Puppy Mills - Part 2

Before I had the honor of meeting my two guests, Zaron Van Meter and Stefanie Mowrey, the information I had about puppy mills was based on second hand knowledge. I also learned a lot from a book that a client/friend gave to me entitled, “The Doggie in the Window” by Rory Kress, pictured below. My very first exposure to the existence of puppy mills happened about 25 years ago. I remember exactly where I was. I had just finished playing tennis with a weekly women’s league. We were all talking in the lobby of the North Olmsted Rec Center. One of the ladies was asking for signatures on a petition that had to do with puppy mills and the welfare of the puppies born and raised in them. Someone had to explain to me what puppy mills were. I was horrified to say the least.My Exposure to Puppy MillsI am originally from upstate New York. I thought at the time that the existence of puppy mills was an Ohio issue. I was in disbelief anyone could treat dogs with anything but love. Jump ahead 25 years, I never dreamed I would have a venue such as this podcast to spread awareness of this sensitive subject. Additionally, to be able to host two dedicated dog advocates who are fighting for more effective and efficient enforcement of legislation protecting the welfare of dogs in high volume dog breeder facilities, known as puppy mills. Zaron and Stefanie have taught me so much about the regulations puppy mills are supposed to adhere to and the current oversight that exists. In both episodes of our podcast, they talk about this and the effects puppies and dogs have after growing up in a puppy mill. It is not just the physical, but also the mental toll it takes on them. Before I became a dog trainer in 2012, I volunteered at the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter for almost a year. I knew that I wanted to work with dogs and thought this would be a good way to get hands-on experience with all types of dogs. I don’t ever remember anyone telling me that certain dogs were from a puppy mill. When I look back on that experience knowing what I know now, I think about particular dogs behaving in a way that could have indicated they were distrustful of humans for one reason or another, or they were from a puppy mill. We were told to just put the bowl of food in their crate and not to take them out for a walk. They were terrified and shaking. Their pupils were dilated and they were practically glued to the back of the crate. As I mentioned to Zaron and Stefanie, there was a computer station at Petco when I started working there in 2012 that allowed customers access to websites selling dogs. The general consensus was that this was a great idea - better than buying a dog from the newspaper, like my family and I did with our Corgi, Hank. By the time I left, the computer was gone. We weren’t told why. We all assumed that it was because it didn’t work anymore. However, Zaron and Stefanie revealed to me that puppy mill breeders can also be licensed brokers. They could be the ones selling these cute puppies online or part of a network of high volume dog breeders. When I think about certain dogs I trained in obedience classes, they too could have come from puppy mills. No one ever told me they knew they adopted a dog from a puppy mill. I recall soon after I was hired at Petco, I asked the dog trainer I replaced if he thought dogs could have “a screw loose”. I don’t really remember his answer. At that time, I was experiencing a young dog that was so out of control and unpredictable that nothing worked. One minute he was happy go lucky and the next minute he was attacking whoever had the leash, even his owner. The owner purchased the dog to be a therapy dog. Well, the dog ended up getting rehomed and the owner’s dream dashed of making him a therapy dog. At the time, I chalked that one up to my inexperience as a dog trainer. Current notoriety of puppy mills When I think about the dog I tried to train at Petco with the knowledge I have now, there was something wrong with the dog. Perhaps the dog’s behavior was due to poor breeding and was possibly from a puppy mill. Today, it is more and more common to hear that people knowingly adopt a puppy or dog from a puppy mill. Individuals at shelter and rescue agencies, including Stefanie, are familiar with the urgency that arises when breeders surrender unwanted dogs or puppies to a shelter. This situation occurs after breeders receive a two day notice of an inspection. Please refer to her story in Part 1 about the Rottweiler puppy she adopted within the past two years. It has reached a point where rescue agencies are tapped out. Volunteers and fosters are in short supply. There are just too many dogs being born that are suffering due to the lack of care inside these puppy mills. Additionally, the people who rescue or purchase them can