Congrats to the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project for their efforts in educationg the public and helping to eliminate the horrors of puppy mills in the state of Wisconsin:
From the site:
The Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit. Our goal is to offer a valuable educational resouce for:
those seeking to end the institutionalized form of animal cruelty known as "puppy mills"
those looking for ways to fight abuse in their own neighborhoods
those wishing to add a healthy, loving, animal companion to their families
Members of our group started working to alleviate the suffering of mill dogs in 1999 and officially organized as the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Inc., in 2004.
Our mission is to educate the public about puppy mills, to prevent cruelty to animals, to foster understanding of responsible pet acquisition and ownership, and to promote adoption of homeless companion animals.
It depends on whom you ask.
Puppy Mills are defined variously as:
Any high-volume breeder whose "cash crop" is puppies (small-scale puppy farmers by this definition are usually referred to as "backyard breeders");
Just those high-volume breeders who breed pets as their livelihood and keep them in unsanitary, cruel, or abusive conditions;
Just those commercial breeders who sell their "crop" to pet stores;
Anyone who breeds puppies purely for commercial gain, "warehousing" animals in small cages or pens with little positive human contact, and sells through pet stores, wholesale to brokers, direct to the public either at the facility or at swap meets, out of the back of cars, through the internet, with advertising in newspapers, signs along the road, etc.
While I welcome the elimination of puppy mills and back yard breeders, the language in the bill is too broad. This seems to be more of a feel good bill, rather than anyone truely understanding what they are proposing. It only addresses those that have so many dogs, not whether they are hobby breeders, puppy mills, or backyard breeders. The vast majority of puppy mills are in the SE and SC part of the country. What does this bill do to protect the animals and the the consumers of those whose pups come from out of state? Nothing.
Having had Alaskan Malamutes for 50+ years, and have been breeding since 1969. I have been around longer than 98.9% of the breeders out there..and for good reason. Ethics, quality, and I do my homework on pedigrees and genetics.
I concern myself to a fault on where my pups go...and just because you have $$, does not mean you will get one. And I require that for any reason you cannot keep him, he must be returned to me, not sold, given away or taken to a pound. The original parents were approved by me....not someone else. We also require puppy application, spay neuter contract, and non-breeding contracts. These are the kinds of things responsible breeders do. It is not easy to find a quality breeder...it takes alot of homework. If those that want a certain type of pup, they must do their homework on the type of dog, and the breeder. It can take years of wait and intense research for us to bring in new dogs to our breeding program. It is that important to make sure we get nothing but the very best. It should take a lot of research into getting the finest pup. Unfortunately, the web has made even the puppy mills and backyard breeders seem legit. Bigger is not always better. Looking at what is best for the dog, and not cost, eliminates many breeders off hand. Designers breeds are nothing more than a fashionable mutt, that was fashioned with no regard to either breed or the outcome of the pups. No idea was give to what problems may arise with these matings and the subsequent pups. Most of these dogs come from backyard breeders or puppy mills. Ethical breeders would never take on such a thing to satisfy someones' desire or whim.
All in all, the individual is charged with doing the right thing. To go the extra mile. If all breeders were held to such high standards, backyard breeders and puppymills would be quickly a thing of the past.
For you and your puppy(especially so), do your homework. Laws and statutes mean nothing if they are not adhered to, followed, or enforced.
__________________
Hunt Hard,
Kill Swiftly,
Waste Nothing,
Offer No Appologies.
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Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project
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