Oh Jane I'm sorry! I know you were looking forward to adopting Emily. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this issue - when you tweeted last week I spent hours reading about puppy mills, I had no idea they existed. It's hideous! You're very kind to think of doing this - I hope you get the opportunity to give another poor dog a lovely life.
I hate puppy mills. My dream in life is to have my own rescue center! I have recently rescued a hamster (ok no really the same) but both my hamsters are from pet shops which breed smaller animals in the same way. THe latest one (who I rescued) was a birthday present for a son whose parents have had a messy divorce, the poor little thing had a food bowl and a bottle of water in her cage - nothing else. She now has the life of luxury but it was sad that she couldnt believe the treat stick I put in her cage and has eaten the lot in an evening.. It breaks my heart to think of the life she had before. I really hope you find the dog that fits your family :) Your dogs sound so happy!!
I have written to my local MP about puppy farms recently, and also about the practice of selling puppies (and kittens for that matter) through pet shops, as most of their stock will come from puppy farms. When you think about it, what reputable breeder would allow their puppies to go and be sold through a pet shop where they will not be adequately socialised, and will be sold to anyone with a big enough cheque. Unfortunately, the government defer to defra guidelines which seem outrageous in terms of what is allowed. Thank you for blogging about this barbaric practice which I cannot believe is allowed to go on in a nation of supposed animal lovers.
I just commented (!) but remembered too that just this Christmas, I logged into my Facebook account only to see a sponsored advert in the panel urging me to check out 'Puppies for Sale!'. I think it is because I have a dog, and 'like' some dog related pages so clearly I am a candidate for an ill-advised Christmas puppy purchase. While puppies are allowed to be posted for sale online so freely, and to the point where they are actually actively advertised on huge sites like Facebook we have an enormous problem.
What a fantastic post, you've done Emily a lot of justice by bringing her case to people's attention.
And so lovely too that you understood her needs so well that you recognised that you weren't the family for her.
In Ireland legistaion has only just passed forcing breeders to register but we've a long way to go. The stories are heartbreaking but little by little we'll get there.
That's just horrendous. I didn't know what puppy farms were at all before this post so well done for raising awareness. I have posted this to my facebook etc. I am so sorry you weren't able to keep Emily :( absolutely heartbreaking post.x
I’ve just read your post on puppy farms, so sorry to hear about Emily. I’ve recently got a little pup and we actually unknowingly bought her from someone who was investigated last year for running a puppy farm. We had her at the vets 3 times within the first 11 days of bringing her home for various things – illness, treatment etc. Looking back the signs were probably there, there were about 6-7 different breeds of puppies, in what I can only describe as an outdoor kennel that was segmented like horse stalls, the pups had a plastic bed to share on concrete with only sawdust and the parents “weren’t kept there”. It wasn’t until my mum searched the kennels 2 weeks ago that we found out in 2010 it had been investigated for selling sick puppies, in which some of them were actually dying days of being brought to their new homes.
At first I was angry as it’s actually people like me who don’t know what to look for who inadvertently keep puppy farms going , but I’m just pleased that we got her away from that place as I’m sure she would have just ended up even more sick than she was.
Since then we’ve been in touch with the RSPCA who already have quite a big case on the kennels, so now they will be investigating even further, along with the committee who give the breeder licenses. Fingers crossed it’s closed down and it’s one less puppy farm. It’s awful to think what the dogs go through when they’re just constantly made to breed again and again.
Thanks for the great post, I hope it makes more people aware of the problem! If only I knew more about them, but I’ll be doing all I can to make other people more aware now.
Thank you for writing this Jane. It's really opened up my eyes as I'm ashamed to say that before you article I had no idea about the disgusting conditions these poor animals have to live with when at a puppy farm.
Really good post, I'm sure it will open a lot of peoples eyes.
I have been volunteering in an animal shelter on and off for nearly ten years now. I've seen loads of puppy farm dogs come though. It's disgusting. It takes a LOT of time and effort from shelter staff and volunteers to get these dogs anywhere near to 'normal' again. It's an area of animal cruelty people don't seem to think about too much. =/
Kudos to you for getting the word out on these horrid operations and for being willing to take on dear Emily. We have Puppy Mills here in US, same idea of course and it's heartbreaking. My girl is a rescue from a puppy mill and was thankfully gotten out of it as a puppy. She had some small issues and still does years later( but only a little) even after all this time of intense love and freedom with us.
