Proposal To End Puppy Mills

Brittany Kelso. 12/9/14, Anthropology 103, Kline, Final Proposal

How to End Puppy Mills

1. Central Project Idea (1 paragraph single-spaced):

For my project I choose to create a pamphlet informing people about puppy mills and how they can help to eradicate them. The pamphlet would contain some general information and then be tailored to the specific location it will be posted. Although not generally talked or thought about puppy mills are still present within the United States and elsewhere in the world. Puppy mills are no place for any animal to be raised. From horrid living conditions to neglect puppy mills do not foster the love or care an animal needs to grow and live. Animal neglect and abuse is prevalent even in our developed country

and stopping it should be a top priority in our nation and globally. Animals comprise a large portion of the species that live on Earth and just because humans have the ability to dominate some of these animals doesn’t mean we should be exploiting them for personal gain. By creating a pamphlet I aim to inform people of the ever present problem of puppy mills and animal abuse and show them how such a large problem can hopefully be eliminated or at least reduced.
2. Cultural Considerations & CULTURAL Reasons for Success and Failure Locally AND Globally (2 pages single spaced):
Creating one universal pamphlet about puppy mills is impossible and in order to inform people of the problem such a pamphlet needs to be altered to meet the mindset of the culture it is placed in. Although animal rights may seem like an important priority for most people this is an ethnocentric point of view and doesn’t fit into everyone’s mentality. In some parts of the United States or globally the wellbeing of animals may not be of absolute importance because human needs may take center stage. For some people just supporting themselves is a challenge and although they may feel strongly about animal rights they may not have the resources to allocate to this cause. By having a portion of the pamphlet dedicated to ways in which people can help, even if that does not mean donating money, it will strengthen the success of the project.
The ways in which people can help eliminate puppy mills and dogs rescued from these mills are numerous. First and foremost people can simply not buy animals from puppy mills. This could mean adopting your next pet or not buying a puppy online or from a pet store. Some people do want to buy a dog though and should conduct research about the breeder or pet store they are considering buying from to make sure that the dogs were not from puppy mills (Best Friends Animal Society, ?). This research should include seeing the facility where the dogs were kept and breed, the parents of the puppy, and how the breeder behaves (Millan, 2014). Another form of help comes in the form of information. Simply knowing the laws in your state that regulate breeders and pet stores can help people in making informed decisions when it comes to getting a puppy. Supporting legislation that regulates and reduces the breeding of animals and advocating to government officials to pass stricter laws for pet stores and dog breeders is another way to help (Best Friends Animal Society, ?). There are about 3,300 commercially licensed USDA breeding facilities in the US, which may seem like a small number but what about the thousands of other breeders who are un-documented. The USDA is responsible for controlling these facilities and also tracking down breeders who are unlicensed. The majority of these commercial breeding facilities do not abide by the rules which ultimately results in the suffering of thousands of dogs (The Puppy Mill Project, 2013).
Just like the pamphlet helps to inform, people to can spread the word about puppy mills to their communities. Donating money to help fight puppy mills and provide former puppy mill puppies with the care and love they need is another way for people to join in the cause. Reporting bad puppy stores or breeders can also help prevent people from supporting puppy mills unknowingly. Electing animal friendly candidates in elections will also help in getting stricter regulations for breeders and pet stores (Best Friends Animal Society, ?). Overall anyone can help reduce puppy mills no matter the situation. Whether that means informing your neighbor or taking action in your local government any push towards eradicating puppy mills is beneficial. By showing people that “helping” doesn’t always mean money and sometimes not a lot of time I think it will get people more motivated and willing to help with the fight against puppy mills.
Other cultural considerations I need to take to make the project a success is to tailor each pamphlet to the state or nation it is in. Every state has different laws concerning animal cruelty and for the pamphlet to be affective it needs to have the correct information. A person in Texas wouldn’t benefit from knowing the laws in Oregon because they are totally different from the ones in Texas. For example the animal cruelty statues of Oregon contain a specific section to defining the “minimum care” of an animal. Minimum care is defined as care sufficient enough to preserve the health and well-being of an animal. Sufficient enough care means food of adequate quantity and quality to allow for normal growth or maintenance of body weight, open access to potable water which does not include snow or ice, access to some sort of shelter that can protect the animal from the elements and bedding within that shelter to protect against cold and dampness. Veterinary care is also under the minimum care category and is as “deemed necessary by a reasonably prudent person to relive distress from injury, neglect or disease”(Oregon Statues, ?:pp2-3). Oregon law then provides other requirements for minimum care but this time dividing it between domestic animals and livestock (Oregon Statues). Texas animal cruelty laws don’t blatantly define minimum care but instead define what animal cruelty is and for different animals such as birds or livestock (Texas Statues). That’s why having some general knowledge about puppy mills and the actions people can take to help, combined with state specific knowledge will help the project succeed.
Besides for the differences in laws between states I would also need to take into account the local and global cultures and their views on animal cruelty.

