Blog the Change: Puppy Mills vs Responsible Dog Breeders

Every time I've looked at the calendar this week, I've wondered what to write about for Blog the Change.  Frankly, there are so may dog causes that I am passionate about that I've even thought about skipping this time around.  Too hard to focus my thoughts.

At least that's how I felt until I read a comment on my blog.  In response to my post Puppy Mill Industry Fights New Missouri Law, good old Anonymous left the following comment:

"What a skewed and misleading article. "Puppy Mill' is a term used to slur any breeder and leaves the impression of a cruel operation. There is nothing basic about the regulations and they are designed to make it hard to raise puppies in a healthy socialized environment. Most breeders are not going to do this to their dogs and that is why they stop. They are experts in care, unlike the people behind these rules, and they care too much and know too well the ill effects on their dogs to raise them in sterile environments designed for lab animals."

I've been yelled at corrected before about my use of the term "puppy mill." 

Here's the definition of "puppy mill" as defined by the Humane Society of the United States:

"Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers.  The puppies are sold either directly to the public via the Internet, newspaper ads, at the mill itself, or are sold to brokers and pet shops across the country."

There are documented problems with puppy mills:

• Over breeding
• Inbreeding
• Minimal veterinary care
• Poor quality of food and shelter
• Lack of socialization with humans
• Overcrowded cages
• Killing of unwanted animals

These are some of the problems the Missouri Canine Cruelty Prevention Act was designed to prevent.  In fact, new regulations in Missouri are putting some commercial dog breeders out of business.  Do I know, for a fact, that these are "puppy mills?"  No, but I suspect many, if not all, are.

Do I want to see them put out of business?

You betcha, I do.   I'm against factory farming and confinement farming.  Yes, of all animals.  Most definitely dogs.  


To my way of thinking, there are puppy mills, commercial dog breeders, and simply dog breeders.

One of my best friends is a dog breeder - a responsible dog breeder, in my opinion.  At any given time she owns or co-owns up to two dozen Swiss Mountain Dogs and is responsible for the puppy placements.  I've known Brigitte for well over twenty years and have watched her passion for these dogs grow.  She's active in several Swissy clubs and is currently the 1st Vice President of the GSMDCA, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America, the breed's AKC recognized parent club.

Brigitte is a native of Switzerland and her first Swissy came from there and her venture has grown.  The goal of her kennel, Brush Creek Farm, is to breed and raise healthy and temperamentally sound Swissys as family companions, as active working dogs for activities such as obedience, tracking, herding, weight pulling, draft and pack dog and other events, as therapy dogs, and for conformation shows and breeding.

Her dogs are farm and family raised.  They are not confined or kenneled.  They have access to approximately 6 acreas of fenced house yard.  And, yes, they are in the house, playing with stuffies or lounging on a sofa.  

Puppies come into this world inside the house, in a well equipped area of her laundry room.  Friends - especially those with children - are encouraged to come and play with those puppies, so that socialization can begin as early as possible.

Copious records are kept on the health of each dog.  Any dog that does not "measure up" is spayed or neutered and a home is found for that dog.  Potential adopters of both show and pet quality dogs are screened very carefully.  Even the health of the pet quality dogs is followed throughout their lives.

Is Brush Creek Kennel a puppy mill?  Hardly.  In fact, Brigitte is just as opposed to puppy mills as I am.

If a dog breeder is afraid of regulations like those imposed by Missouri's Canine Cruelty Prevention Act, then I cannot believe they are responsible dog breeders.  If they cannot comply with those very basic regulations - and they are very basic, then I believe they are most probably puppy mills.

Responsible dog breeders, like my friend, do not keep their puppies and dogs in inhumane conditions.  They never sell to pet stores or directly over the internet.  They do not place profit over the health, wellness and socialization of their dogs.

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About Blog the Change at BtC4animals.com - Each 15th of January, April, July and Octobers, Bloggers write about a cause near and dear to their hearts.  If you have a blog, blog.  Or comment, tweet, share on Facebook or other social media.  Blog the Change is a fantastic opportunity to champion a cause and make a difference in the lives of animals.

Be the Change for Animals 2012: Dog Breed Discrimination

 This is not the blog post I intended to write for Blog the Change for Animals.   I'd planned to write about Pit Bulls and breed discrimination, because I could so easily tie it in to National Pit Bull Awareness Month.  Also because I am beginning to succumb to an almost overwhelming desire to add a pittie or Pit Bull mix dog to our our family.  When I feature adoptable dogs here on the blog, 9 times of out ten it is a Pit Bull type dog that grabs my attention.  

I've now spent the past couple of days reading and researching for my intended post.  What's taken so long?  One thing leads to another and I've found myself very disturbed at what I've learned about dog breed discrimination, related legislation, and our current cultural bias of blaming the dog and/or the dog breed, rather than the dog owner. 

