The Emotional & Physical Damage Behind Puppy & Kitty Mills is Often Overlooked.
It is easy, and understandable, to get swept away in the excitement of adding a perfectly bred puppy or kitty to your family. This excitement can be blinding. In order for most mills to be successful, they must put their Fur Babies through practices that are both physically and emotionally damaging. In contrast, adopting from shelters or rescues is becoming increasingly popular and for good reason.
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We turn pet owners and pet siblings into Pet Parents and Pet Siblings by ensuring they are fully educated and hold a Pet Care Certification before they can adopt.
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Consider The Fur Baby's Emotions
Many people only consider how adopting from a breeder will make them feel. They’ll get the entire household excited about the adoption and eager to take in the endless love a Fur Baby brings. While all of this excitement is brewing, a mother is being prepped to be ripped away from her babies. She’s been forced to bear children, and in most cases, before she’s even fully recovered from her last litter. Don’t let the excitement blind you from the harsh realties of mills.
It’s recommended that babies stay with their mothers until they are at least 12 – 16 weeks old. Most breeders separate the babies from their mother and send them to new homes at just 6 weeks old. That’s only if they were born as expected. If the breeder deems the baby as unworthy and sees that they can’t bring in the amount of money projected, they get abandoned or dumped.
In puppy mills and breeding operations, female dogs are put in a scenario similar to the illicit sex trade. Their bodies are controlled, manipulated, bought, and sold—all for the financial benefit of their peddlers. Money comes first to them, at the sacrifice of quality care, shelter, and health. PETA puts a lot of their efforts toward exposing and shutting down unethical mills, just look at this article from their team outlining the horrors of mills.
Furthermore, breeders and mills are often not concerned about the Fur Baby’s well being after the adoption. Unlike shelters and rescues, who also still have work to do in this area, most breeders don’t screen their buyers, instead handing over a living, thinking, feeling animal to anyone who can pay the price.
Overpopulation Contributes to Overrun Shelters / Rescues
Breeders need to limit the frequency of breeding an Fur Baby to prevent over breeding and avoid particular breeds’ common health risks. Most breeders do not consider this. Their goal is to get more cash flow, unlike shelters and rescues, who have the goal of placing their Fur Babies in to comfortable, safe, homes.
Mill breeders force dogs to reproduce repeatedly until their bodies wear out from the strain of being continually pregnant. When they can no longer bear the strain? They are abandoned and replaced with the next victim.
Like any other business, the goal is to keep up with the trends. For example, Game of Thrones popularized huskies again, resulting in an increase in demand for that breed. Fur babies are irresponsibly sold to keep the cash flowing. When the excitement turns into responsibility that no one prepared the Pet Parent for, these Fur Babies end up in shelters or even worse, abandoned and neglected.
There’s a real possibility that some of these puppies, kittens and baby bunnies end up in a shelter as a part of the 9 – 13 million babies who are euthanized. There is NO such thing as a responsible breeder. The only responsible breeder is no breeder. If there were responsible breeders, 9 – 13 million Fur Babies wouldn’t have to die because there is no room “at the inn”.
This is one of the many reasons we encourage potential and seasoned Pet Parents to sign up for our Pet Care Basics 101 Courses. We turn pet owners into Pet Parents to prevent shelter dumps, neglect, and unnecessary deaths. Learn more here.
Question Your Breeder's Practices.
If you must have a purebred Fur Baby, you can still adopt one without going to a breeder. How? You ask. In the Blog, So you Decided You Want a Specific Breed of Bunny, Cat or Dog…, you will find examples of how to locate rescues for that breed you want in your area.
Basically breeders don’t care about the Fur Mommy nor the babies they are made to produce. (There are very few breeders, if any, who care about how often they have the females breed. They’ve already made their money. They could care less what happens to the baby either, after they’ve been paid.) Even pet stores purchase Fur Babies from mills, it’s important to do your research on who and where you’re adopting and buying from. Here are some things you want to make sure of before buying from a breeder: (If you are unable to get all these requirements met, you need either find a Pure Breed Rescue (they do exist – just do your research) or just go to your local shelter and/or rescue and adopt one of those Precious Fur Babies, which is THE best choice you can make.
