Gray 1

Reagan Gray
Mrs. DeBock
October 6, 2016
English 4 Honors
Puppy Mills
The cruelty of animals in puppy mills needs to come to an end. Puppy mills are a place
where designer dog breeds are bred and sold to pet stores across the United States. Most of them
treat their dogs inhumanely; they are kept in horrible conditions and the outcome of the puppies
coming out of them could result in life-long disabilities and pain. The people buying these
puppies are often blind as to where the puppies came from and the neglect they received
beforehand. Instead of purchasing a dog from a pet store where the puppies were treated
disgustingly, people who would like to purchase an animal should adopt from a humane society
where dogs have been rescued and are waiting to find a home. If more people would start
adopting from a local animal shelter instead of pet stores it could be the start to putting an end to
puppy mills. We should stop adopting from pet stores and only adopt from shelters due to the
cruelty that happens to the puppies who are sold there.
The dogs go through tremendous pain and trauma during their time at the puppy mill.
According to "Broken Limbs, Missing Eyes Among Injuries Found In Dogs Seized From B.C.
Breeder," some dogs can walk away with injuries, including, broken limbs, missing eyes or
ears, malnourishment, infections, abscesses, and psychological issues. Most of these health
issues can affect the dog forever. According to officer Moriarty in the article "Broken Limbs,
Missing Eyes Among Injuries Found In Dogs Seized From B.C. Breeder," "Many others show
signs of fearfulness due to lack of socialization." This can lead for a dog never to be adopted and
have a good life within a home. No one will want to keep a dog with high anxiety problems or

Gray 2

ones that do not want to socialize with their owners and visitors. The cause of all these issues is
due to the way the dogs were kept in their time in the puppy mill. The article A (Designer)
Dogs Life says that,Their feet slip painfully through the cages' wire floors--and sometimes, so
does their excrement, which rains on top of the dogs below when breeders stack cages to save
space. Some of the dogs are nearly as big as their cages, leaving them little room to move. (2).
No dog or animal should have to live in a cage that is too small to move around in while covered
in their own urine and feces, however, that is very common in puppy mills across the US. In
puppy mills, it does not matter how they were born, kept, and mistreated, it is the money they
are receiving from it.
The breeders get away with how they keep the animals because the public does not see it.
Generally, puppy mills are kept on farms in secluded areas. According to Political Commitment
to Eliminate Puppy Farms, most breeders do not ever allow their customers on the property
which causes the new animal owners to never see the way the dogs were kept. If no one sees the
cruelty, it will continue on and do more harm than good for the animals. As long as puppy
farmers comply with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, they are free to operate.
However, many disturbing puppy farm practices are not illegal under the act and as there is no
mandated registration or inspection of puppy farms, finding lawbreakers is difficult (Political
Commitment to Eliminate Puppy Farms). It is harder for puppy mills to be eliminated when no
one is required to do check ups on them or have them registered. The fact that animals do not
have many rights as it is does not help the situation become any easier; according to Evans in the
article The Animal Rights Debate," the debate on what rights animals share with humans began
in the 1970s and is still going on today. All animals should have the right to a cruelty free life as

Gray 3

well as basic living standards just as humans have. The dogs that are suffering at puppy mill
farms deserve to live a life not trapped in a cage, covered in their own filth.
Everyone can help stop the terrible things that are going on at puppy mills if they choose
to adopt from a local shelter or rescue. Grossman argues that the dogs being pumped out of
puppy mills are not helping the overcrowding of dogs in the animal shelters (There Are Worse
Things Than Dog Cloning 1). If people chose a dog from a shelter it could help a needy dog
find a home and also help stop the funding toward puppy mills. Animal shelters are also not
limited to just puppies, they also have dogs of all ages to choose from. In the article These
Oldies But Goodies Are Perfect Pets Too, Gregor states that "The older animals sometimes get
overlooked when there are many puppies and kittens in the shelter." Just because they are older
does not mean they do not have the same spark of joy and love a puppy does. The shelters not
only have dogs of all different ages, but different breeds to choose from as well; they may not be
designer dogs, such as poodles or yorkies, however, just because they did not make the top ten
list of breeds in the United States, it does not make them a bad dog (A List Of The Top Ten
Dogs In The United States). If people adopted more of these wonderful dogs waiting for homes
at shelters, it would give these animals a chance to live a happy life with a family while also
helping stop the funding for the puppy mills.
This is why people should stop adopting from pet stores and only adopt from animal
shelters. The only way we can help stop the cruelty is to stop providing service to the places that
sell the puppies, such as pet stores, home breeders, and online dog sales. There are many
amazing dogs waiting to be taken home at local animal shelters, rescues, and foster homes. Even
if they are not the perfect designer dog people look for, they still have the same love and

Gray 4

affection to give. Everyone should consider adopting from their local shelter to find an adorable
dog to brighten the lives of not only their family, but the dog as well.

Citations

"A List Of The Top Dog Breeds In The United States." US News Online (2016): Points of View
Reference Center. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.

Gray 5
Broken Limbs, Missing Eyes Among Injuries Found In Dogs Seized From B.C. Breeder." Canadian
Press, The (n.d.): Points of View Reference Center. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.

Clare, Sibthorpe. "These oldies but goodies are perfect pets too." Canberra Times 07 Jan. 2016:
5. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 4 Oct. 2016

Evans, Kim Masters. The Animal Rights Debate." Animal Rights. 2011 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011.

Grossman, Anna Jane. "There Are Worse Things than Dog Cloning." Cloning. Ed. Jacqueline
Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Clone Wars
Dog Cloning Worse than All the Other Things We Do to Dogs?" Huffington Post. 2011. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.

"Political commitment needed to eliminate puppy farms." Sun-Herald, The (Sydney) 10 May 2015: 41.
Points of View Reference Center. Web. 1 Sept. 2016.

Smalley, Suzanne. "A (Designer) Dog's Life." Newsweek 153.15 (2009): 52. Points of View Reference
Center. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.