United States Moves to End Puppy Mill Imports

[xchrom]

http://www.livescience.com/47397-us-bans-puppy-mill-imports.html

Wayne Pacelle is the president and chief executive officer of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). This Op-Ed was adapted from one that appeared on the HSUS blog A Humane Nation. Pacelle contributed this Op-Ed to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that other nations will no longer be able to flood the U.S. market with tens of thousands of dogs they raise in puppy mills. After delaying final action for years, the USDA has amended Animal Welfare Act regulations and put forth a final federal rule prohibiting the import of such puppies into the United States for resale.

In this era of globalization — with a robust trade in wildlife and their parts, pork and other animal products from factory farms , and the sale of fur pelts all over the world — this is a major moment in our global effort to make trade more humane and to prevent a handful of nations from watering down animal welfare standards in the name of free trade. In this case, it's our goal to choke off the trade in dogs from puppy mills, no matter where they originate.

Each year, thousands of puppies — all just a few weeks old and barely weaned — endure appalling abuse as they are transported to the United States. They are packed into crowded, filthy plastic tubs with little or no food or water, and often exposed to extreme temperatures during transcontinental plane journeys that would be taxing for even an adult, healthy dog. A large number of the puppies get sick, and then perish. The puppies are too young to have received a full series of vaccinations, so they could carry diseases that infect other dogs or even humans, making their import a significant public health concern as well as an animal welfare issue.

I have heard so many sad stories resulting from this indiscriminate import and sale of puppies. One example: A New Jersey couple purchased Otis, a bulldog puppy, from a Pennsylvania dealer. What they did not know at the time was that Otis had been imported from Russia when he was just six weeks old. Through his first few months, Otis suffered from numerous infections and genetic problems, including roundworms, coccidia, severe allergies, tremor, an enlarged heart and persistent drug-resistant pneumonia. He died before he was eight months old, leaving behind two heartbroken parents and thousands of dollars in veterinary bills.

[Sunlei]

1. I didn't realize puppies were imported from Russian puppymills.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. We apparently have plenty of puppy mills in the US

Pet stores and unregulated breeders have no business selling kittens and puppies.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Ugh. I'm glad.

We don't need 'cheap import pets' being dumped on our markets, and enduring all sorts of torture during transport.

(Title edited to reflect rereading to see that this ban is already now a fact.)

[BrotherIvan]

4. Get rid of backyard breeders as well

All pets should be licensed and spayed or neutered. In my area, there is an epidemic of dogs in shelters (mostly Chihuahuas and Pitts) because people are too lazy or ignorant to get their animals fixed. Cats as well. I trap/fix/release cats and take care of a feral colony and two new cats just showed up. Not feral. Not fixed. Just stupid owners who haven't put up signs to find their pet because they obviously don't care.

[pnwmom]

5. I'm not sure what you mean by backyard breeders but there are plenty of good breeders

who breed a few litters a year out of their homes. We got our dogs from in-home breeders.


In the Seattle King County Humane Society, there is a shortage of local dogs, so many of the few that are here are shipped here from other parts of the country, which in turn have gotten strays from Mexico.

Seattle has been much more successful in its spay/neuter campaign than many areas of the country -- and the world.

[BrotherIvan]

6. Yes, people who breed out of their homes

There is more awful breeders than good ones and we don't need more dogs. Your claim that there is a shortage of dogs has been refuted many times. There is only a shortage of boutique dogs.

[pnwmom]

9. There IS a shortage of available dogs in Seattle, which is why they're imported from other places.

http://www.seattlehumane.org/adopt/pets/dogs/all/sort/available

We live in a metro area of more than 2.5 million people, and there are currently only 14 available dogs in the City/County humane society -- even though some of the dogs here come from shelters in California. Only 1 dog is under a year old, and only 1 dog is between 1 and 2. Of those, one is considered okay for children ages 8 and up; and the other is supposed to have no children in the house. Of the total of 6 dogs under 5 years old, 3 can only be adopted by adults-only households.

And where do you think most of the dogs in the shelters come from? From the poorly bred dogs in the puppy mills. Since I don't want a puppy mill dog, and I want a puppy, the option is buying from a small breeder so I can see the parents and how the dogs are being taken care of. And these dogs won't ever end up in a shelter because the contract at purchase requires me to return the dog to the breeder if I have to give it up, so she can find another family for it. (But this will never happen in our case because we have family members who would be ready to step in.)

And yes, when we need a dog, I want a boutique dog. We want a puppy, and one that doesn't aggravate our allergies. Size and temperament also matters. So we don't limit ourselves to the handful of dogs in the local shelter, and we don't consider dogs that have to be shipped here from around the country. We don't get a puppy unless we meet it, and the parents, first.

[BrotherIvan]

10. In less than it took to read your post I went to petfinder.com

I typed in Seattle, WA selected Dogs and then chose for baby or young.

