Puppy+Mills+8-503

P.S.122Q 8-503, Puppy Mills, Obadiah, Ahnaf, Minyoung, Ted

Puppy mills are the problem that our group is attempting to deal with. Generally speaking, puppy mills are when people mass-produce breeds of dogs. However, while some are legal and have good conditions, other puppy mills have horrid conditions, and many end up dying or seriously ill. The issue is widespread, with the problem existing throughout the country. As serious as the problem is, puppy mills are still almost never inspected, letting this problem continue. Our government should be more involved in this issue, and so should the community, since both are affected.

Puppy mills have many negative effects on our community. These are caused by people trying to make a profit from these puppies and do not make any effort to keep the puppies healthy. The effects for the puppies are that they are usually very ill when and if they leave the mill. Also, it is likely that the puppies may die. Puppy mill puppies are sold at 99% of all pet stores. Most communities are unaware, and buy puppy mill puppies without even realizing. In a recent survey taken by middle school students in P.S. 122, about 30% said that they didn’t even know what a puppy mill was. When people in these communities buy a sick puppy from a pet store, the pet store is not responsible for it anymore, and the sick puppy is forced onto you regardless of how much you paid for the dog. This is very serious, as many people may just abandon them.

According to www.awarenessday.org 4-5 million animals die in shelters like puppy mills annually. About 11,000 animals are killed every day including dogs. The government should be taking care of this problem because there are facilities that deal with animal abuse, and puppy mills definitely fall into the category of abused animals. The level of government that deals with this issue is the state’s department of agriculture. The state should be the level of government to deal with this issue because some states have different views on puppy mills, but every state should pass a law that sends a person to check at least annually, if not more often.

This problem is hard to solve with just one person. The whole community should take responsibility and help end this problem. The people who should take responsibility are the puppy mill owners as they are the ones causing this problem in the first place, but the government should get some blame as well. Differing opinions do exist in the community because some people believe that some breeds might be endangered if it wasn’t for puppy mills, but that doesn’t support the horrible conditions these dogs are forced to live in. Some groups have formed to end the cruelty of puppy mills, such as the ASPCA and PETA, which are against cruelty to animals, including the cruelty suffered at puppy mills. The advantages of these organizations are that they have public support, which makes it easier to work towards their goals, and it provides them volunteers, keeping some costs down. The disadvantages however, are that they don’t have as much money for this cause as they need, and rely on adoptions and people to care for the animals themselves.

The government has not done much about this issue, but they have made some progress. Only 38 states however, take a strong stand, while 12 states are considered “full” of puppy mills. Some states do regularly check on puppy mills, but 7 U.S. states are almost never checked for illegal puppy mills, making this a big problem. Other organizations like the Humane Society, PETA, and ASCPCA check for illegal animal abuse in puppy mills rather than the government because they seek to end puppy mills. They do get some government support, but they are mostly independently run.

Puppy mills are basically torture to dogs that are unlucky enough to be born or brought there. We also know that puppy mills span the entire United States, making this a national problem. The government and other groups cannot stop the horror of puppy mills without support from the community. If we give support to our local and state associations to prevent this, we can put an end to puppy mills to the best of our ability. Sources:

The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society of the United States : The Humane Society of the United States. 23 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. []

Puppy Mill Awareness Day - Awareness Day Is the Home for. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. .

