A typical puppy mill, to save money, is underemployed with a maximum of 3 to 5 employees taking care of the potential 1,000+ puppies. As a result, there is little to no human interaction, which leads the puppies to possibly having poor social habits and showing fearful behavior.6 The puppies are usually taken away from their mother and their littermates and sold off as early as just 4-6 weeks old.5 This is illegal, as the Animal Welfare Act states “No dog dealer… shall separate a puppy ... from its mother, for the purpose of sale, until such puppy … has attained the age of 8 weeks.”7 This statement is a law for a reason: according to the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights not-for-profit organization, puppies should be with their littermates for 8-12 weeks and weaning from the mother should gradually be stopped by 8 weeks of age.8 This is because during those 8-12 weeks with his or her littermates, the puppy learns social skills such as how to send and receive signals, how physically far to go in play-wrestling, what an “inhibited bite” means, and in general learning how to be a dog when surrounded by his or her littermates.6 Also, it is important for the mother to be with the puppy for the 8 weeks as the mother models the affection and warmth which the puppy senses, and the puppy can pick up this cue and display this affection on his or her own.6 Therefore, it is important for the…
