To the Editor:

In 2016, the Humane Society of the United States estimated that 1.9 million puppies sold annually originated from puppy mills – large-scale, commercial dog breeding facilities where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs (ACPCA, 2016). These facilities sell puppies to pet stores across the U.S. while consumers unknowingly support this animal abuse with every puppy purchased from a pet store.

Puppy mills provide inferior care for animals. Puppy mill puppies, often as young as eight weeks old, are sold to pet shops or directly to the public over the internet, through newspaper ads and at swap meets and flea markets. In a puppy mill, dogs are often kept in cages with wire flooring that injures their paws and legs – and it is not unusual for cages to be stacked in columns.

The puppy mill model produces a substandard animal which promotes deceptive business practices. Far too many pet store owners and store personnel misrepresent the source of the dogs, almost invariably claiming the dogs come from reputable breeders despite the parent dogs not present onsite and/or failing to produce proper papers to share with prospective buyers. Many behavioral problems, including severe aggression disorders, may also be attributed to puppy mill breeding (International Society for Animal Rights, 2016). Health issues afflicting puppy mill animals are passed on to unsuspecting consumers when buyers pay exorbitant prices for these animals at posh pet shops and then watch their cherished pets die before their eyes. Often, owners pay thousands of dollars as they try in vain to cure these inherent problems (ISAR, 2016) or abandon them to shelters.

Puppy mills are wasteful. The irresponsible practice of repeated breeding leads to more and more dogs who are at risk of euthanasia. An estimated 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized every year (HSUS, May 2016). Additionally, if having a purebred dog is a value for a potential adopter, there are plenty of purebred dogs available at shelters; according to the HSUS, 25 percent of the dogs in shelters are purebred.

Puppy mills encourage the practice of abandoning animals. Promoting shelter adoption keeps the dog population down, thus keeping stray dogs off the street. Additionally, we suggest putting an end to puppy mills will teach future generations to value the life of these companion animals.

Puppy mills require immediate legislative action. All across the United States, cities have successfully passed legislation to limit the sale of dogs from puppy mills. With the recent passage of Goddard’s Law, Ohioans have shown that animal rights are important to us. We now look to Strongsville to join this growing list of concerned cities who are leading the way to end cruel and inhumane practices. Allowing pet stores to continue to sell puppies originating from puppy mills perpetuates animal abuse. We believe man’s best friend deserves better, and we hope you do too.

Margy Autero and Chris Riggi

PUPS Cleveland

Cleveland