Result: 77,172 dogs available. All kinds of breeds from toy to larger rescue dogs all needing a home.

So, guess that clears things up a bit.

[pnwmom]

11. So? That is the number of dogs of all breeds and ages in their system ACROSS THE U.S. -- not here.

You will get the same number if you plug in the same criteria for your own zip code. But all those dogs aren't living in your city, either.

See how many medium size poodle-mix puppies are in Seattle, or even within driving range in Washington state. I've checked before, and there are never more than a handful. And they are almost never poodle-mix "babies" -- which are usually still older than the puppies we adopt.

And don't be fooled -- some of those listings will appear to be from Seattle, but when you read them, they say that the dog is actually in California, but they're willing to ship to Seattle.

I'm not going to get a dog from Petfinders from a picture on the internet. I want to meet the parents and see where the dog has been raised.

[BrotherIvan]

12. I hope other people who care about pets don't take your posts as fact

We've had this discussion many times. It doesn't matter that you are willing to buy from a backyard breeder. Pets are dying in shelters: beautiful, amazing animals put down. Too many pets are abused and mistreated by backyard breeders and puppy mills. People think they can invest in a breeding pair and breed them until they drop so they can make some cash. It's sickening and should be illegal.

[pnwmom]

13. If you check Pet Finders right now you will see there is only ONE

medium size poodle-mix puppy available in the whole state of Washington, and it's a year old, and they're calling it a "baby." It's a Jack Russell Terrier mix, not the temperament we want to be around children.

I know both the breeders from whom we've purchased puppies, and they love their dogs. The dogs live with their "guardian families" till they're ready to deliver their first litter. After they deliver, they are only away from their guardian families till the puppies are whelped and ready for their new homes -- and then they go back to the families who love them. And they are only bred a few times before being retired. All the puppies are neutered before being adopted, by the way. This is how responsible breeders do it.

Under your plan, the only dogs available for adoption would be from puppy mills or strays from other countries. No thanks.

[BrotherIvan]

15. I can't read your posts because I put you on ignore

[pnwmom]

16. I don't care if you read them or not. Other people who read your post can see my answer.

[BrotherIvan]

17. I hope they do

It's pretty clear what you care about.

[pnwmom]

19. I thought you said you were ignoring me. That lasted a long time.

[MoonRiver]

18. You are wrong and Brother Ivan is correct.

You are clearly completely unaware of the horrors endured by dogs in puppy mills. It is one of my missions in life to shut those hell holes down. But obviously finding young "typy" dogs is much more important to you than the suffering animals endure because of views like yours.

[pnwmom]

21. Where am I supporting puppy mills? I'm supporting responsible home breeders

who only breed their dogs a few times and send the puppies out already neutered.

When I buy a dog, I want a young puppy I can carefully train, a poodle mix that won't bother our allergies. I'm not obligated to adopt the puppy mill dogs that end up in shelters, any more than I'm obligated to adopt children instead of having my own.

However, both times we were ready to adopt, I checked the Humane Society to see if they had a puppy that would work for us. They didn't.

[BrotherIvan]

22. But they're all loved and only bred a few times!!!!!

You are correct, there are rescues for specific breeds that will contact you when they find exactly what you are looking for. There is no reason on earth to support one of these places. There may be some good ones, but the horrors endured by these poor animals is cruel to the extreme.

Spreading these falsehoods is why people think rescue dogs are somehow less desirable than a "pure-bred." When in fact, mutts are healthier. Most puppy mills and backyard breeders inbreed their animals in a dirty little secret they don't tell owners. Hip dysplasia and other diseases are becoming more common because of these breeders.

Totally selfish people who think they need some kind of designer dog can't be helped. But those who are trying to decide on a dog for their family should try to seek information. It's easy to find and it is horrifying.

[pnwmom]

26. Those dogs are listed in Pet Finder, and there are no medium poodle mixes under a year in WA.

There are homeless children, too, and no one says they must all be adopted before you can have your own child.

[pnwmom]

29. Our dogs are mutts. They're poodle MIXES. But the breeders are careful to breed healthy parents

to try to eliminate problems like hip dysplasia.

Puppy mill dogs in shelters are much less likely to be healthy.

[LeftyMom]

31. She's stated before that she won't go to a rescue because she's not willing to meet their standards.

Among other things, she's not willing to install a fence. Because a fence would cost money. I can't imagine why a responsible person would assume she'd pay for vet care if she can't be bothered to put up a fence to keep a dog safe.

[KurtNYC]

20. If you want purebred or designer dogs, perhaps try one of the rescue groups

Plenty of people give up papered dogs for a variety of reasons. 25% of the dogs in shelters are purebreds. The most common time for people to give up their dog is when the dog reaches about 7 months / puberty.

http://www.spdrdogs.org/

We put down around 50 million dogs a year in the US, 5 million in Canada. There are plenty of dogs available of all types and backgrounds. Worth the search to adopt your pick if you have a home for it.

