Puppy mill

They're my boys, man.

The Amish are famous for puppy mills, especially in the state of Iowa.

Did I know that? Yeah.

All

Bailing Out Benji-

I will use my voice because they don't have one, and I will keep doing it until there are no more puppy mill dogs.

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to this week's episode of Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills.

I'm Mindy Callison, and I am sitting here today with Cassie Sampson, the owner of East Village Spa, and Abby Strong, the owner and founder of Abby's Pet Care.

And technically, C- Cassie, you are the founder of East Village Spa as well, so three women founders on this call.

It's heavy conversation-

Yeah

... um, when we talk about breeding facilities and puppy mills.

So.

Now, if a dog is taken away from his mother too soon or her mother too soon and put in a cage and treated like we see puppies treated when it comes to puppy mills-

Yeah

... then you have a dog that will be overly timid, overly aggressive, and, uh, and often will suffer-

I don't remember

... it's coming from puppy mills.

And what is a puppy mill exactly?

Well-

I will use my voice because they don't have one.

And I will keep doing it until there are no more puppy mill dogs.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of Truth, Lies, and Puppy Mills, Bailing Out Bingees podcast.

I'm Kristen.

I'm here with Mindy.

And today we are talking about some very interesting news out of the USDA this week.

Yeah, we were kind of celebrating earlier this week.

The USDA surprised the world with a press conference where they decided to lay out their plan to crack down on puppy mills, dog fighting, and animal testing.

Good morning.

John, for folks that may not know, explain to them what exactly is a puppy mill and what are the conditions like for the animals inside?

A puppy mill is a commercial dog breeding kennel that is mass producing puppies for the pet trade.

And there are plenty of responsible breeders out there, but that's not what a puppy mill is.

A puppy mill is going to have mother dogs and a smaller number of father dogs.

They're just locked in these tiny enclosures where they're going to spend $6,000.

seven years just being bred repeatedly over and over and over again.

And when you see that cute puppy in the display case at the vet store, you've got to ask yourself, where is that puppy's mother? And what kind of conditions is that puppy's mother living in?

Can you just share what the thought process was behind a children's book on a puppy mill dog?

Yep, I'm happy to.

As a veterinarian for several now decades, I've seen a number of animals that have come out of puppy mills.

And for those in the audience who may not know, puppy mills are large commercial breeding facilities where the owners prioritize profit over the physical and emotional wellbeing of the animals.

And so these dogs live, the breeding dogs live in cages or small enclosures throughout the entirety of their lives with virtually no enrichment.

And they just pump out litter after litter after litter And it's been a pet peeve of mine or a soapbox issue of mine because I'd see these animals who I couldn't fix.

They thought they were getting, you know, the puppy of a lifetime.

And instead, they have a pup that I can't fix or will require thousands of dollars of medical care.