Op-ed: Is Dog Breeding Unethical?
A Deep Dive Into the Immoral Puppy Mills and BreedersA Deep Dive Into the Immoral Puppy Mills and Breeders
May 1, 2023
Written by Becky Rookard
There are more than 500,000 dogs in San Diego County alone, according to the San Diego Humane Society. Dogs are the top pet in America for many reasons, loyalty and companionship, health benefits, and more. The Humane Society of the United States reported there is an estimated 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S., both licensed and unlicensed.
A puppy mill is a commercial breeding facility where that prioritizes profit over animal warfare. Hundreds of puppies are kept here at a time until they are later sold to pet stores or other pet-selling companies.
Puppy mills are unethical. According to ASPCA, puppy mills are overcrowded and provide poor living conditions for the animals, they are unsanitary and dogs are often kept in small cages and denied proper exercise, socialization, and veterinary care. Due to the poor living conditions and lack of proper care, dogs in puppy mills are at high risk for a variety of health problems, including infectious diseases, genetic disorders, and malnutrition.
The Human Society of the United States continues to mention female dogs are often bred repeatedly until they can no longer produce puppies, and their offspring are often sold to pet stores and online retailers without proper health screenings or care.
Animal shelters are becoming overpopulated, and the idea of having a purebred is ideal for American pet owners. According to Best Friends Animal Society, Puppy mills contribute to pet overpopulation by producing large numbers of puppies for sale without regard for the actual demand for pets. This results in many animals being surrendered to shelters and rescued or abandoned.
Besides puppy mills, there are average breeders who on average carry one litter. Oftentimes these breeders focus on furthering the specific breed and if the breeder is a trustworthy one, they perform more extensive veterinary care for both the mothers and the puppies.
The main difference between breeders compared to puppy mills is that puppy mills care about profit and profit alone. Puppy mill purchases do not take place in person, they are mostly online through sketchy websites or Craigslist and similar websites. Although animals in the home of a breeder may be in better health shape, this level of breeding still does not help the issue of overcrowding in animal shelters.
The ASPCA estimates approximately 6.5 million dogs and cats are taken into shelters, many of which are over capacity. In previous years, shelters have taken on the overpopulation issue by killing dogs that were in their care. Although many shelters have implemented a no-kill policy, according to USA Today this “no-kill” policy leaves the overcrowding issue worse and worse. Puppies may also be a result of overcrowding in animal shelters because, with a limited number of rooms and cages, it could be easier for animals to reproduce.
When you adopt from an animal shelter you are saving that animal’s life, as well as leaving room for another animal to thrive. According to ASPCA “By adopting from your local shelter or rescue, you are giving back to your community instead of helping cruel breeders profit.”
One of the most important things that need to be done before adopting a pet is making sure thorough research is done. A lot can be learned about an animal’s personality and lifestyle through their breed, finding the right one for you and your life is crucial. Once the ideal qualities about the pet are found, it is almost always possible to find them in a shelter in or around your local community.
Overall, puppy mills are one of the most dangerous ways that puppies come into this world. The innocent animals are suffering days into their life and then stripped away from their mothers so that the puppy mill can make a profit. This is wrong. Breeding, although better than puppy mills contribute to overcrowding in animal shelters. No dog should be forced to reproduce for the benefit of others, imagine this was reversed and humans were forced to reproduce. This is wrong. Breeding and Puppy mills are not ethical.
For more information about animal shelters in your area, visit https://www.petfinder.com/animal-shelters-and-rescues/search/ to find animal welfare groups and rescue centers nearby.
Sources Used:
https://www.petfinder.com/animal-shelters-and-rescues/search/
https://www.aspca.org/news/10-reasons-adopt-shelter-dog