We often wonder still, " what about her mother" ?? I so wish we could have gotten her too. She made a beautiful girl and we love her so much.
I tell people as often as I can about mills and to PLEASE go shelter or rescue. I volunteered for years at my local shelter. So many people have no idea that almost any breed can be got at rescue/shelter. You do not need to "buy" one.
I hope loads of people read this and learn as much as they can.
And I hope you find another special dog to bring home soon.
Hate any animal being in pain or being mistreated and this really tugs on my heart strings. Glad you're putting it out there though, more people need to know what to avoid in order to try to stop this happening. x
The fact that puppy farms are still allowed to operate is disgusting but people also need to realise that as you, buying a puppy from them is supporting their business... I know they are expensive but id definately recommend going for KC registered puppies because breeders have to follow rules to be part of it... And always go and see your puppy in its environment before you buy... If they dont allow you to see the mother you must question why, it could be totally innocent or there could be a reason that sets off alarm bells.
As you probably know Scotties are well known for being hairy and well defined dogs, she literally looked like a big rat. She was fascinated by grass,she had never seen it before and you could tell she was so excited by this green stuff that was nicer to run on than cobbles!
She is incredibly protective over her food (but not in an aggressive way, more in a frightened way) and if she ever feels threatened she panics and just lays still and won't move.
She once got told off for eating some of the post, obviously she was shouted at as she did it so she knew the shouting was linked directly to her actions, she got so scared she wet herself on the floor. Obviously it made us feel incredibly bad and we are much more aware now that she scares easily and find other ways of controlling her and training her.
Now, she is a happy little Scottie and she lives a really happy life out in the cotswolds full of fresh air, food and grass! Lots of grass!
It's wonderful that you are highlighting such an issue. We suspect that we bought a dog who was a puppy farm dog. We bought him at a year old, without seeing him and although he made a lovely pet, he was very intolerant of other animals. At the time, we had no idea of what we were taking on and for the ten years that we had him (he sadly passed on last year) my mother was constantly stressed about his behaviour. Although we live in the country, we have five houses in the surrounding area, all with other dogs and small children. The real fear was that he would become aggressive to anyone who would try and protect their dog. He had a happy life however, and we loved him very much, but having a dog with such issues can be very troubling. We have three dogs now, and we learnt from our mistake. We have adopted two dogs, thoroughly ensuring their background and breeding and the dog we bought as a puppy was seen with his mum. I would always recommend investigating a dogs background where possible when buying an older dog, as puppy mills can such a lasting effect.
Thank you for writing this! I also have two mini poodles and wish that I could save every puppy I see at the shelters. I'm a big supporter of a local shelter here in Colorado that is a no-kill shelter because they support quite a few special needs pets. I would love to adopt one of them but I'm not sure how that would affect my pups. I love my little guys so much and I just don't understand how anyone could ever treat an animal so poorly. Not to get too deep, but I think there's a special place in Hell for people who abuse children and animals. People who can do this are just missing a part of their soul.
i like your post but think people should recognize the difference between puppy farms and a reputable breeder its a shame all breeders are tarred with the same brush. i bought my first wee girl from a reputable breeding kennels with very high standard with nothing to hide and i can honestly say i couldnt fault them you could see there had been alot of time and money spent.but i also know there is bad breeders out there who should be banned.
Unfortunately your experience with the RSPCA isn't the first and last... As a member of various equestrian forums and blogs I've heard tens of stories similar where the RSPCA wouldn't lift a finger because the animals in question were deemed to have adequate food and shelter. Sickening. Puppy farms are horrendous places, I'm so sorry that you weren't able to adopt Emily but at least she's freed from that hell. x
21 comments:
Oh Jane I'm sorry! I know you were looking forward to adopting Emily. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this issue - when you tweeted last week I spent hours reading about puppy mills, I had no idea they existed. It's hideous!
You're very kind to think of doing this - I hope you get the opportunity to give another poor dog a lovely life.
I have never heard about this before I'm ashamed to say. Horrible, just horrible.
