Nightmare of a Puppy
Companion animals bring such joy and wonder into our lives. What can be more exciting than sharing your life with a young puppy as it grows. Watching it develop its own personality, and experiencing the unconditional love that is given by our furry, four-legged friends? As any devoted pet owner can tell you, proper care and nutrition can help establish a foundation of good health and ensures a long, happy life for your pet. Unfortunately, many consumers are unaware that the sweet little puppy that looked hopefully at them from the pet store window or the enticing advertisement in the newspaper that offered a pure bred puppy for such a bargain often comes with a hidden catch – these puppies, and their long list of health problems, may be coming from a puppy mill.
Though the definition of a puppy mill varies widely depending on who you ask, the basic principle of a puppy mill is a “mass dog-breeding operation, which is designed purely for profit, not comfort” (Stop Puppy Mills). The animals which are bred in a puppy mill are kept in deplorable conditions; over-crowding, minimal to no medical treatment, irresponsible breeding practices, and very little socialization with people are just a few of the multitude of inhumane acts which these dogs face in a puppy mill. “Who is in charge of preventing these actions?” you may ask. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for the licensing of kennels and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) in the United States, but with only 96 USDA agents assigned to monitoring thousands of kennels throughout the US, the majority of the efforts devoted to caring for these animals lies on local shelters and animal rescue groups who act on tips of abuse (Get the Facts on Puppy Mills). Most of the laws dealing with animal welfare are set by each state. Tennessee may not be in one of the key so-called “puppy mill states” - Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and...