Millions of puppies are bred through puppy mills along with the euthanization of millions of abandoned puppies and dogs in shelters each year. Low-quality, cheap food is fed to the dogs to keep costs down which causes the dogs to be malnourished. In many cases, the dogs do not receive enough food and are starved. Starving dogs that had to resort to cannibalism, dogs covered in ticks, feces and urine, and dead dogs were found by an inspector at a licensed puppy mill; the inspector did not remove the surviving dogs at the puppy mill and 22 more dogs died as a result according to an article by Kenny in the Albany Law Review. Food was also found to be infested with cockroaches. A majority of puppy mills keep the dogs in cages with wire bottoms to help with waste disposal; however, these wire-bottom cages can cause injuries to the dogs’ paw pads and the other surfaces of the dog’s paws. Dogs were found at a puppy mill in Virginia suffering from urine scalds by lying in dark cages covered with their own feces and urine according to Welch in the GPSOLO Animal Law Magazine. A rottweiler was found dead in a cage two sizes too small for him.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has regulations that institute minimum care requirements that commercial dealers are obliged to meet. However, the American Welfare Act’s actions involve sending an Official Warning Letter and then perhaps a fine. The key problem is that the dogs are usually left on site while the inspectors and the agencies work out how much the fine should be. During this process, the dogs are still suffering and the death count is rising. Generally paying the fine does not change the conditions the animals are kept in. It is also cheaper for the owners of the puppy mills to pay numerous fines than to pay for proper conditions for the animals to live in.
To be a repeat violator, the violator must repeat the same violation. The neglect of an animal is only a Class A misdemeanor. If puppy mills are more regulated and supervised then the number of puppies being bred can also be more regulated and supervised. A ban on puppy mills right away will result in more homeless dogs. In order to maintain and regulate the supply of dogs, there should be a maximum number of dogs a breeder is allowed to breed and sell. This number can change and adjust based on consumers’ desire for dogs. Homeless canines should not be euthanized while millions of puppies are continually being bred in horrifying conditions. Urge the US Department of Agriculture to adjust the Animal Welfare Act for stricter enforcement of puppy mills or a slow ban altogether. Writing a bill alone does not suffice.
