LOS ANGELES
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LOS ANGELES |
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Pet Stores and Breeders |
Many dogs sold in pet shops, about 360,000 per year, come from "puppy mills," breeding kennels found mostly in the Midwest. In puppy mills, female dogs are kept in crude, usually outdoor cages and are bred continuously. Their puppies are taken from them at an early age and shipped hundreds of miles under stressful conditions. Both the mothers and the puppies often suffer from poor living conditions, inadequate veterinary care and lack of affectionate, attentive human care and socialization necessary for a wellbalanced psyche in the adult dog. Pet shop dogs are bred for quantity, not quality, and both physical and emotional problems arise from puppy mill breeding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is charged with monitoring puppy mills by the Animal Welfare Act, but inspecting puppy mills takes low priority at the overworked, understaffed USDA. The agency estimates that 25 percent of the 3,500 federally licensed breeding kennels have substandard conditions. As many as 1,600 kennels operating without federal licenses are never inspected. Puppy mills are rarely regulated by state governments, and laws governing their operation are desperately needed. Life in cramped pet shop cages adds more strain to the already stressed lives of puppy mill puppies, and this increases their susceptibility to disease. No law regulates how pet shops dispose of their animals, and some stores have been caught killing unsold dogs on the premises and throwing them in the trash dumpster. Unwanted animals can end up in shelters or in laboratories where they may be subjected to further abuse. Adopting a dog or cat from your local animal shelter will give you a loving companion, reduce the tragedy of animal overpopulation and help put the needless and often cruel businesses of puppy mills and pet shops out of business.
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