Billy the Puppy Mill Chihuahua died over the holidays. He became quite the little cash cow celebrity by having a popular puppy mill “porn” video on YouTube and he even appeared on the Jane Velez-Mitchell Show. So what does the HSUS do? Turn it into (another) fundraising opportunity by setting up a Billy Tribute page, complete with a handy donation link at the bottom of the page.
The HSUS are masters of turning sad sack animals into lucrative fundraising opportunities. They’re pretty good at inflating statistics, too. Two million puppies produced by the puppy mill industry in the US per year? I don’t think so. Quebec the puppy mill capital of Canada with an estimated 2200 illegal breeding operations that nobody can seem to find? I’ll buy that for a dollar… Even the ASPCA got in on the act with their with their Don’t Buy Puppies For Christmas campaign.
Puppy mills are an abysmal practice that needs to end. All the current legislative wrangling in the US to improve living conditions for the dogs still boils down to a dog living it’s life in a cage. Not cool.
You know how the puppy mill industry can be stopped in its tracks without you donating a red cent to animal charities? DON’T BUY THE DOGS. I have complied a handy-dandy list for potential puppy buyers to ensure that their new BFF is not a product of a puppy mill.
- DON’T Buy a puppy from a pet shop.
- DON’T buy a puppy at a flea market.
- DON’T buy a puppy sight unseen over the internet or through a newspaper ad.
- DON’T buy a puppy from a person that will bring the dog to your house or meet you in a parking lot
- DON’T buy a puppy if the breeder won’t let you see at least one of the parents.
- DON’T buy a puppy if the breeder won’t let you tour the kennels
- DON’T be afraid to report animal abuse if you suspect it is happening at a breeding facility.
- DON’T buy a puppy because you feel sorry for it.
- DO visit your regional breed club website to get a list of breeders.
- DO visit a dog show to find a breeder.
- DO request to see the parent(s) of the puppy that you are considering buying.
- DO a Google search of the kennel name that you are interested in buying a puppy from.
- DO ask a breeder for a list of past customers for reference.
- DO lecture your friend/aunt/cousin/mom/sister/workmate about responsible puppy purchasing if they are considering getting a dog, no matter how annoying they think you are.
I( and hordes of others) have never appreciated the way HSUS fundraises…I think of the pit bull Fay they never had hands on and worded the commercial as if they were the group paying for and directing her care which was a lie. Yuck.
Good list to which I would add if you are buying off the internet, even if you travel to see the dog you’re interested in, do not buy from any vendor who sells and ships to anyone with a credit card. If the only hurtle to getting a pet from them is how much money you can pay, walk away.
Mary E Haight (@dancingdogblog) recently posted..Saving Pets – Do Borders Matter? Compassion in Action
That is an excellent point, Mary! The breeder should have as many questions for you as you have for them, if not more.
Kristine recently posted..Went to Bed. Took the Dog.
Nice list of DO’s and DON’Ts. I don’t disagree that these organizations use these animals to raise dollars, but that is their focus. Are the numbers inflated? I don’t know. I do know that we have some of the largest facilities here in MN. It’s still a problem.
melf recently posted..The Trust of a Dog
I am so glad you have questioned these numbers! These days, I don’t trust anything that isn’t backed up with real data. Any time I see a number I ask where they got the information from, if they can’t back it up, I am not interested. It’s so easy to inflate a number, or just plain make it up. It’s much harder to do the research. It angers me that it destroys credibility for all animal welfare organizations and takes away from the actual abuse going on. If it turns out that all these oft-quoted numbers are just fake, then people are going to question whether or not there is even such a thing as a puppy mill at all. It does a huge disservice to the cause.
Great list for sure. I have no sympathy anymore for anyone who purchases a dog from someone they meet on the side of the road or in a parking lot. The information is out there and not hard to find. I wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes from the back of a car, why anyone thinks it’s cool to get a puppy this way I will never know.
Thanks for questioning those numbers and for dissing those HSUS fundraising methods…that group is so huge they’ve totally lost sight of the basic issues which you have listed so well in the dos & donts…I choose to support local groups staffed by devoted volunteers…And I know where my dollars are being spent
GizmoGeodog recently posted..A VISIT FROM PLANET PURRTH & A REALITY CHECK
The only way to stop puppy mills is to dry up the market by making the public aware of the evils. Laws will just drive them underground or into basements. And contributions to the HSUS will have no effect at all. I do have faith that when the public is made aware they will stop buying.
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