The truth behind puppy mills

Katie D.

For decades puppies have been in high demand, whether that be as the newest fashion accessory, Christmas gift or to feature in a posed Instagram post. This huge demand for puppies needed to be met with a huge supply of them, leading to the growth and spread of Puppy Mills.

Puppy Mills’ - before reading this article I doubt this label will strike a chord with many of you as the name fails to convey the terrifying and disturbing nature of these institutions. However, after finishing this article, I hope to have instilled a sense of urgency in all readers about puppy mills and the mass farming of puppies.So, let’s rip off the façade and discuss what is going on inside these Puppy Mills. Firstly, let’s describe them as what they are- puppy making factories. In these factories the main priority is quick cheap breeding, which as you can imagine provides horrendous consequences in terms of the dog’s welfare, hygiene, and comfort. Let me paint a picture of what most of these establishments entail. Cramped cages line the properties, insurmountable piles of faeces and debris litter the surroundings and sick, dead, and neglected puppies, along with mothers that swarm the property like a defeated army. These unthinkable conditions are a breeding ground for bacteria, and this coupled with the lack of veterinary, or general, care for the inhabitant dogs means that Puppy Mills are plagued with death and pain. Whilst it cannot be known how many dogs die in Puppy Mills each year due to their unregulated nature, it is estimated that a horrifying 2 million dogs die in US Puppy Mills every year after falling victim to the heinous and dangerous conditions they provide.

So where can these puppy farms be found? What countries are allowing this cruelty? You might expect to see these practices in less developed countries, which is true. However, Puppy mills are an epidemic that can be found in the most developed countries of the world like the US, UK, and Australia. In the US there are an estimated 10,000 Puppy mills active with 500,00 dogs kept solely for breeding in these hell houses. The conditions and practices in Puppy mills are evidently inhumane and unacceptable, so how are they still allowed in countries like the US?

The answer is simple, the reason that in many US states Puppy Mills are legal is that the Animal Welfare Act, the federal law which regulates pet breeding, is outdated and weak regarding pet breeders and breeding practices. Whilst in October 2021 a new law named the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act was passed to boost animal rights in the US, the Act was merely a reassertion of a previous act and therefore failed to properly address Puppy Mills. This left a grey area around the topic, meaning Puppy mills can still be legally functioning.

Although depressing and disheartening, there are actions we can take to combat Puppy Mills. Clearly the best thing that can be done is to stop buying from mills and adopt dogs instead. This prevents them profiting and thereby hopefully will force them to close. However, evidently not everyone can adopt and get involved in this way. So, action can also be taken in donating to animal welfare charities, so that they gain the resources to lobby for policy changes. Furthermore, we can raise awareness like I am doing in this article to try and prevent people from making the mistake of supporting such