Puppy Mill Policies The problem of puppy mills is they are cruel to animals that are exposed to them. Our group has researched diff erent policies to limit the puppy mill trade and eventually get the problem under control. One policy that several state governments use to hinder puppy mills is that it is illegal to sell puppies that are under 8 weeks old, making puppy mills have to slow down sales. Hobby breeders who breed puppies correctly brought up this policy this policy proposes that puppies can only be sold after a certain age, usually 8 weeks in the states that enforce this policy. However, this policy is only in effect in 20 states, still allowing a majority of the U.S. to sell puppies well before it is healthy for the puppies to be sold. This law went into effect at different times, mostly before 2006. Puppies must stay with their mothers for a few weeks to maintain health, but puppy mills sell the puppies instead of waiting. This policy helps us identify dogs that have been sold before 8 weeks old, helping the authorities find potential puppy mills. Most states have different consequences, with most charging a misdemeanor, with a fine ranging from 50-2000 dollars, or a month in jail. This policy, as all policies, has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that puppies that are sold before 8 weeks old are most likely puppy mill puppies, helping us track down the puppy mills. Also, it helps the authorities prevent cruel owners as a bonus. The disadvantages of this would be that not all states have adopted this policy and some states continue to have puppy mills. The individuals or groups that support this policy are groups such as the ASPCA that fight for animal rights. These groups can easily find a puppy mill if a puppy under 8 weeks is sold, since most puppy mills do sell before 8 weeks. Groups that may be opposed to this law are obviously the puppy mill owners; they want to sell puppies as quickly and early as possible. Also, pet stores may be opposed to this because they want young puppies to sell, and 4 week olds are cuter than an 8 week old for example. Another policy that exists to help combat puppy mills is Act 119, which was successfully passed by Pennsylvania in October 8, 2008. This policy states that puppy mills must provide larger cages for the dogs, and makes it illegal to put chicken wire on the bottom of these dog cages. They also require mandatory exercise time outside and care by a trained veterinarian. The advantages of this policy are that it helps prevent cruelty to puppies in these mills and also gives these dogs even more benefits, such as health care and exercise, which may never have been provided before Act 119. Also, some other states such as California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Florida followed Pennsylvania and passed laws similar to this. The disadvantages of this policy however, are that some puppy mills don’t follow this law, even though it was passed. Also, these dogs are still legally allowed to be kept inside their cages for long periods of time, even with the exercise requirement. The consequences of breaking this law are fines of 300-500 dollars per day of breaking the law. The groups that would be opposed to this law are the puppy mill owners, as they just want to have as much profit as possible, but Act 119 limits the amount of profit by having to give these puppies care and exercise. Also, pet stores might be opposed to this since puppy mills might raise their prices on the puppies that they sell to the puppy mills. In conclusion, many laws and policies have been put in place to help limit puppy mills. 40% of all states have passed the law making it illegal to sell puppies younger than 8 weeks, which is good progress. However, more than half of all states still allow selling of puppies at any age. The U.S. has made large progress about puppy mills, but there is still much more to be done.

Sources: How Old Should a Puppy Be before Being Sold?" Crooked Creek Cairn Terriers. 26 Sept. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. . "Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture." Kennel Licensing. Web. 04 Mar. 2011.

"Pennsylvania Dog Laws." Michigan State University College of Law. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. .

Puppy Table." Michigan State University College of Law. Web. 11 Mar. 2011..

Essay 3: Act 119: Cons and Pros The public policy that our group believes is the best to deal with puppy mills is Act 119. This act, passed by Pennsylvania, has also been passed by a few states, but not all of the states have passed this act, with most still allowing puppies to be cruelly treated. However, we have supported a few changes to the public policy. According to, Act 119, it is illegal to put chicken wire on the bottom of cages, puppies must get larger cages, and they must receive mandatory exercise, and be cared for by a trained veterinarian. We propose that we change the law so that the dogs are only allowed in their cages at night, when they’re supposed to sleep, and a maximum of 3 hours during the day. The way we can combat these puppy mills is by making all puppy mills register with the current state they’re in. They must register every year, and if a puppy mill is found that hasn’t been registered, it will be shut down. Also, the authorities must check every puppy mill registered every 3 months, without any warning given to the puppy mill owners. The advantages of this policy are that dogs get much more benefits, such as outdoor time, exercise, and they actually get cared for by a trained veterinarian, which would've never been provided without this law going into effect. Also, they get more comfortable and larger cages. By having inspections these dogs are looked over more. This means that dogs in puppy mills are most likely healthy and safe from diseases. Owners of puppy mills will be less likely to mistreat dogs such as neglect. The disadvantages of this public policy are that after the mandatory exercise, they are still allowed to be kept inside their cages for the entire remainder of the day. Another disadvantage is that now, puppy mills don't always follow this law where it was passed, and they continue to illegally keep their puppy mills running without adhering to these rules. This may continue despite our efforts. The level of government that this public policy applies to is the federal government. This public policy is at this level because 60% of U.S states have not yet passed this law. If this were a federal policy, then it will apply to all states in the U.S., and every single puppy mill. Our proposed public policy is completely constitutional. It does not limit any rights given by the constitution. This policy, instead of protecting humans, protects puppies from their human abusers in puppy mills. If violations are found or the puppy mill owners refuse to show the full contents, than the puppy mill can be searched by the government or shut down, with fines applying for every dog that’s breaking this law. This is why we support this revised public policy of Act 119.

"Age to Sell Puppy Table." Michigan State University College of Law. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. < [] >.

"Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture." Pennsylvania State Agriculture. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. < [] >

Min Young Ted Obadiah Ahnaf Essay 4 Draft 3 8-503 Some ways to get our policy adopted by the country is to make multiple petitions around major sites of puppy mills and other official buildings involved with the breeders and people responsible for puppy mills. These petitions will be presented to the government/officials such as members of the HUA so they realize the problems faced at puppy mills. We will try to get support from the general public and other animal rights groups by revealing to them the horrors of these mills so they allow people to better trust our efforts of stopping puppy mills. We will expand on the freedoms of the puppies so some breeders won’t try to find loopholes in our policy. Some people that would support our policy are animal rights groups such as ASPCA, PETA, and The Humane Society. All of these animal rights groups will support us because they have wanted to get rid of puppy mills for a long time. They believe that it is unjust to treat puppies with such horrible mistreatment and disregard for safety. We will get these groups to support us by writing detailed letters about the conditions of puppy mills and making several public service announcements. We will inform these groups and other people what states such as Pennsylvania and other puppy mill states do to animals. We can also inform New York's senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, about puppy mills. We can also send letters to Peter Vallone Jr, and Colbie Caillat, who is a famous singer who opposes puppy mills. Some people/groups that may oppose our policy are the owners of puppy mills and big dog breeding industries and select breeders. Most of these people know that the dogs that they are breeding and selling are from puppy mills and are treated horribly. By creating this law, we are cutting off some of the business. This may cause many breeders to not have enough demand and too much supply of puppies. This will cause more opposition to our policy. Pet stores that also sell puppies will also lose business because 99% of their puppies come from these puppy mills. Because some puppy mills will be shut down due to poor conditions, many pet stores won’t be selling puppies to the general public. Colbie Caillat, a famous musician, has taken a strong stand against puppy mills and we will send her a detailed letter of our policy to help raise support. Other influential members of the government we can talk to are Peter Vallone Jr, and our senators.To overcome their opposition, we will inform them the good that our law does for their business if they follow it. Our law states that if a puppy mill has bad conditions for the dogs, then they can be shut down or fined. But, if these puppy mills have nice, clean, and exceptional conditions for the puppies contained within them, then they don’t get a fine or get shut down. Also, by getting these fines, the puppy mill owners will realize that they are losing business by having these horrible living quarters, so they hopefully will have better standards. This way, pet stores wont lose business. The fines collected from these illegal puppy mills will go to helping fine and shut down other illegal puppy mills. Our policy will help everyone that encounters it. It will make Pennsylvania and other states a better place to live for puppies all over. Also, many groups and people will support it and spread it to the public so the law can get more publicity and support. Act 119 will affect dog lovers all over the world and make their dogs and other dogs happier than ever.

Sources:

"Pennsylvania Dog Laws." //Michigan State University College of Law//. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

"Puppy Mills | PETA.org." //People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights// // Organization | PETA.org //. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. .

National Geographic. Web. 19 May 2011. .