Commercial Dog-Breeding Facility
Stephanie Butterfield
Keven Mcqueen
English 102
18 April 2012
Commercial Dog-Breeding Facilities
Pet shops give many people the impression of happy, eager, and healthy puppies that are in desperate need of a home and family. Sometimes people feel bad for the animals stuck in the small cages and decide they’re going to save or rescue them. People who buy these animals don’t realize that they’re supporting the commercial dog-breeding industry. Commercial dog-breeding facilities treat animals as a product; they are concerned with quantity and the profit they’ll receive instead of quality and the animals’ health. These facilities need to be banned for three reasons: to prevent further health deterioration of the animals; to preserve the lowering of breeds’ genetic traits which result from unregulated breeding; and they give reputable breeders a bad name. Before we examine specific issues surrounding professional dog breeders, first we should define some terms and give a general background of the problem. Many people have heard about the animal cruelty behind puppy mills; however, they have no idea about commercial dog-breeding facilities. The term “puppy mill” is used to describe large-scale dog breeding operations that place income over the animals’ welfare. Puppy mills don’t breed responsibly and the conditions they keep the animals in are generally illegal. Commercial dog-breeding facilities are also large scale breeding facilities that place the well being of animals below making a profit, yet these facilities are subject to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulating and enforcing of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) laws and regulations. The USDA regulates the breeding facilities with the minimum standards for the animals’ health; these are the same laws that are used for chickens, cows, pigs and other animals, which are slaughtered. The law requires that each animal is provided with “adequate housing, handling, sanitation, nutrition, water,
Keven Mcqueen
English 102
18 April 2012
Commercial Dog-Breeding Facilities
Pet shops give many people the impression of happy, eager, and healthy puppies that are in desperate need of a home and family. Sometimes people feel bad for the animals stuck in the small cages and decide they’re going to save or rescue them. People who buy these animals don’t realize that they’re supporting the commercial dog-breeding industry. Commercial dog-breeding facilities treat animals as a product; they are concerned with quantity and the profit they’ll receive instead of quality and the animals’ health. These facilities need to be banned for three reasons: to prevent further health deterioration of the animals; to preserve the lowering of breeds’ genetic traits which result from unregulated breeding; and they give reputable breeders a bad name. Before we examine specific issues surrounding professional dog breeders, first we should define some terms and give a general background of the problem. Many people have heard about the animal cruelty behind puppy mills; however, they have no idea about commercial dog-breeding facilities. The term “puppy mill” is used to describe large-scale dog breeding operations that place income over the animals’ welfare. Puppy mills don’t breed responsibly and the conditions they keep the animals in are generally illegal. Commercial dog-breeding facilities are also large scale breeding facilities that place the well being of animals below making a profit, yet these facilities are subject to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulating and enforcing of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) laws and regulations. The USDA regulates the breeding facilities with the minimum standards for the animals’ health; these are the same laws that are used for chickens, cows, pigs and other animals, which are slaughtered. The law requires that each animal is provided with “adequate housing, handling, sanitation, nutrition, water,
Cited: Allan, Carrie. “The Purebred Paradox.” Humanesociety.org. The Humane Society of the United States, May/June 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. Allen, Laura. “Ohio Giving Commercial Dog Breeders a Pass on Taxes.” Animallawcoalition.com. Animal Law Coalition, 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. LeFave, Leslie. “About AKC Registration Papers and Pedigrees.” Itsmagicmaltese.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. McMillan, Franklin D., Deborah L. Duffy, and James A. Serpell. “Mental Health of Dogs Formerly Used As ‘Breeding Stock’ In Commercial Breeding Establishments.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 135.1/2 (2011): 86-94. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. United States Department of Agriculture. The Animal Welfare Act: An Overview. USDA. May 2006: n.p. Web. 13 May 2012. United States Department of Agriculture. Office of Inspector General. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: Animal Care Program: Inspections of Problematic Dealers. Washington: USDA, May 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.