Another Puppy Mill Busted

This one was here in Iowa. That is great news, There were 88 dogs in all with many suspected of being pregnant; this makes my heart break. Many were cocker spaniels. I love cocker spaniels. We had several when I was a kid. I remember when we got our first one. My dad brought it home in a picnic basket. So cocker spaniels bring back special memories for me, especially black ones, as ours were.

Don't forget people, places like these are where puppies in pet stores come from. Thankfully they are becoming fewer as more people are becoming aware of where they exist. The people who run these places are just as bad and cruel as those who raise dogs for fighting.

One of the shelters that helped in the rescue yesterday was the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. They do a lot of good. On Facebook, they showed one of the dogs, a black male cocker spaniel they rescued before he was cleaned and groomed. That poor dog, his fur was so matted with doggy waste that it looked like he had giant tumors hanging off of him. How people can do this is beyond me. Yes, I know they're in it for the money, but they don't have to keep the dogs in such deplorable conditions. But I know, they don't care just so long as those poor dogs reproduce so that they have puppies to sell. They will have their special place in hell along with the ones who raise dogs for fighting.

Apparently puppy mills are not uncommon here. Who are the people buying these puppies? Are they all pet shops doing the buying? I have a hard time believing that. If these people with these dogs in conditions like those ones rescued yesterday called themselves "breeders" and people were going and buying the puppies and saw those conditions, why didn't they call the authorities? I'm hopeful that's how the authorities got wind of this one, but I don't know. I would hope that a responsible person did just that. Please, if you suspect that someone is running a puppy mill, call the authorities.

There are so many purebred dogs in shelters across the country. Before you go to a breeder, check out your local shelter, you may come home with the perfect dog, even if it isn't a purebred. As the ASPCA says, "If you can't decide between a Shepherd, a Setter or a Poodle, get them all. Adopt a mutt!" I personally am fond of them. :) But in all seriousness, don't buy from pet shops, you don't know where those puppies came from and don't buy from so called "breeders" who keep their dogs in deplorable conditions, instead, turn their asses in to the authorities.