secret horrible puppy mills in Amish country...

[MikeJF]

Just watched ABC Nightline and a report on puppy mills in Lancaster County- yes Amish country. Some Amish farms breed puppies in legal but horrible conditions in hidden commercial breeding facilities.

The TV report showed puppies and dogs in small stacked cages, never allowed outside, and the owner, remaining anonymous, was proud of the hidden (looks like a regular farm) 'modern' facility that they say allows two people to 'care' for 200 puppies in cages with huge auto waste scoop floor machine (use in large farms).

An animal welfare person said the Amish think of dogs like cattle, and only for profit.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5831-NY-Animal-Welfare-Examiner~y2009m3d26-TV-Alert-March-27-ABCs-Nightline-will-be-investigating-puppy-mills

[bella-day]

Just watched ABC Nightline and a report on puppy mills in Lancaster County- yes Amish country. Some Amish farms breed puppies in legal but horrible conditions in hidden commercial breeding facilities.

The TV report showed puppies and dogs in small stacked cages, never allowed outside, and the owner, remaining anonymous, was proud of the hidden (looks like a regular farm) 'modern' facility that they say allows two people to 'care' for 200 puppies in cages with huge auto waste scoop floor machine (use in large farms).

An animal welfare person said the Amish think of dogs like cattle, and only for profit.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5831-NY-Animal-Welfare-Examiner~y2009m3d26-TV-Alert-March-27-ABCs-Nightline-will-be-investigating-puppy-mills


I got to see the first few minutes of the show and then our local news broke in with a weather alert that went on and on until the segment was over.

I read the article at the link before posting. As in the show the comment was made that Lancaster county is the puppy mill center of the U.S.

At least the Amish can blame it on a cultural difference. Not that it excuses the abuse and neglect of these animals we call friends...

My husband recently surprised me with a beautiful Chihuahua puppy. He bought her (the first time either of us have ever bought a dog) from a breeder that came highly recommended.

She was fine for about 4 days and then began fading really fast. We took her to the vet and come to find out...the breeder had lied about her age (he claimed she was 6 weeks when she was only 4), he had even misstated her age on the papers we were given.

I asked the vet why would a breeder do something like that and he went on to explain to me that puppy mill owners tend to do it so they can get the pups away from the mother dog quickly so she will go back into heat faster.

The puppy also had cocsidiosis. That's a micro-organism that causes bloody diarrhea. The poor baby was so weak that they had to hook her up to an IV to prevent dehydration.

We have since had the pup back to the vet a total of 4 times over the last 2 weeks. She is starting to come around but it infuriates me that my husband was mislead the way he was and this pup was rushed to a point that it could have cost her life. If someone else that either did not have the resources to take her to the vet so often or was unable to give her the level of care she needed in their home...she would be dead.

There were 3 pups in the litter. Our vet has now had to treat 2 of them for the same problems. Cocsidosis, blood sugar issues, and just too darn young to leave momma.

The vet took a copy of the business card the breeder gave my husband and put it on his board of shame to warn other clients not to buy from this breeder.

He has also encouraged us (and the other family) to file a complaint with the AKC. He told us that if we wrote a letter and sent it along with a copy of her medical files and a statement from him; the AKC would investigate and if anything was found they would revoke his certification...the pups he churns out would no longer be registered by the AKC.

We will be sending the letter off next week.

My husband said this guy presented himself well. The mom and daddy dogs were on the premises so he got to see them. The kennel was a small shed in the backyard that had little fenced areas so the pups could go in and out of the shed at will. The kennels were clean. The man even asked my husband about our home life and habits. As if he wanted to make sure the pup got a good home.

It was all a ruse. The suffering this poor puppy has endured could have been avoided had he been honest about her age and medical condition...yep, he knew she had cocsidiosis...it was even noted in her paperwork...but it was listed with her puppy shots like it was just another injection instead of a sometimes fatal disease.

[CaptainPike]

Amish people think of dogs like cattle. Except, if they found cattle being treated this way, nobody would care.

[super cool ski instructor]

I think the people who run these Puppy Mills are terrible human beings.

[MikeJF]

bella-day, what a horrible experience! Hope the puppy recovers and is there any chance of taking legal action against the breeder? If even small claims court, to recover your expenses?

[bella-day]

bella-day, what a horrible experience! Hope the puppy recovers and is there any chance of taking legal action against the breeder? If even small claims court, to recover your expenses?


She is on an upswing right now. The cocsidiosis is just a bitter memory now. Although we are still dealing with the blood sugar issues. The vet says she will outgrow them over time.