I hate puppy mills. My dream in life is to have my own rescue center! I have recently rescued a hamster (ok no really the same) but both my hamsters are from pet shops which breed smaller animals in the same way. THe latest one (who I rescued) was a birthday present for a son whose parents have had a messy divorce, the poor little thing had a food bowl and a bottle of water in her cage - nothing else. She now has the life of luxury but it was sad that she couldnt believe the treat stick I put in her cage and has eaten the lot in an evening..
It breaks my heart to think of the life she had before.
I really hope you find the dog that fits your family :) Your dogs sound so happy!!
I have written to my local MP about puppy farms recently, and also about the practice of selling puppies (and kittens for that matter) through pet shops, as most of their stock will come from puppy farms. When you think about it, what reputable breeder would allow their puppies to go and be sold through a pet shop where they will not be adequately socialised, and will be sold to anyone with a big enough cheque. Unfortunately, the government defer to defra guidelines which seem outrageous in terms of what is allowed. Thank you for blogging about this barbaric practice which I cannot believe is allowed to go on in a nation of supposed animal lovers.
http://24hourprettypeople.blogspot.com/
I just commented (!) but remembered too that just this Christmas, I logged into my Facebook account only to see a sponsored advert in the panel urging me to check out 'Puppies for Sale!'. I think it is because I have a dog, and 'like' some dog related pages so clearly I am a candidate for an ill-advised Christmas puppy purchase.
While puppies are allowed to be posted for sale online so freely, and to the point where they are actually actively advertised on huge sites like Facebook we have an enormous problem.
What a fantastic post, you've done Emily a lot of justice by bringing her case to people's attention.
And so lovely too that you understood her needs so well that you recognised that you weren't the family for her.
In Ireland legistaion has only just passed forcing breeders to register but we've a long way to go. The stories are heartbreaking but little by little we'll get there.
That's just horrendous. I didn't know what puppy farms were at all before this post so well done for raising awareness. I have posted this to my facebook etc. I am so sorry you weren't able to keep Emily :( absolutely heartbreaking post.x
I’ve just read your post on puppy farms, so sorry to hear about Emily. I’ve recently got a little pup and we actually unknowingly bought her from someone who was investigated last year for running a puppy farm. We had her at the vets 3 times within the first 11 days of bringing her home for various things – illness, treatment etc. Looking back the signs were probably there, there were about 6-7 different breeds of puppies, in what I can only describe as an outdoor kennel that was segmented like horse stalls, the pups had a plastic bed to share on concrete with only sawdust and the parents “weren’t kept there”. It wasn’t until my mum searched the kennels 2 weeks ago that we found out in 2010 it had been investigated for selling sick puppies, in which some of them were actually dying days of being brought to their new homes.
At first I was angry as it’s actually people like me who don’t know what to look for who inadvertently keep puppy farms going , but I’m just pleased that we got her away from that place as I’m sure she would have just ended up even more sick than she was.
Since then we’ve been in touch with the RSPCA who already have quite a big case on the kennels, so now they will be investigating even further, along with the committee who give the breeder licenses. Fingers crossed it’s closed down and it’s one less puppy farm. It’s awful to think what the dogs go through when they’re just constantly made to breed again and again.
Thanks for the great post, I hope it makes more people aware of the problem! If only I knew more about them, but I’ll be doing all I can to make other people more aware now.
Thank you for writing this Jane. It's really opened up my eyes as I'm ashamed to say that before you article I had no idea about the disgusting conditions these poor animals have to live with when at a puppy farm.
Really good post, I'm sure it will open a lot of peoples eyes.
I have been volunteering in an animal shelter on and off for nearly ten years now. I've seen loads of puppy farm dogs come though. It's disgusting. It takes a LOT of time and effort from shelter staff and volunteers to get these dogs anywhere near to 'normal' again. It's an area of animal cruelty people don't seem to think about too much. =/
~ Lauren <3
http://cosmeticskittensclassrooms.blogspot.com
Kudos to you for getting the word out on these horrid operations and for being willing to take on dear Emily. We have Puppy Mills here in US, same idea of course and it's heartbreaking. My girl is a rescue from a puppy mill and was thankfully gotten out of it as a puppy. She had some small issues and still does years later( but only a little) even after all this time of intense love and freedom with us.
We often wonder still, " what about her mother" ?? I so wish we could have gotten her too. She made a beautiful girl and we love her so much.
