Dog breeders chafe at ‘puppy mill’ label

OMAHA, Neb. – Bob Baker has seen the worst of the worst in his 27 years as an animal cruelty investigator.

There was the Missouri breeder who would skimp on food by skinning dead dogs and feeding them to other dogs in his kennel. There was the South Dakota breeder who used a handsaw to amputate the leg of a pregnant Rottweiler, injured in an attack by another dog, in hopes that the Rottweiler would survive long enough to give birth to another litter.

Baker says such cases are the exception, but adds that mistreatment of dogs in large-scale breeding operations remains common and troubling.

“Most breeders learn how to keep their standards just above violating cruelty statutes, but the conditions are still unacceptable,” said Baker, a St. Louis-based national investigator for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “It’s difficult dealing with these people. We file charges on the most egregious ones.”

Cracking down

State legislators across the nation are attempting to crack down on rogue breeding operations and pet sellers.

Puppy lemon laws, which let buyers get their money back if health or genetic defects are discovered within a set time, are on the books in 16 states and were introduced in four others this year.

California lawmakers are studying a bill that would require cats and dogs older than 4 months to be spayed or neutered, unless the person caring for them obtains a breeding license.

Laws that would tighten the regulation of retail pet shops are pending in Oregon, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and bills establishing standards for breeding operations were introduced in Minnesota and Ohio.

Mass breeding has been a hot-button issue for decades with animal welfare activists, who use the term “puppy mills” to describe the most unsavory of operations, which are usually situated in rural areas.

The Humane Society of the United States has long identified Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania as the major puppy-mill states, said outreach director Stephanie Shain.

Demand and supply

Of the 7 million to 9 million dogs brought into U.S. families each year, Shain said, an estimated 2 million to 4 million are products of puppy mills.

The demand for popular breeds, and the high prices people are willing to pay, keep breeding operations churning, Shain said. A quick Internet search showed many puppies with four-figure sale prices, and some breeds, including bulldogs and Belgian Malinois, with top prices exceeding $3,000.

Animal welfare advocates say the Internet has become the latest vehicle for “puppy mills” to sell their wares.

The concern is that people who sell dogs over the Internet are able to skirt federal licensing and inspections because they are not considered wholesalers. And because most states don’t have puppy lemon laws, an Internet buyer often has no recourse if his or her new dog has health problems.

Many dog breeders chafe at the term “puppy mill,” saying it is inflammatory and lumps conscientious commercial dog breeders together with the unscrupulous.

Clem Disterhaupt, president of the Nebraska Dog Breeders Association, said most commercial breeders have the animals’ best interest at heart.

“We don’t associate ourselves with puppy mills, but sometimes people are under the impression that if you have a lot of dogs, you must be a puppy mill,” Disterhaupt said.

He said reputable breeders are licensed with state or federal agencies and provide adequate space, cleanliness, heat and air conditioning and ventilation.

“That’s not a puppy mill,” he said. “People need to distinguish the difference.”

Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications for the American Kennel Club, said breeders, kennel operators and pet stores register all types of breeds with her organization. The AKC has 15 inspectors who visit about 5,000 places a year where significant numbers of dogs are registered.

Case against puppy mills

Shain, however, said people who want a puppy should avoid pet stores and instead buy from a hobby breeder or adopt from a shelter.

Puppy mills, Shain said, damage dogs emotionally and physically because the animals are confined in tight, unsanitary quarters with little or no socialization with humans or veterinary care. Females are bred repeatedly, some when they’re as young as 6 months.

The overbreeding, combined with the dismal environment, results in sickly puppies that have genetic defects and temperament problems, she said. The dogs are sold in pet stores or on the Internet to unsuspecting buyers.

“You have to absolutely go and see the operation,” she said. “It’s sad but true. You can’t trust the pictures they send you in an e-mail. You need to see the conditions the puppies are born into.”

TIps for finding a breeder

The Humane Society of the United States offers these tips to people choosing a dog breeder. Look for breeders who: