a couple of questions about puppy mills?

are they illegal?what is so bad about them?are they different from breeders who breed dogs?I am righting a paper on this, I am also searching the internet for info, but I really want to know what you guys think about them.

You are *writing* a paper on this. Just trying to increase your grade, unless your teacher doesn't know how to spell, either.

Go to www.prisonersofgreed.org and start reading

Here is my opinion of them. http://stoppuppymills.org/ and http://prisonersofgreed.org/ That about sums it up. Happy wreeding.

No they are not illegal, but they should be.This is what is so bad about them and why they are different from REPUTABLE breeders:http://www.dogsindepth.com/images/puppy_mill.jpghttp://www.sonomapets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/puppy-mill.jpghttp://dogspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/puppy-mill4.jpghttp://www.okpuppymilltruth.org/images/mill2.jpgReality.

1. Honestly, I'm not sure if they're "illegal" or not... 2. Everything is bad about them. They stuff hundreds of dogs in tiny cages that they can barely move in. The dogs are barely fed, bred over and over again with no break, have damaged paws because of only living on wire, have terrible behavioral problems, are sick, unhealthy, and produce sick and unhealthy pups. When they can no longer breed anymore, the dogs are killed or auctioned off for other purposes. They're not treated as dogs, they're treated as breeding machines. 3. VERY DIFFERENT. Good breeders who breed their dogs know the dogs' history, their pedigree, their temperament, etc. They raise them inside their home as members of their families. They show their dogs and only breed to better the breed. Reputable breeders don't breed to produce pet puppies, they breed to produce show prospects. However, they sometimes do sell pet puppies because not all puppies will be show-able. Good breeders know WHO the puppy is going home to, they know everything about the family, they sell the pups on contracts that state you must spay or neuter the puppy, etc.

1.no, not illegal, sadly2. Puppy mills produce inbred dogs (such as a mother having puppies with her son), causing behavioral problems and serious health disorders.3. Yes. Real breeders have a license, provide regular vet checks, and the closest relatives bred (if any) would be cousins.

The Dept. of Agriculture sets the standards for the licensed breeders. A gov agent is assigned to all of them. These standards equate to the same environment as livestock ... pretty low. So, if the breeder merely abides by the rules (nothing more) folks like to call them puppy mills. Now, let's say the breeder could make 8 positive changes, 4 minor, 4 major and they incorporate 1/2 of them ... still puppy mill? You tell me.Gov sets the standards for legality. If this equates to puppy mill folks should take it up w/ their Congressman.Puppy mill is a generic way for ppl to express their discontent w/ legal commerce.It's a whole different story for folks that breed w/o a license. No one monitors them.

Puppy mills themselves aren't illegal. There are certain standards for cage size, cleanliness, feeding, etc that all commercial breeders have to abide by. If they are in violation of their local laws, then they are illegal, yes. But breeding dogs for profit and selling to pet stores is unfortunately not illegal in and of itself.They over breed and they don't care about the bloodline and may breed sister to brother or father or uncle. They keep them in crowded cages. They feed them cheap dog kibble. They don't care if the dogs they are using are predisposed to ANY HEALTH PROBLEMS, OR HAVE ANY GENETIC PROBLEMS, in regards to HEALTH, TEMPERAMENT, BONE STRUCTURE, ALLERGIES, HEART CONDITIONS, EYE, OR EAR PROBLEM...As long as puppies are born...that's all they care about. They also abuse these poor little animals :'(They are way different from breeders because breeders take care of their dogs, brush and bathe them. They also brush them to give them that shine to their coat. Breeders are (most of the time) to get a certain kind of a dog but If it doesn't come out right then they puppy will still be cared for and treated the same as the puppy that was bred right.Hope I helped!

A puppy mill, sometimes known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care.In some parts of the world they are illegal but in Australia, were I live they are not and I'm not happy about that! >( Although Australia only allows it unless it is appropriate to the conditions. But you never know........The thing that makes puppy mills so bad is that a puppy mill is a business that mass-produces dogs for a profit with minimal regard for the quality and welfare of the animals. Thousands of dogs are bred for profit, valued not for their companionship or for improving the breed, but for the cold hard cash they bring. These producers do not give the puppies the care that they NEED and DESERVE!The adult dogs spend their entire lives in tiny cages in deplorable filthy conditions that promote viruses and disease. These cages are often stacked on top of one another so that the waste from one cage falls into the cage below. Often the dogs go without food or water for days and are likely to be underfed and in poor health. Dogs' lay and sleep in their own excrement on wire bottomed cages that cut into their feet. The most basic grooming care is non existent and their hair grows matted and is often infested with fleas. Skin infections, open wounds, ear and eye infections are common and usually not treated. There have been many reports of dogs rescued from puppy mills with toenails grown around in a full circle because they have never been trimmed. These dogs can barely walk. Breeders would never treat there bitch and puppies this way! they would maintain there health before selling the pups and go to regularly vet checks as well.I hope that you get the word out there about how BAD the puppy mills are and that you do well with your paper!

