy mill facts that people do not know, though. The facts about puppy mills are horrifying and will assist you in understanding the atrocious acts which occur at many of these places.
Did You Know These Puppy Mill Facts?
- According to the Humane Society of the United States, over 2 million puppies per year come from puppy mills.
- According to the ASPCA, over 10,000 puppy mills exist in the United States.
- Many puppy mill dogs face horrible conditions such as extreme heat and extreme cold.
- Many puppy mill dogs have pet health conditions, such as pus-filled eyes due to lack of care.
- Many puppy mill puppies and dogs face behavioral problems including shyness, aggression, fear and anxiety.
- Food and water is often found to be contaminated and overridden with bugs in a puppy mill.
- Puppy mill “ mothers ” are bred two times per year until they are five when they are euthanized.
- Puppy mill “mothers” have often never seen the outside of a cage.
- There is little to no veterinary care in many puppy mill facilities. If an animal is sick or injured, it will continue to be bred or be put down.
- Many puppies have genetic diseases which are due to being inbred; diseases include heart disease, Kidney Disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and epilepsy.
How to Spread Puppy Mill Awareness?
Here´s how to help. If you are interested in helping to reduce the number of puppies sold via a puppy mill, you can do the following:
- Encourage as many people as you know not to purchase dogs from pet stores;
- Increase public awareness of puppy mills.
You can also adopt a dog or puppy from a rescue organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating puppy mill dogs. It is absolutely crucial to understand; however, these dogs often come with many problems and will likely need a significant amount of time spent to gain their trust.
If you have any questions regarding puppy mills or adopting a dog from a puppy mill rescue organization, you should contact our dog behaviorist for assistance.
Amber Johnson, Animal Behaviorist
Miss Amber Johnson has many years of experience with pets and is a licensed cat and dog nutrition and behavior specialist. She currently collaborates with PetPremium where she counsels clients in pet behavior and nutrition. The statements made in this article are the personal opinions of Miss Amber Johnson and based on independent experiences and could be different from the opinions of PetPremium Pet health Insurance or any other pet health insurance provider.