Health Screening: Breeders need to screen their Fur Babies for common health problems associated with their breed and ensure they are free from infectious diseases. Most usually don’t.
Genetic Testing: Breeders need to conduct genetic tests on their Fur Babies to ensure they are not carrying any genetic diseases or abnormalities that could be passed down to their offspring as well. Do you really think breeders care?
Responsible Pairing of Fur Babies: Breeders need pair Fur Babies based on their health, temperament, and structural features instead of solely on aesthetics. Do you think breeders will spend the money?
Socialization: Breeders need to provide a proper socialization experience for their puppies by exposing them to various people, other Fur Babies and surroundings. This is not something breeders care about. They want their turnover money as soon as possible. Turnover money is the same as turn around money.
Proper Nutrition: Breeders need to provide a healthy and balanced diet to their Fur Babies throughout their pregnancy and after giving birth. They might do this as the babies born need to be healthy.
Ethical Marketing: Breeders need to use only ethical marketing practices to sell their Fur Babies. This is a practice that could cut into their “turn around” money when they are really ethical. “Turn around” money is how long it takes to sell the babies so they can breed the Fur Mommy again.
Responsible Ownership Education: The breeders must educate the new owners of the Fur Babies and need and want to ensure that they can take care of them properly. This is not something on the breeders’ radar. This means it takes longer to sell the puppies, kitties, or kittens (baby bunnies).
Limiting Breeding: Breeders need to limit the frequency of breeding a Fur Baby to prevent over breeding and avoid particular breeds’ common health risks. This is not even in their vocabulary. The only reason the frequency might change is due to they don’t need the money at the time or they other things on their calendar when the babies are born.
Maintaining Records: Breeders need to keep detailed records of their breeding practices, the Fur Babies used, and any health issues that have arisen. This may not happen either, depending on just how much they are detailed oriented.
Lifetime Care: Ethical breeders need to require a lifetime commitment from new Pet Parents and be willing to take responsibility if the Fur Babies are abandoned or surrendered. If this were true, then we wouldn’t be finding so many Fur Babies surrendered at shelters, abandoned or dumped. Once the breeders have the money, they’ve essentially washed their hands of the Fur Baby that was just paid for. IF the breeder cared, do you really think they would stop breeding because millions and millions of Fur Babies die each year because there’s “no room at the inn”? The sad answer is NO! This is why you want to Adopt Don’t Shop.
Consider The Alternatives
It is possible to find the breed of your dreams without going through a mill or breeder. There are rescues dedicated to specific breeds of Fur Babies all over the country.
Ask yourself why you want a specific breed. Is it simply because of their aesthetic? It’s one thing to need a sheep dog to herd your stock, it’s another to keep such an athletic breed couch bound for your own comfort just because you like their coat or they’re trendy. You comfort companion that matches your lifestyle could be waiting for you at your nearest shelter.
If you’re just craving an Fur Baby but haven’t spent the time educating yourself on the massive undertaking of adding one to your family, consider volunteering at a shelter or rescue. They are always in need of loving hands who can give the Fur Babies attention and it may scratch that impulsive itch to go out and adopt a Fur Baby.
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Responsible Pet Parenting & Adopting Starts with Our Pet Care 101 Course!
We Teach and Inspire You to be Great Pet Parents and Pet Siblings!
The driving force behind Pet Care Basics 101 is our Love and Passion for Fur Babies. We want to see Fur Babies who leave rescues and shelters brighten the homes of educated and responsible Pet Parents and Pet Siblings. This is why we created the Pet Care Basics 101 Courses.
When you and your family are considering adding a Fur Baby to your family for the first time or are a seasoned Pet Parents and/or Pet Siblings or just want to improve your Fur Baby’s quality of Life, these Courses will show you the way to give your Fur Baby a long Life full of Happiness and Comfort.
Make the responsible choice and show your furry family members how much you Love them. Learn how to prevent costly illnesses, when to take your Fur Baby to the doctor, understand your Fur Baby’s body language and more!
