I. A few years from now you might be living in off campus housing or you have graduated college living life more on your own in an apartment or house.
II. You are feeling good and free and more like you can live by your own rules, but something is missing.
III. There is an absence of some happiness, slobbering, begging, and love.
IV. You grew up with a well-loved dog, and your sofa is starting to look bare without anyone to shed on it.
V. According to the U.S. Humane Society, about 58% of people will get a dog after the age of 24 (ASPCA, 2014), which means probably many of you in this class will as well sometime in your life.
VI. Thinking of where to get your dog is a very important decision.
VII. There are numerous places where you can go to get one such as shelters, fosters, rescues, breeders, and stores.
VIII. Today I will tell you my view about pet stores and puppy mills, give you better options for where to get a dog, and what you can do to make a difference.
TRANSITION: In my opinion, getting a dog from a pet store is a poor decision.
Body
I. Most dogs from pet stores come from puppy mills, and there is an estimated 15,000 puppy mills in the U.S (Humane Society, 2012).
A. According to the ASPCA, “A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs who are often severely neglected and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices” (ASPCA, 2014).
B. The living and breeding conditions for these dogs in puppy mills is inhumane.
1. Hundreds, or thousands of dogs live in crowded and unsanitary cages without adequate food, water, socialization, or veterinary attention (What is a Puppy Mill, 2013).
a. Dogs are typically kept in small wire cages inside sheds with no temperature control or even outdoors with inadequate protection from harsh weather.
b. The paw pads on the dogs are often seriously injured or cut from standing on the wire flooring of the cages.
c. These cages are usually stacked on top of one another which lets feces and urine drop down to the other dogs causing diseases and illness, which roots to a huge issue for breeding as well.
2. Breeding at puppy mills is done without concern of genetic quality.
a. This results in generations of dogs with unchecked hereditary defects.
b. Some issues include heart disease, deafness, respiratory disorders, kennel cough, mange, heartworm, fleas, or intestinal parasites (ASPCA, 2014).
A puppy mill is a horrible place that breeds dogs. Dogs that are breedable may get little to no recovery time between pregnancies. Dogs and puppies are stuffed into wire cages that can harm them. Puppy mills tend to be overcrowded disease and virus filled places. Puppy mills focus on profit rather than the health of the dogs. Many dogs are bred with little regard of genetic quality. Dogs in puppy mills are deprived of veterinary care, food, water, and socialization. If a dog is older and unable to breed anymore they are likely to be killed. Some dogs may never see the light of day or get any attention.
Year after year people buy puppies from big breeders. Have you ever wondered where that puppy grew up? What kind of conditions the puppy lived in? Most puppies that someone would buy from a pet store are raised in puppy mills. Puppy mills are well-known for their “inhumane conditions” and the endless breeding of “unhealthy and genetically defective” dogs only for income. People should adopt rather than buy from a pet store or breeder. By adopting from a shelter, one could give a dog a second chance at a happy life.
The little girl and Mom saved the puppy from the Puppy Shop, right? Yes, they did save that ONE puppy, but they only added to the fuel of the Puppy mill industry. They could have adopted the same breed of puppy at a local animal shelter or rescue. In fact, the Humane Society estimated that each year, 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States, simply because too many pets come into shelters and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet (2018). Making it very important to know that the number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying
These dogs can grow up to have behavioral issues. Because these canines are used to sitting in their own filth they have potty training issues. Franklin D. McMillian from Best Friend Animal Society conducted a study where they examined that “puppy mill dogs displayed significantly higher rates of fear (both social and nonsocial), house-soiling, and compulsive staring; and significantly lower rates of aggression (towards strangers and other dogs), trainability, chasing small animals, excitability, and energy.” These dogs aren’t just affected physically, they are affected
IV. I’m going to begin with a brief history of ferrets and some information about them. I’ll then describe some details about ferret care, and finish by discussing some of the benefits of ferret ownership.
“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.
Currently, under the federal Animal Welfare Act of 1966, the USDA licenses and inspects about six thousand puppy mills nationally. Thirty percent of them are Missouri, making the mid-western state “the puppy mill capital of the country”. Most states have one kennel per 100,000 residents, but Missouri has one kennel per every 3,000 residents. As it stands now, in most states, these commercial breeding kennels can legally keep hundreds of dogs in cages their entire lives, for the sole purpose of churning out...
Call to Action: Challenge your audience to be a responsible pet consumer and not purchase dogs from pet stores or from the Internet. I encourage you to instead, adopt from their local animal shelter. At an animal shelter, you can find many amazing, healthy animals. If you do buy from a breeder, use extreme caution and ask to see the puppy’s parents. Also, please contact your congressional representative and encourage him or her to help pass the PUPS bill.
Thousands of puppy mills are taking advantage of the breeding abilities of female dogs. There are over two million puppies bred in these mills per year. PMP: That is more puppies than the entire population of Houston, Texas! The worst part about this is that 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year because no one will adopt them.
Puppy mill breeding causes many health problems for the animals involved. Many dogs have illnesses and diseases because of the environment around them. Many puppy mill operators fail to remove sick dogs from the breeding area and cause other animals to become infected as well. There are many diseases dogs while being in puppy mills. Some of theses diseases are heart disease, kidney disease, endocrine disorders, respiratory disorders and many more. The puppies created often arrive in pet stores and homes with diseases as well. (ASPCA)
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to have and maintain a pet? Burkhard Bilger, the author of “The Last Meow”, explains how Americans spend a lot of money on their pets and that people's “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control. An observation I have made is that in many movies dogs are treated very well. When I was younger, I watched a movie called Bratz and one character would always have her dog inside a dog purse and they would even get manicures and pedicures together. The dog always had shiny clothes on and it was always very clean. Therefore, I agree with Bilger's argument that Americans “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control.
United States. House of Representatives. Committee on Agriculture. “Puppy Protection Act.” Thomas Library of Congress. Government Publication Office. 11 Oct. 2001. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
If one wants to live a more responsible, more active, and a healthier life style they should get a dog. Obtaining the previously mentioned qualities are great but gaining a best friend is even better. Dogs are intelligent animals and their personalities are one of a kind. With training, love, and patience any dog can become a great addition to one’s family. Adoption from an animal shelter is a great way to get a dog although there are adoption fees most of the money is being used to vaccinate the dog before its taken to its forever home. Buying a dog from a reputable breeder is another option as how one gets a dog. Reputable breeders usually guarantee a puppy’s health. One might have to go through a few more hoops to be able to buy a dog from
Puppy mills usually house dogs in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, without food, water and proper health care.
Being a teenager my mother explained having a pet was a great responsibility somehow I was frustrated she didn’t understand my passion and love for dogs! Nothing in the world would convince her to let us get one. She claimed I can have a turtle if I desperately wanted to have a pet. I couldn’t agree.