No, they are not illegal. Dogs are considered property and have the same laws as livestock does. Puppy mills have been shut down before, usually due to an illegal practice of veterinary medicine or failure to abide by standards. They need to have a certain level of cleanliness, cage sizes and the dogs need to be fed and watered. Other than that, it's not illegal to produce mass litters and sell to pet stores. Puppy mills are just plain hell for dogs. Mother and father dogs are kept in tiny crates, sometimes even on wire cages (like a chicken cage) that causes sores and cuts on their feet. They live in their own filth, which cause nasty infections. They rarely receive any real medical care, so infections spread causing major pain for the dog. Never any grooming. The dogs are usually all matted and full of fleas. Mother dogs are bred each heat which is in no way healthy for the mother or the pups. The mother cannot provide enough nutrition time and time again, causing sickly, unhealthy runts. Once they can no longer breed, they're useless and usually just killed.. if they don't die from the poor conditions first. Ever hear of "teacup" dogs? Teacup was a name invented for just these puppies, it is NOT a real term. When the "breeders" noticed all the puppies were sickly runts, they slapped a cutesy name like teacup on it and sold them for twice the price, even though these dogs are unhealthy. Most of these poor dogs never get petted, some don't even know how to walk on solid ground.. and they never know what it's like to live in a home and be loved.. never know what it's like to be a PET which is what most of them were bred for; companionship. Reputable breeding and puppy mills are oh so different. Puppy mills breed for profit. Breeders breed for to better the breed and for the love of the breed. Reputable breeders health test their dogs and finish championships before they're considered breed worthy. Puppy mills don't give a crap about the health of their dogs and whether they meet the breed standard or not. Most of them don't even breed real breeds. They breed mutts like Maltipoos and Labradoodles. Those are MUTTS. You can go to any shelter and find mutts. You can even find purebreds in shelters. So why in the world would people want to go out breeding MORE dogs? Dogs are euthanized every single day because their are simply not enough homes and not enough space for them. It's not fair that people are out breeding their dogs for fun or for money and that people are spending sometimes $500+ on a unhealthy, poorly bred dog when so many are dying. Shelter dogs are just as deserving of a loving home and just as loving as any dog out there. Do not buy pet store pets. You're not "saving" them, you are supporting a horrible "business." If everyone would just stop buying them, puppy mills would be gone.

1) Puppy mills in and of themselves are not illegal. However the way the owners of the mills treat their breeding stock typically IS. Hence why they're disgusting - lack of food, lack of water, lack of veterinary care, home surgeries, home euthanasia..... Then the legal stuff that's just plain immoral such as lack of proper exercise, lack of socialization, etc.2) What's bad about them? They abuse their animals (no vet care, at-home debarking, at home surgeries, at home euthanasia), they neglect their animals (little food/water, no vet care, no socialization), they sell puppies that are physically and mentally unsound (no history of genetic testing, born in squalor).3) Yes they are VERY different from breeders. Reputable breeders rarely have more than three litters per year. Reputable breeders don't sell to shops and do background testing to match pups with people. Reputable breeders are involved in show and/or working events. Reputable breeders train, socialize, and CARE FOR their dogs.When using internet information make sure it's coming from a reputable source - dot com ( .com ) sites are NOT considered reputable by most teachers because anyone can pop one up. Use dot org ( .org ) and dot edu ( .edu ) sites. Only use newspaper articles as references, not as "proof" to back any claim.http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

They are not illegal everywhere. For example, in Canada, there are many (if not all provinces) where it is illegal to have puppy mills, all except for Quebec (which unfortunately is where I am from). On top of that I work in a pet store (despite my love for animals, I strongly question our so called "breeders"). There are different standards for breeders ranging from very good to very poor (you can read about an act from New-Brunswick about conditions of breeders and pet stores). The good breeders are ones who raise they pups in good sanitary conditions, who display no behavioral problems, the breeder is not hiding the parents from the client, has a pedigree for the dog and generally, will stay away from breeding dogs with hereditary diseases (which is shown in the pedigree if there is a disease in that line). Puppy mill owners do not love animals; they are in it only for the money. These dogs are raised in poor sanitary conditions, have viral and hereditary diseases, in most cases do not receive proper vet treatment (vaccinations, operations, deworming, etc). These dogs can be abused and most often have behavioral problems due to poor socialization. Those who are involved in puppy mills are sadly considered as breeders, but of the lowest quality. Only an idiot would even consider buying a puppy from someone who raises their dog in these conditions (unless the person in question feels bad for said dog and wants to save them, then I take back my idiot comment).Pet stores are a strong supporter of puppy mills. I have visited many and there is one on Blvd. Taschereau where they sell ducks in boxes, the kittens had eye infections and look sickly, the sanitation is horrible, so here we see the pet store is no better than the breeder. As for the pet store I work in,I would say I take very good care of "my dogs and cats" (I say 'my' because there are others who work with me who do not think about sanitation and how to handle and care for animals). However, when one of our animals is sick, they are not taken to the vet immediately (why they are sick to begin with, with such diseases as kennel cough, parvo virus which is deadly and highly contagious, not to mention worms, from these so called 'reputable' breeders is beyond me). When a dog doesn't eat, we will try various measures to ensure that the dog eats, but it could take days (which sometimes the dog doesn't have), before the dog is taken to the vet. As for the cats, if a cat is sick, we put it in a rodent cage in the garage and if it has a sickness no one knows of or can diagnose, they put the cat down because the cat is only worth 100$ and the vet bill will surpass that. I know it is horrible of me to work in a pet store where breeders give us sick dogs, dogs that have worms and have hereditary problems, I have never bought an animal from them (besides fish and hermit crabs). All my animals were saved, meaning someone was going to put them down if we didn't take them, and I adopted a cat from the SPCA. As much as people think the conditions are not all that great, they really are. They take excellent of the animals and these people are all volunteers. The health of the animals is much greater at animal shelters than pet stores and puppy mills. There is a great guarantee, you know the animal's behavior already, the animal is operated, vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped. You can even get a purebred animal at these shelters.This is my opinion on puppy mills and I highly support the SPCA, even if I do work in a pet store (please don't think I'm a horrible person, I love animals and am working part time and if a shelter would hire people I would work there in a heart beat, but alas there are no such places near my house).