[pnwmom]

24. That was the first place I looked when we got our dogs. And there weren't any puppies available.

The rescue dogs also show up on Pet Finder, by the way.

If you read my previous posts, you will see that there are only 14 available dogs at the Seattle/King County Humane Society, and only 6 are under 5 years old. Three of these dogs are available only to all-adult households. None of them are poodle mixes and none are under the age of a year.

If you go to Pet Finder, you will see that there is only one medium size poodle mix available in all of Washington State -- a Jack Russell terrier mix that's a year old. Someone who wants a young poodle mix won't find one now in Washington -- unless they're willing to take one sight unseen, from a picture on the internet.

Seattle and Washington have been extremely successful in their spay-neuter campaigns. So we buy local dogs from responsible breeders. That's the way it's supposed to work.

[LeftyMom]

34. Breed rescues are entirely willing to bring a dog to you, provided you're offering a good home.

I've helped to transport dogs who were going to adoptive homes hundreds of miles from their foster home. In one case I took them to a small private airport where they went onto a small plane owned by another volunteer.

The idea that you can't adopt a poodle mix is stupid. You don't want to, so you're making silly excuses.

[pnwmom]

35. I don't want to buy a dog from a rescue or anywhere else that is shipped to me.

I need to see it in its home, with its parents. Too many dogs end up in shelters because they end up not being a good match for the families that took them. That has never happened to us.

[LeftyMom]

38. Shelters are full of dogs people looked at in that manner.

Your excuses for selfishness and instant gratification are ridiculous.

[pnwmom]

40. Not in my area. There are only 14 dogs available in the county right now, and only 6

under the age of 5, and only 3 of them for households that include children. This is a county of 2.5 million people. Healthy dogs are very quickly adopted from the Humane Society. There are so few unwanted puppies and so much turnover here that dogs get shipped here from shelters in other states.

[LeftyMom]

37. Good lord, you mean you might have had to wait a while or leave your name and have them call when a

suitable dog came in? Or maybe drive to a shelter somewhere outside of the city limits? Heavens to Betsy, how could anybody cope with such privation?

My dad likes boxers. So when he wanted to adopt one he went to the shelter, told them he was interested in a boxer, gave them some criteria about age and health and behavior. When a suitable dog came in they called him. The dog was a great dog and he got a home. Everybody's happy.

I'm sorry your instant gratification was more important than saving a life.

[pnwmom]

41. No healthy young dog is going to die because of us. it's the older, sicker, or unadoptable dogs

that are euthanized, along with millions of cats. The cat population is the problem, and I'm never going to help with that. Sorry.

[pnwmom]

32. Your numbers are wrong. About 1.2 million dogs are euthanized annually.

Last edited Mon Aug 18, 2014, 11:26 PM - Edit history (2)

Most of the dogs who are euthanized are old, sick, or have behavioral issues. People who work in shelters have no interest in putting down adoptable animals; that's their life work.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animal_community/resources/qa/common_questions_on_shelters.html

In the 1970s, American shelters euthanized 12-20 million dogs and cats, at a time when there were 67 million pets in homes. Today, shelters euthanize around 2.7 million animals, while there are more than 135 million dogs and cats in homes. This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about 3 percent—represents substantial progress. We will make still greater progress by working together to strike at the roots of animal overpopulation.


http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics

Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).

[DisgustipatedinCA]

25. I got a beautiful, healthy, happy border collie from a "backyard breeder"

Most people would refer to this backyard breeder as just plain old 'rancher', because that's what he is. He's a rancher who occasionally breeds his dogs, choosing the ones most suited to field work for himself, and adopting out the rest. It's a good setup. It works. Everyone is happy. Except you would like for this transaction to have been illegal.

My border collie and I disagree with you in strong terms.

[BrotherIvan]

28. He should give them away then

When the profit motive is involved, people do horrendous things. If he is breeding the puppies for his own use and gives the rest away, fine. Breeding and selling a pet should not be legal. There are too many abuses and inbreeding.

I won't put up all the disgusting photos of abused puppies in backyard breeders, but you can see for yourself. Sometimes the females, when they are no longer able to breed after two litters a year, are thrown out onto the street or taken to a shelter. Dogs crammed in filthy cages too small for them to stand up. The dogs have mange, covered in fleas, kept outside in all weather. Dogs are domesticated animals, they should not live like that.

[SMC22307]

7. Agree. How many millions of cats and dogs are killed at shelters...

each year? It's sickening.

