This is a horrible, awful, very sad subject that I don't even like to think about, let alone write about. But everybody needs to learn about the evilness of puppy mills, so that is why I decided to quit avoiding the topic!
First I will tell you that the state of Missouri, where I live, is the Puppy Mill Capital of the whole United States. About 30% of all the U.S. puppy mills are located in Missouri, and in these mills there are 200,000 dogs making 1 million puppies every year. Then these puppies get sent to pet stores in places like New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and other big cities. So the total puppy mill income for Missouri is about $40 million. Which, if you ask me, is an awful lot of money to make off of the misery of poor, innocent dogs.
Anyway, just in case you don't know what is so terrible about puppy mills, here is a list of their bad qualities:
1. The dogs are kept in little cages that are hardly big enough to stand up in, and many times dogs have to spend their whole lives in these cages.
2. Dogs might get into fights with their cage mates and get injured.
3. The bottom of the cages is made of wire so that pee and poop will fall through it, but the wire hurts the dogs' feet. And sometimes a dog gets its leg caught in the wire, and the leg gets broken or cut off by the wire.
4. There is no medical care for a dog that is sick or that has a broken leg or whatever.
5. Girl dogs start making puppies as soon as they are old enough, and they have to make puppies every time they come into heat.
6. When dogs are too old to breed anymore, they are killed, usually by smashing their heads or by shooting them.
7. Dogs may be de-barked by sticking a metal rod down their throats to destroy their vocal chords.
8. The food that the dogs get is really cheap and bad quality, so the dogs have lots of dental problems.
9. Sometimes the dogs' teeth are so bad that their jaw falls apart.
10. The dogs are usually dirty and their hair is matted.
11. The dogs don't get any petting or loving or socialization.
12. Some dogs have to live outside all year, even in really cold or really hot weather.
13. Dogs who live in kennels inside have to breathe ammonia smells from the urine, which is not good for their lungs or hearts.
14. Some dogs get so bored that they turn in circles or bark at the wall for hours.
15. Puppies are sent to pet stores when they are only 6 or 8 weeks old.
16. They are often shipped without enough food, water, air, or shelter.
17. Lots of times, these puppies are sick or will get sick after somebody buys them.
18. Some of the puppies have genetic problems such as hip dysplasia because their sire and dam weren't tested before being bred.
19. Sometimes puppies have emotional problems because they weren't handled and socialized.
20. Puppies may not be purebred, even though the breeder says they are. And sometimes breeders lie about a puppy's pedigree.
So like I said, Missouri is the main place where all this puppy mill stuff is going on, but here's an exciting thing that is happening in Missouri: On November 2, there will be an election, and there is something called Proposition B that people can vote on. This proposition got put on the ballot because thousands of people, including my mom, signed a petition. And now, if enough people vote for Proposition B, the puppy mill situation will get a little better.
Because what Proposition B says is that breeders can only have 50 breeding dogs; these dogs have to get enough food and water; any veterinary care that they need; protection from extreme heat and cold; enough space to turn around, stretch, and lie down; regular exercise; and rest between breeding cycles. Breeders with fewer than 10 breeding female dogs are not affected, and neither are people who raise hunting dogs or livestock.
If I could vote, I would vote for Proposition B over and over again, but I'm not old enough to vote. Mom says she will vote for it, but she is only allowed to vote one time, which doesn't really seem fair. Anyway, I am really hoping that it will pass. A lot of people are against it because they say that dogs are just products, the same as carrots or chickens, which is totally not true, in my opinion. Also, these people think that if we pass this law, then the next thing will be to pass a law that says you can't breed a bunch of cattle or pigs.
Sometimes people just get way too crazy and excited about stuff when there's no reason to get that way. But like I said, I hope that Proposition B passes. It would be better to just outlaw puppy mills totally, but I guess that would be too simple. At least Proposition B should put some of the puppy mills out of business. And in the meantime, DON'T BUY PUPPIES FROM PET STORES! Because if you do, it makes puppy mill owners think they should keep making puppies! Instead, you should go to your nice, local shelter and adopt a poor, homeless dog.
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