I tell people as often as I can about mills and to PLEASE go shelter or rescue. I volunteered for years at my local shelter. So many people have no idea that almost any breed can be got at rescue/shelter. You do not need to "buy" one.
I hope loads of people read this and learn as much as they can.
And I hope you find another special dog to bring home soon.
Hate any animal being in pain or being mistreated and this really tugs on my heart strings. Glad you're putting it out there though, more people need to know what to avoid in order to try to stop this happening. x
The fact that puppy farms are still allowed to operate is disgusting but people also need to realise that as you, buying a puppy from them is supporting their business... I know they are expensive but id definately recommend going for KC registered puppies because breeders have to follow rules to be part of it... And always go and see your puppy in its environment before you buy... If they dont allow you to see the mother you must question why, it could be totally innocent or there could be a reason that sets off alarm bells.
It's a disgusting practice that should have been stopped years ago. Happy to follow Marc and pop onto his website.
Glad you wrote about this. My fiancée's mother got a rescued Scottish Terrier a few years ago. She had come originally from a puppy farm. She was about 5 years old at the time, but was quite small and therefore didn't produce enough puppies. When she got to us, she was shaven to near bald.
As you probably know Scotties are well known for being hairy and well defined dogs, she literally looked like a big rat. She was fascinated by grass,she had never seen it before and you could tell she was so excited by this green stuff that was nicer to run on than cobbles!
She is incredibly protective over her food (but not in an aggressive way, more in a frightened way) and if she ever feels threatened she panics and just lays still and won't move.
She once got told off for eating some of the post, obviously she was shouted at as she did it so she knew the shouting was linked directly to her actions, she got so scared she wet herself on the floor. Obviously it made us feel incredibly bad and we are much more aware now that she scares easily and find other ways of controlling her and training her.
Now, she is a happy little Scottie and she lives a really happy life out in the cotswolds full of fresh air, food and grass! Lots of grass!
Here's Holly now... http://www.flickr.com/photos/agirlcalledrebekah/5239714050/in/photostream
Such a fantastic article and well done for using your blog to raise awareness - many could follow your lead.
Best wishes,
Her Ivory Tower
http://herivorytower.blog.com/
It's wonderful that you are highlighting such an issue. We suspect that we bought a dog who was a puppy farm dog. We bought him at a year old, without seeing him and although he made a lovely pet, he was very intolerant of other animals. At the time, we had no idea of what we were taking on and for the ten years that we had him (he sadly passed on last year) my mother was constantly stressed about his behaviour. Although we live in the country, we have five houses in the surrounding area, all with other dogs and small children. The real fear was that he would become aggressive to anyone who would try and protect their dog. He had a happy life however, and we loved him very much, but having a dog with such issues can be very troubling. We have three dogs now, and we learnt from our mistake. We have adopted two dogs, thoroughly ensuring their background and breeding and the dog we bought as a puppy was seen with his mum. I would always recommend investigating a dogs background where possible when buying an older dog, as puppy mills can such a lasting effect.
Brilliant article!
Thank you for writing this! I also have two mini poodles and wish that I could save every puppy I see at the shelters. I'm a big supporter of a local shelter here in Colorado that is a no-kill shelter because they support quite a few special needs pets. I would love to adopt one of them but I'm not sure how that would affect my pups. I love my little guys so much and I just don't understand how anyone could ever treat an animal so poorly. Not to get too deep, but I think there's a special place in Hell for people who abuse children and animals. People who can do this are just missing a part of their soul.
Poor little puppies!!!
Theyre should be a law against puppy farms :'(
i like your post but think people should recognize the difference between puppy farms and a reputable breeder its a shame all breeders are tarred with the same brush. i bought my first wee girl from a reputable breeding kennels with very high standard with nothing to hide and i can honestly say i couldnt fault them you could see there had been alot of time and money spent.but i also know there is bad breeders out there who should be banned.
Unfortunately your experience with the RSPCA isn't the first and last... As a member of various equestrian forums and blogs I've heard tens of stories similar where the RSPCA wouldn't lift a finger because the animals in question were deemed to have adequate food and shelter. Sickening.
Puppy farms are horrendous places, I'm so sorry that you weren't able to adopt Emily but at least she's freed from that hell. x
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