[BrotherIvan]

8. We don't need more dogs and pets because too many people are irresponsible.

Something needs to be done to stop all the poor animals that are being killed every day. No kill shelters, rescues, fosters, everyone is trying to do the best they can. But then I walk down the street and at least 50% of men with dogs are not neutered. People should have some sort of class before they buy a pet and then be forced to get the pet fixed at a low cost clinic. Pets are not toys.

[pnwmom]

14. Try walking around Seattle. You might not see a single non-neutered dog. n/t

[pnwmom]

27. About 1.2 million dogs per year, and most of those euthanized are old, sick,

Last edited Mon Aug 18, 2014, 11:22 PM - Edit history (2)

or have behavioral issues. Shelters make every effort to find homes for adoptable dogs. It is only when the dog is less adoptable and there is not enough space that dogs get euthanized.

http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics

Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).

[BrotherIvan]

30. Please stop lying

You are spreading false information in a totally irresponsible way. I work in animal rescue and your posts are APPALLING.

[pnwmom]

33. I'm quoting from the Humane Society. Your opinion is backed by nothing.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animal_community/resources/qa/common_questions_on_shelters.html

In the 1970s, American shelters euthanized 12-20 million dogs and cats, at a time when there were 67 million pets in homes. Today, shelters euthanize around 2.7 million animals, while there are more than 135 million dogs and cats in homes. This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about 3 percent—represents substantial progress. We will make still greater progress by working together to strike at the roots of animal overpopulation.

[BrotherIvan]

36. Where does it say only old and sick dogs?

You are spreading false information all over this thread in some twisted attempt to justify your own choices. I don't care what kind of dog you get, poor unlucky thing it may be. I am also glad that most people are seeing through your false information. I know that anyone who actually reads this thread will see that your motivations are far from unselfish and will see it's not true.

Most dogs and cats that are euthanized in shelters are HEALTHY. There is too much overcrowding and not enough money to care for them. If they don't get adopted out in time, they are killed. Not necessarily baby puppies, but even YOUNG, HEALTHY animals are euthanized. People who care about animals are doing their very best to try to help, but it's hard. Spreading wrong information is hurtful to that cause.

[pnwmom]

39. Are you also accusing PETA of lying?

They don't euthanize young healthy dogs. There are plenty of homes available for adoptable dogs. Things have greatly changed in the last 40 years. Spay/neuter campaigns have been enormously successful.

http://www.peta.org/blog/euthanize/

I always wonder how anyone cannot recognize that there is a world of difference between painlessly euthanizing animals out of compassion—aged, injured, sick, and dying animals whose guardians can’t afford euthanasia, for instance—as PETA does, and causing them to suffer terror, pain, and a prolonged death while struggling to survive on the streets, at the hands of untrained and uncaring “technicians,” or animal abusers.

[KurtNYC]

23. Hopefully that is just the first step

The Amish have a terrible reputation for puppy mills

Police in Wayne County, N.Y., say Merlin Schmucker, 26, was trying to breed Heelers but wasn’t able to sell the puppies. When they got too big, he asked his employee Jonathan Eicher, 19, to kill them.
...
Dog breeding is widespread in the Amish community. Southeastern Pennsylvania, where many Amish live, is known among animal rights groups as the “puppy mill capital of the U.S.” According to a Nightline report, there were about 300 licensed breeders in Lancaster County in 2009 with an estimated 600 more illegal operations in barns and sheds. A single puppy mill can house upwards of 500 dogs, many of them in unsanitary and cruel conditions. While the puppies are often sold to pet stores where they’re bought by unsuspecting families, the breeding mothers spend their entire lives in cages, delivering litter after litter. When they’re no longer able to produce pups, they’re euthanized or shot.
...
An Amish dog breeder gave Nightline a tour of his facility, which he said is “top of the line.” While the overcrowded cages and lack of individual attention may be considered inhumane by dog lovers, the anonymous breeder’s kennel is indeed far better than other Amish facilities, where dogs spend their days in chicken wire cages stacked on top of one another. In 2010, an Amish dog breeder in upstate New York, not far from where Schmucker and Eicher were arrested, admitted to killing 93 dogs by connecting an exhaust hose to an airtight chamber he built. This mass-execution of dogs was performed after inspectors ordered the breeder to treat his dogs for Brucellosis after tests showed that some of the animals had the contagious disease. Last November, Amish breeder Jonas Beachy was charged with animal cruelty after 52 dogs were seized from his Ohio property, where they lived in “horrendous conditions,” according to reports. Beachy argued that the dogs were seized over “cultural differences.” In discussion of the Amish puppy mill problem, it’s often repeated that the “Plain people,” as they’re known, view dogs as livestock, not pets. For a culture that relies heavily on livestock, that should be no excuse for bad animal husbandry. Greed, it seems, is the true root of the dog cruelty problem, and greed is hardly limited to the Amish.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/blog/2013/02/01/killing-dogs-common-among-amish-says-man-accused-of-shooting-nine-pups-their-mom/index.html