As to filing suit? We won't even try. I called this waste of space and spoke with him. I let him know that we were on to what Baby's true age is and that he sold her knowing she had a disease that could easily take her life. He denied everything of course.

The puppies were guaranteed to be free of birth defects and hip dysplasia. Beyond that, there was no warranty of health.

I also let him know that we were going to see that he got plenty of publicity regarding his sham of an operation.

The vet said the lose of AKC registration privileges will hurt his business substantially. He will go from selling dogs who are AKC papered to ones that can not be registered if the AKC finds that his operation does not meet their standards.

I understand that the other couple who have her litter mate plan to do the same thing.

[gdoane]

I think the people who run these Puppy Mills are terrible human beings.

I couldn't believe that interview with the idiot running one of those things bragging on how he and his wife could take care of 200 dogs a day. Those dogs wouldn't be domestic, they'd be practically feral because even if they work with the dogs for 10 hours a day, that's only 600 minutes/100 dogs = 6 minutes of human care per dog per day.

That's nothing but neglect and a form of animal cruelty.

[Dreamy]

Puppy mills have to be one of the most vile, cruel and evil businesses. :evil:

Buy a mutt. Avoid buying "fad" dogs at pet stores.

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/

[FidelisAdMortem]

Regardless of being amish or not, these should be shut down, and if the amish resist, we an always being it on like waco.

[Gabby]

I got to see the first few minutes of the show and then our local news broke in with a weather alert that went on and on until the segment was over.

I read the article at the link before posting. As in the show the comment was made that Lancaster county is the puppy mill center of the U.S.

At least the Amish can blame it on a cultural difference. Not that it excuses the abuse and neglect of these animals we call friends...

My husband recently surprised me with a beautiful Chihuahua puppy. He bought her (the first time either of us have ever bought a dog) from a breeder that came highly recommended.

She was fine for about 4 days and then began fading really fast. We took her to the vet and come to find out...the breeder had lied about her age (he claimed she was 6 weeks when she was only 4), he had even misstated her age on the papers we were given.

I asked the vet why would a breeder do something like that and he went on to explain to me that puppy mill owners tend to do it so they can get the pups away from the mother dog quickly so she will go back into heat faster.

The puppy also had cocsidiosis. That's a micro-organism that causes bloody diarrhea. The poor baby was so weak that they had to hook her up to an IV to prevent dehydration.

We have since had the pup back to the vet a total of 4 times over the last 2 weeks. She is starting to come around but it infuriates me that my husband was mislead the way he was and this pup was rushed to a point that it could have cost her life. If someone else that either did not have the resources to take her to the vet so often or was unable to give her the level of care she needed in their home...she would be dead.

There were 3 pups in the litter. Our vet has now had to treat 2 of them for the same problems. Cocsidosis, blood sugar issues, and just too darn young to leave momma.

The vet took a copy of the business card the breeder gave my husband and put it on his board of shame to warn other clients not to buy from this breeder.

He has also encouraged us (and the other family) to file a complaint with the AKC. He told us that if we wrote a letter and sent it along with a copy of her medical files and a statement from him; the AKC would investigate and if anything was found they would revoke his certification...the pups he churns out would no longer be registered by the AKC.

We will be sending the letter off next week.

My husband said this guy presented himself well. The mom and daddy dogs were on the premises so he got to see them. The kennel was a small shed in the backyard that had little fenced areas so the pups could go in and out of the shed at will. The kennels were clean. The man even asked my husband about our home life and habits. As if he wanted to make sure the pup got a good home.

It was all a ruse. The suffering this poor puppy has endured could have been avoided had he been honest about her age and medical condition...yep, he knew she had cocsidiosis...it was even noted in her paperwork...but it was listed with her puppy shots like it was just another injection instead of a sometimes fatal disease.

Maybe you and the owners of the other puppies can sue the breader. They lied to you and put the puppies at risk. Your husband bought the puppy based on what they told him... that the puppy was old enough to be separated from its mother, etc. Their lies cost you a lot of money.

[Gabby]

Puppy mills have to be one of the most vile, cruel and evil businesses. :evil:

Buy a mutt. Avoid buying "fad" dogs at pet stores.

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/

Not all full bred/registered dogs are 'fad' dogs.

There are good breeders of full bred dogs too. Their main concerns are the welfare of their dogs and pups and the on-going health of the breed. For this reason they generally make no money on the endeavor. They are lucky to break even.

The ones I’ve checked do a lot of medical tests on every puppy. Any puppy that has defects, such as hip dysplasia potential is fixed so that it cannot pass on the defect.

The reason that puppy mills stay in business is that most people don’t know what to look for to find a truly good breeder. They are fooled into thinking that any registered dog must come from a good breeder. It’s an education issue. If the consumer were better educated on the issue, puppy mills would go out of business.

