How you can save lives from boycotting puppy mills.

More often than not, my blog ideas are usually brought up by a real life situation. This one is not  an  exception.

Molly was a sweet  puppy adopted by my lovely clients, Nadia and Will. They are one of those clients who I want to live with if  I come back as a dog. She and  her husband Will were thrilled about getting a puppy and hoped to make Molly happy and healthy for the years to come. Part of the plan was Molly’s visit at my  office.

Nadia was told that the breeder was the sellers mom, who  couldn’t come to meet  Nadia. However, she swore that the puppy had been de-wormed, vaccinated, socialized and got free run to play with others.

As soon as I have heard the story of “the breeder was my mother who could not attend” I became suspicious that Molly was a puppy mill puppy. It was obvious that some of her baby  teeth had not even erupted. Her tummy looked like a little  inflatable balloon and her hind legs were weak and twisted in a awkward shape. She could barely walk.

What do I do now, I thought. Nadia was in love with Molly and ultimately, it was not Molly’s  fault that she was a product of a puppy mill and human greed. I could see that Nadia was very upset and all I could do is to say that “we all make mistakes and that all we can do is to learn  from them and accept our imperfections.”

The reality was that Molly was about 5 weeks old,  full of parasites and had most likely spent the first  part of her life locked up in a cage with her mother and siblings. Molly is one of hundred’s of thousands of puppy mill pets.

Blog writing is my way of overcoming the familiar: “ This problem is too big to be solved…” Perhaps it can be, one dog, one puppy mill at a time.

I trust that most of you have  no intention of supporting the shady and torturous business of  puppy mills and puppy brokerage for the sake of having the latest and the trendiest of breeds.

My plan is to ask you to  help me  put  these businesses that perpetrate despair, torture and suffering out of business.

Animals rescued from a puppy mill:

HOW TO AVOID  PUPPY MILLS

1. What  are puppy mills?
   They are  mass breeding stations with the sole purpose of breeding and selling puppies.
2. What is the life of dog used for  breeding like?
   Dogs used for  breeding are often  confined to small cages, get no attention  or exercise  and often sleep in their own waste or walk  metal cage screens.  They are fed cheap and nutrient  poor  pet  food, bred as often as 2x a year and get no  or minimal veterinary  care. The bitches are considered breeding machines.  They are the slaves of the modern times.
3. How does all this affect the puppies
   It comes without  saying that stressed malnourished mothers have puppies that are more likely to be ill. Lack of human contact and “family structure” makes them more prone to behavioral   problems. No or  very  little  exercise leads to disfigurement and poor development of joints – especially knees, elbows,  shoulders and the hips.This all  is just  the tip of the iceberg. Poor and uncontrolled breeding happens commonly between dogs  that  are  closely related.  This can lead to  genetic weakness and  serious health problems.
4. How do  puppy mills  affect the lives of other dogs?
   For  every dog  bred  in  puppy  mills, there is a one less home  for a homeless dog at your local rescue organization.  These dogs are often  euthanized.
5. What can you do  to  avoid  puppy  mills?
   The most  popular dog breeds are more likely  to come  from  puppy  mills. Smaller dogs are more likely to be breed in such facilities because they eat less and can be sold for  a hefty profit. Never buy a  dog from a pet  store  no matter how sorry you feel for the puppies in the shop window.  Your purchase will keep the vicious  circle spinning.Ask yourself  a question. Do you really need the latest and trendiest schmoodles, labradoodles, “bullshits”, cockapoos or whatever new flavour of the year comes up. I often find the best and healthiest dogs are the mixed breeds…If you are one of the people  who just  simply  fell in love with the more popular  breeds, it is ok,  own it  and  go for it. No one is perfect.   Just  make sure that you find a reputable breeder and that you meet the mother of the puppies in their  home.If the seller  makes  excuses,  doesn’t   want you to come to her or  his  home or  enter their  home.  Run as fast  as you can  and  tell  others.Yes,  I  know, we  feel sorry for these  puppies  and want to  rescue  them from the house  of  horror.  However,  the only way to stop the vicious  circle of puppy mill breeding is to stop buying them.

   If you are reading this blog  too late and you are pretty sure that you have a dog  from a puppy mill, you  may want to read the following section.

1. Do not  trust  what you have been told  by the seller and do the following:
2. Two fecal  sample  checks for  parasites as puppy brokers often lie  about puppies being dewormed.
3. Follow the holistic  approach  to vaccination link .  Puppy mill puppies are often vaccinated too early for the immune system  to respond.  Early vaccination wipes  out the maternal antibodies and leaves  puppies unprotected.
4. Gradually  increase the exercise.
5. Ensure that your puppy  socializes with other healthy dogs and puppies to gain  social skills and become well adjusted.
6. Forgive yourself.  I  believe that making mistakes is part of learning. No one is  perfect.  You can easily make  up for your mistake by passing  this message to  others who would otherwise fall in the  same trap.

With  gratitude,
Dr. Peter Dobias

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Health Tips, News Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.