Blog 1

I am currently reading Marley & Me. At one point, the narrator/ author, John Grogan tells the readers about something awful. He remembers that:

"We had read enough to steer clear of the so-called puppy mills, those commercial breeding operations that churn out purebreds like Ford churns out Tauruses. Unlike mass-produced cars, however, mass-produced pedigree puppies can come with serious hereditary problems, running the gamut from hip dysplasia to early blindness, brought on by multi-generational inbreeding". (Grogan, 7)

I did a little research on so-called 'puppy mills'. Apparently, the sellers view these living, breathing animals as cash-crop. So in order to make the most profit, the people who run puppy mills spend hardly any money on taking care of the dogs. The puppies get little or no excersise. Many become 'kennel crazy' and constantly run in circles. They recieve inadequite nutrition. Also, according to Friends of Animals,

"Puppy mills typically confine large numbers of dogs in rows of crudely constructed, over-crowded pens. The floors are constructed of wiring to allow feces and urine to drop to the ground below. This causes discomfort to the animals’ paws. Considered nothing more than breeding stock, mother dogs are forced to have litters at an early age, and kept continually pregnant. Mother dogs are killed when they’re no longer able to produce a profitable litter size."

My question is: what made people think that they could use innocent animals to make their money? Who made humans supirior to animals? The people who run puppy mills should think about how the animals feel. I have been told several times, while arguing my reasons for being a vegitarian, that 'animals are here for us.'. SINCE WHEN??? Humans have no right to use living, breathing animals for money. As Grogan's quote says, puppies from puppy mills are usually very sick. Who do puppy mill owners think they are? It is completely unethical to doom a poor puppy to a life of misery just for a few extra bucks. I think that puppy mills are wrong, and they should be stopped. "Man's best friend" is suffering, we need to help. For more information about puppy mills, go to http://stoppuppymills.org