Mutts can be a problem too. They are not all treated well as puppies, they are often the products of ‘breeders’ who don’t give a dam about the dogs… that’s why the parent dogs were not fixed to start with and why accidental litters were bred. Another issue with mutts is that many are being brought into the USA from places like Mexico and the Philippines. They come here with illnesses and problems American born dogs do not have. I have a friend who works at one of our local pounds. She was telling me about this. It’s a real problem.

[Dreamy]

Not all full bred/registered dogs are 'fad' dogs.

There are good breeders of full bred dogs too. Their main concerns are the welfare of their dogs and pups and the on-going health of the breed. For this reason they generally make no money on the endeavor. They are lucky to break even.

The ones I’ve checked do a lot of medical tests on every puppy. Any puppy that has defects, such as hip dysplasia potential is fixed so that it cannot pass on the defect.

The reason that puppy mills stay in business is that most people don’t know what to look for to find a truly good breeder. They are fooled into thinking that any registered dog must come from a good breeder. It’s an education issue. If the consumer were better educated on the issue, puppy mills would go out of business.

Mutts can be a problem too. They are not all treated well as puppies, they are often the products of ‘breeders’ who don’t give a dam about the dogs… that’s why the parent dogs were not fixed to start with and why accidental litters were bred. Another issue with mutts is that many are being brought into the USA from places like Mexico and the Philippines. They come here with illnesses and problems American born dogs do not have. I have a friend who works at one of our local pounds. She was telling me about this. It’s a real problem.

Never said all anything. All my pets(mutts and pure) have come from friends so I have no issues with bad breeders. It goes without saying that one must know their breeder they use.

[LouC]

ABC News Nightline LINK (http://abcnews.go.com/nightline)

Where the nearly 8 minute video segment is currently available.

Rescue shelter has always been the route I have gone.

Comes from an early high school job at the County Pound... :((

[Haplo]

In 35 years I have yet to buy a pet and I've had dogs, cats and ferrets. Articles like this reinforce that stance.

[bella-day]

Maybe you and the owners of the other puppies can sue the breeder. They lied to you and put the puppies at risk. Your husband bought the puppy based on what they told him... that the puppy was old enough to be separated from its mother, etc. Their lies cost you a lot of money.

That they did. I'm more concerned with shutting down his operation than recovering the expenses.

My husband was really mislead. He went to the man's home and saw the kennels himself before putting a deposit down on the pup. He said the kennels were as clean as they could be...it looked like they had been cleaned that day in fact. But then...he had made an appointment with the man so he could see the puppies.

What really irks me about the whole thing is that the man was insistent that he pick the puppy up on a Monday. Wayne called and asked if there was any way we could wait until Friday so someone would be with the puppy for several days before we both had to return to work.

The man told him that if he didn't come pick the puppy up that Monday that was fine. He had someone else that would and that my husband would just forfeit the deposit.

Four more days with mom would have made a difference for the puppy.

I've managed to contact the owners of one of her litter-mates (thanks to my vet). They have had the same issues with their puppy as well. We are both filing complaints with the AKC.

Considering there was only 3 pups in the litter...I would hope hearing from the owners of 2 of them will catch their attention so that they will go over his operation with a fine toothed comb.

I bet they even show up without making an appointment first.;)

[birddog1]

She is on an upswing right now. The cocsidiosis is just a bitter memory now. Although we are still dealing with the blood sugar issues. The vet says she will outgrow them over time.

As to filing suit? We won't even try. I called this waste of space and spoke with him. I let him know that we were on to what Baby's true age is and that he sold her knowing she had a disease that could easily take her life. He denied everything of course.

The puppies were guaranteed to be free of birth defects and hip dysplasia. Beyond that, there was no warranty of health.

I also let him know that we were going to see that he got plenty of publicity regarding his sham of an operation.

The vet said the lose of AKC registration privileges will hurt his business substantially. He will go from selling dogs who are AKC papered to ones that can not be registered if the AKC finds that his operation does not meet their standards.

I understand that the other couple who have her litter mate plan to do the same thing.

Coccidiosis is fairly common and also not that easy to spot in puppies until they are really sick from it. If your husband couldn't tell that there was something wrong with the pup when he picked it up there was likely little sign that he was sick.

As for shipping the pup out at 4 weeks there is no excuse for that. I don't know anyone that would even attempt to wean a puppy until 5 weeks of age and none that would ship a pup to a new home until around 8 weeks of age.

