Life in the Mills
According to the ASPCA, approximately four million dogs are bred in puppy mills every year. They are sold to unsuspecting animal lovers who haven’t been warned about puppy mills.
A puppy mill is an illegal breeding center of dogs where money overshadows the comfort and health conditions of the dogs. In order to keep the costs low, the dogs are mass bred in tiny cages where they spend the rest of their lives with just enough food and water to survive.
According to the ASPCA, puppy mills are contaminated with hundreds of diseases and health deteriorating problems, including heart disease, epilepsy, kidney disease, blood disorders, deafness, eye problems, kennel cough, pneumonia, fleas, ticks, heart worm, and respiratory disorders. The puppies that are born in the mills are more often than not, born with health defects, and then sold online or in pet shops. Not only do the puppies have birth defects, but they also are very fearful and skittish, or they end up having problems socializing with other dogs and people.
Puppy mills are found all across the United States, but they are mostly found in Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and any Midwest state. What did these dogs do to deserve this life?
Tips to Help End the Mills
If you are looking for a new companion…
1. NEVER buy your dog online. No matter how great the website looks with a lot of “qualifications,” never buy your new pet online if they say that they will ship your dog.
2. NEVER buy your pet from a newspaper ad if the advertisement lists several breeds in one submission.
3. NEVER buy your pet from a pet shop, because millions of dogs are sold through a “middleman” to local pet shops with diseases from the mills.
To be one hundred percent sure you never buy a dog from a puppy mill, the best option would be to adopt your new companion from an animal shelter.
Animal Shelters in the Folsom Area
- Sacramento SPCA
Location: Sacramento, CA 6201 Florin-Perkins Rd.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (916)504-2854
- Placer SPCA
Location: Roseville, CA 150 Corporation Yard Rd.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (915)782- 7722
- Sacramento Independent Animal Rescuers
Location: Folsom, CA
E-mail: [email protected]
