Argumentative Essay On Puppy Mills

“A dog is not a thing. A thing is replaceable. A dog is not. A thing is disposable. A dog is not. A thing does not have a heart. A dog’s heart is bigger than any “thing” you can ever own.” -Elizabeth Parker. According to the ASPCA, a puppy mill can be defined as “a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs” (Puppy Mills 1). Dogs are more than just items that are sold for profit, they are part of many people’s families. The way dogs are being treated in the mills is not the way one would want someone in your family to be treated. Because puppy mills do not care for the animal’s health, wellbeing, or safety they should be banned federally.

To begin with, the puppies receive low

To show, from A Closer Look At Puppy Mills, “To maximize profits, female dogs are bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters. When they are physically depleted to the point that they no longer can reproduce, breeding females are often killed” (ASPCA 4). According to, Caesar Milian and Melissa Peltier, animal experts, “lifespan of the breeding dogs is often cut in half.” To add on, the animals are in pens and cages that are not large enough for them. ( What is a Puppy Mill? 6). In the mills the puppies are overcrowded in small spaces. Puppies need the room to exercise and have to room to be comfortable. Moreover, “ In some cases, their matting and confinement are so extreme that their fur actually grows into the cage, pinning the dog in one spot.” Dogs can’t live just sitting in one spot. They do not have room to lie down, exercise, eat, etc. If the dogs even try to move, they can pull their fur out or cause pain. As well, the puppies are removed from their mothers when they are only about 7 weeks old. Then, ten or more puppies are crammed in a small cage to be transported causing the puppies to be scared and have many illnesses or conditions caused by neglect and stress (Puppy Mills, Pet Shops, and the AKC Basic Facts 6). When the puppies are 7 weeks old, they should be with their mother and their littermates. The puppies are still learning at 7 weeks old and they miss out. When they go home with their owners they could end up being nippy or not socializing