Puppy Mills

What are puppy mills?

   The Fall River Animal Coalition would like warn readers about dangers to be aware of when getting their next dog.
Some people spend hundreds of dollars to buy a healthy looking puppy only to find out soon after that he/she is seriously ill and needs costly veterinary care to save its life.
With some basic steps, we can protect themselves, your wallets, and puppy mill puppies all at the same time.

   Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers and sell them to unsuspecting consumers like you.
Puppy mills are inhumane, designed to maximize profits, and commonly disregard the physical, social, and emotional health of the animals in their facilities.
Because of these conditions, these puppies are more likely to have physical and behavioral problems than dogs from good source for example a breeder.

   Puppy mills lurk behind the beautiful web sites, ads in the newspaper, even behind the doors of pet stores.
The best way to stop puppy mills from continuing their abuse is for us to stop buying the puppies they breed.
Many people think they are rescuing this cute puppy by buying it don't be fooled, you are just creating space for another puppy to be sold.
Never buy a puppy unless you can see for yourself where he or she was born, how the parents are kept, and what health condition the other littermates are in.

   If you have your heart set on purchasing a purebred dog, it should be from a reputable breeder.
But the best place to get your next pet is the local animal shelter.
People are surprised to learn that nationwide, one out of every four dogs in shelters are purebred.
Shelter animals have already been spayed or neutered, and have received all their vaccinations and veterinary checkups.
Shelters also screen animals before adoption so that they can make a great match between animals and their new owners.
If you love dogs you need to help stop them from being mistreated by making sure you aren't supporting a puppy mill.


Massachusetts

Puppy mills exist in virtually every state. While several thousand are required to by licensed with the USDA, many more are not. These unlicensed kennels operate with little to no oversight, free to fool the public into believing they care about the puppies they are breeding.

Puppy Lemon Laws

Regulations stipulate that a dog or cat can be declared unfit for sale within l4 days. The consumer can then get a refund or make an exchange.

Kennel/Breeder Regulations

Licensing & Inspections: License required ($10 fee for up to 4 dogs; $25 fee for 5 to 10 dogs; $50 fee for 10+ dogs); inspections to be conducted Covered Operations: Kennel: defined as one pack or collection of dogs on a single premises, whether maintained for breeding, boarding, sale, training, hunting, or other purposes. Also includes any shop where dogs are on sale. Also includes every pack or collection of more than three dogs three months old or older, owned or kept by a person on a single premises, irrespective of the purpose for which they are maintained.

How can I help?

Lobby for Better Laws
Contact your federal and state legislators and let them know that you’re concerned about the inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills and want the puppy mill issue to be a priority for congress. Ask them to expand the reach of the Animal Welfare Act to include kennels that sell large numbers of puppies directly to the public and to ban the imports of puppies for resale.