puppy mill
Puppy mills are commercial for-profit mass breeding kennels designed to produce puppies for sale to pet shops and individuals. Puppies are typically housed in filthy, dark, and cramped crates. As they are kept outside throughout the year they are exposed to extreme heat and cold. Many of the dogs suffer from malnutrition, dehydration and numerous other diseases. As these are for profit enterprises there is little spent on veterinary care, food, water and vitamins. The dogs are bred repeatedly by the mill dealers without regard to genetic best practices which result in birth defects and congenital diseases in the puppies, and depletion illnesses in the mother dogs.
At four to eight weeks of age, puppies are sold to brokers or individuals, packed into overcrowded crates and transported. They are not provided with adequate care during this process and many die en-routes or arrive at their destinations near death.
There are few regulations that govern these operations and most enforcement action occurs where animal cruelty law violations can be asserted. Occasionally a state will try to pass legislation to provide relief to the puppies with little success.
Discussion on the blogs focus on banning puppy mills, and urging consumers to avoid pet shops where puppies from these mills are sold. Additionally, animal welfare advocates are working out transport programs designed to bring desired animals to people so they will not feel the need to order from a mill.
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"puppy-mill"
at The Free Dictionary
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Phew! We’ve had a few things happen that I thought you guys should know about. Firstly, thank-you to All You Need Is Lists for posting my post second guest post with them, 5 Reasons NOT to Buy a Puppy from a Pet Shop . This list has been in creation for a little while, but it was just a matter of finalising ...1 week ago
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