Something else you really need to be concerned about, especially if he is exposed to other dogs, is Parvo, as the puppy was obviously too young to have booster shots at the breeder. The puppy should have a shot every 3-4 weeks from age 6 weeks up till 16-20 weeks old and then yearly after that. Parvo is usually fatal to young puppies that have not been vaccinated. I had a 7 month old pointer that had all his shots and still contracted the virus, he got in rough shape very quickly and would have likely died if I had not recognized what he had and taken him to the vet even though he had the added benefit of being older and having been vaccinated.

[birddog1]

Puppy mills have to be one of the most vile, cruel and evil businesses. :evil:

Buy a mutt. Avoid buying "fad" dogs at pet stores.

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/

If a person wants a pure bred dog just find a reputable breeder in the area that offers a written health/genetic defect guarantee and you likely won't have an problems. It is best to search out small time breeders that obviously have a love and interest in breeding sound quality dogs and don't raise very many litters per year.

I would not buy any dog from a pup store!!!!

[bella-day]

Coccidiosis is fairly common and also not that easy to spot in puppies until they are really sick from it. If your husband couldn't tell that there was something wrong with the pup when he picked it up there was likely little sign that he was sick.

As for shipping the pup out at 4 weeks there is no excuse for that. I don't know anyone that would even attempt to wean a puppy until 5 weeks of age and none that would ship a pup to a new home until around 8 weeks of age.

The man who sold him the puppy was aware that she had coccidiosis. It was listed in the medical record that he sent along with the pup.

Strange thing is...he listed it along with her first round of puppy shots in an attempt to pass it off as just that. We took the shot records with us when we rushed her to the vet the first time. The vet was the one that pointed out how the information was listed and exactly what it meant.

So yeah, the guy knew and he misrepresented the information.

Also, the puppy wasn't shipped. My husband picked her up. He was dealing with a local breeder/puppy mill operator.

[birddog1]

The man who sold him the puppy was aware that she had coccidiosis. It was listed in the medical record that he sent along with the pup.

Strange thing is...he listed it along with her first round of puppy shots in an attempt to pass it off as just that. We took the shot records with us when we rushed her to the vet the first time. The vet was the one that pointed out how the information was listed and exactly what it meant.

So yeah, the guy knew and he misrepresented the information.

Also, the puppy wasn't shipped. My husband picked her up. He was dealing with a local breeder/puppy mill operator.

Yeah, he is a scum bag then.

Shipped in the context I was using simply meant going to a new home. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance a puppy should never be split up and sent to a new home sooner than 8 weeks. Besides health and vaccination reasons the puppy needs to pick up vital social skills from its litter mates.

[super cool ski instructor]

If you want a pure bred puppy just go to the AKC or Westminster Kennel Club websites and see who is certified with them.

[super cool ski instructor]

I look at the pic in the article and I wish I could just take all of those puppies home and love them. :(

[bella-day]

Yeah, he is a scum bag then.

Shipped in the context I was using simply meant going to a new home. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance a puppy should never be split up and sent to a new home sooner than 8 weeks. Besides health and vaccination reasons the puppy needs to pick up vital social skills from its litter mates.

We would have never known that her age had been misrepresented if it were not for the vet.

[JimGP20]

I think the people who run these Puppy Mills are terrible human beings.


Heck... I hear tell of a place back in the midwest called General Mills, where evidently, they do mean and cruel things to old generals. :eek:

[birddog1]

We would have never known that her age had been misrepresented if it were not for the vet.

Just saying that no reputable breeder would ever send a puppy home with anybody at the age.

[super cool ski instructor]

Heck... I hear tell of a place back in the midwest called General Mills, where evidently, they do mean and cruel things to old generals. :eek:

:))

[RickRhetoric]

Amish people think of dogs like cattle. Except, if they found cattle being treated this way, nobody would care.

Precisely.

Cows, and horses in particular, are the most abused animals on the planet.

[bella-day]

Just saying that no reputable breeder would ever send a puppy home with anybody at the age.


Agreed.

I'm happy to report that she is happy, healthy, and being one beautiful little puppy.

But we do have a problem that is rather perplexing.

We had to feed and water her using syringe (no needle of course) for the first couple of weeks that we had her. She was too weak to take water or food any other way.

She is now able to eat on her own. But we are unable to get her to drink from a bowl. We have tried a variety of different types of bowls to no avail.

When she sees the syringe now...she is ready to get drink of water. We have managed to get her to drink water from our hands if and only if she can see us squirt the water into our hands from the syringe.

The vet says she has learned to associate the syringe with her surrogate mom and dad. He says that she should outgrow this over a period of time.

If anyone has any ideas as to how we can speed that process along...I sure would appreciate the help.