You say you're not worried about dog breed discrimination because you don't own a Pit Bull. 

Right. 

I don't have a Pit Bull (yet), but I'm plenty worried about breed discrimination.

Please forgive me for butchering  Martin Niemoller's quotation:

First they came for the Doberman Pinschers
and I didn't speak out because my dog was not a Doberman.

Then they came for the Rottweilers
and I didn't speak out because my dog was not a Rottweiler.

Then they came for the Pit Bulls
and I didn't speak out because my dog wasn't a Pit Bull.

Then they came for my dogs...

Tucker:  Does this look like a dangerous, vicious dog to you?

 It's not that I didn't know about breed discrimination.  The last time we shopped homeowners insurance was shortly after Tucker passed away.  That was probably a good thing because we would have had to lie, been denied by the company we liked, or continued to shop around.

Tucker was a mutt.  There was probably some Lab in there.  However, according to our vets in both Virginia and Missouri, there was definitely some Chow.

That would have been a problem.  

In fact, all of the insurance companies we called had rules about dogs.  In fact, some weren't keen on the size of ours.
  

All of the Talking Dogs are on a list somewhere as banned or restricted.

It reminded me of years ago when I was apartment hunting for a place for me and my dog, Benji, to live in Kansas City.   I no longer remember how many landlords turned me down.  Not because I had a dog.  Benji was a mutt.  A large Doberman / German Shepherd mixed breed dog.  In those days, both of those dog breeds, along with Rottweilers, were looked upon with fear and loathing.

These days it seems Pit Bulls are the first dog breed mentioned in any discussion of "dangerous dogs" or dog breed discrimination.  However, according to Stubby Dog, many insurance companies, cities and counties also target Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinchers, American Bull Dogs, Bull Terriers, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, mixes of those dog breeds, as well as other large breeds.

Over the years many of our dogs have been mutts that we (and our vets) have made guesses in terms of breed.  Those breeds include:  Beagle, Cocker Spaniel, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Border Collie,  Golden Retriever and Chow.  Most were large dogs.  

 Not a one was a dangerous dog.

I've been bitten by two dogs in my life.  One was my own Beagle.  I was a kid and I did something stupid.  I deserved that bite.  I learned from from that bite.  And so did my mother.  The other bite was also when I was a child:  an aunt's rescued Cocker Spaniel who was one cranky dog and probably shouldn't have been around children.

Both times I was bitten, it was a case of a dog owner not being a responsible dog owner.  Neither dog breed appears on the lists of dog breeds frequently targeted by breed discrimination legislation. 

Micaela Myers, writing for Stubby Dog, an organization dedicated to changing public perceptions of Pit Bulls, defines BDL:

Breed-discriminatory legislation (BDL) refers to laws that target dogs based on how they look rather than their actions. Hundreds of U.S. cities have already enacted BDL, and more cities adopt it every year. Many cities and counties—plus Marine Corps and Army bases—have banned select breeds altogether. Other cities enact BDL that automatically labels dogs of certain breeds as “vicious” or “dangerous” regardless of their behavior. These laws may require owners of the targeted breeds to follow strict guidelines, such as sterilization, proof of liability insurance, housing of the dog in a cage with a roof and floor, and muzzling the dog when on a leash.

Amy Burkert of Go Pet Friendly notes that across the US, municipalities have placed bans or restrictions on more than 100 breeds of dogs.  Penalties range from fines to your dog being seized and euthanized.  In fact, Burkert began making a a list of all the affected dog breeds, but gave up when it passed 100 affected dog breeds.  She notes that some of the BDL laws have such broad language that they include dogs that look like the targeted breeds. 

Dog breed discrimination is an issue of huge importance to any and all dog owners.  Just because you don't own a dog on any of these targeted lists, doesn't mean that your favorite dog breed or mutt isn't already affected or won't be in the future.

What you can do: 

• Become aware of the laws governing your home city or county and make sure that you are in compliance.  

• When you're traveling, make sure your dogs are safe by knowing about breed restrictions where you're traveling to or through.

• Take action when breed specific legislation is proposed in your city or state.  Attend public meetings and speak out.  Write letters to your elected officials and local newspaper.

• Take every opportunity to help promote awareness of the positive attributes of your particular dog breed.

•  Make sure that you are a responsible dog owner and that your own dogs are well trained and behaved.

Be the Change for Animals (BtC4animals.com) - where everyday advocates band together to make the world a better place for animals.  The goal of BtC4Animals is to ignite and accelerate the change that we can make as individuals.  They highlight one cause per week and provide information on how readers can help.  Blog the Change takes place quarterly.