Oregonian culture is all for animal welfare and is central to the norms and values of our culture. As Oregonians we value our animal friends just as much as our human ones. You could say learning to appreciate and love animals is part of the enculturation process of becoming Oregonian. This may not be true for all people though some cultures may not see the importance of animal care and thus not see the important message of the project. Likewise some people may see the importance of animal welfare but may not be in the best situation to help or know how to help. Depending on the culture the pamphlet is placed into the information contained within may need to be tweaked to include information on why animals are important and how they are cared for is

important.
Although some of us see animal welfare as the upmost importance this is yet again an ethnocentric point of view and a probable cultural barrier to overcome. Even though humans share the earth with millions of other species it seems as though we are striving for domination over the planet. Just as racism and sexism have been present throughout history so has speciesism. Speciesism is defined as species who allow the interests of their species to override the greater interests of members of other species. Humans who have power tend to exploit it over those who don’t. The same holds true for how some people treat animals or other earthlings. Even though animals may not be able to comprehend all that humans comprehend it does not mean that they don’t share some of the same desires as humans do. Humans and animals a like comprehend and desire the need for food, water, shelter, freedom of movement, and above all avoidance of pain (Monson, 2005). “’Because we consider them less than humans, we tend to violate their rights even more,’ said Joyce Tischler” a San Francisco Lawyer concerned with animal rights laws (American Bar Association, 1982). Seeing something as an object devoid of any similarities from yourself or an identity is where many people go wrong when they view animals and sometimes people (Monson, 2005). Bringing this problem to the forefront and including it in the pamphlet will hopefully enlighten people to the problem of animal cruelty and get them to think about their past and present actions concerning not only animals but people as well.
Language is another cultural barrier that I need to consider for my project to be a success both locally and globally. The pamphlet doesn’t help anyone if a person cannot read it or understand it. Having multiple languages like English and Spanish and others for the location it will be placed will make sure the message about puppy mills is spread. Also having simple and clear language is important. If the laws concerning animal cruelty are not straightforward or easy to understand for any person there’s no point in even including them. Making this pamphlet assessable to anyone who reads it is a key cultural consideration for my project be successful locally and globally.
I believe my project will be a success locally because Oregonians truly care about how animals are treated. Globally I think my project will be a success in the United States and other developed countries who have the time and resources to join in the cause. Being a developed nation likely means that the majority of basic human needs are met. I think helping others or having the ability to help others is part of our nation building in the US. When you think of America, or at least when I think of America, I think of a country pretty well developed enough to where we have the ability to help others not residing within our borders. I think of America as a leader and provider for those who don’t have the resources. This bestows a sense of pride for most American’s that we can help others and in order to keep this pride we do actually have to help. With this sense of pride most American’s would be willing to help end puppy mills. That’s why I think my project will be a success globally especially in the United States because most people do have resources or time that they can provide to the project.
Using cultural anthropology to approach my project is hugely essential to the success of my project both locally and globally.

Having one viewpoint on the matter will get me nowhere because not everyone thinks the way I do. By being able to get into the mindset of others and their cultures and make it to where they understand what I am trying to say, is key to the success of my project. Having an ethnocentric viewpoint is just setting yourself up for failure. If I were to just plainly say why I oppose puppy mills and hate anyone who has ever worked for one or bought a puppy from one is not the way to go. I understand that people unknowingly support puppy mills and although it doesn’t define them as being a bad person it would help in the future for them to be informed. I also understand that some people who work for puppy mills are just trying to support their families and probably equate the work to being like a farmer who raises cows. I want to try an inform everyone and in order to do this I can’t be hostile or ethnocentric. I need to be understanding and use cultural relativism to place myself in other people’s shoes so to speak. That’s why using a cultural anthropology approach to my project is essential to my project both locally and globally because everyone thinks differently and if I want everyone to help I cannot present only one way of

thinking.