Often times Rescue will have a former "puppy-mill" dog up for adoption.
OK....So just what is a Puppy Mill?
Puppy Mills are places that mass produce (breed) puppies for the sole purpose of selling them to pet stores, and from online web pages. Often, these mills will have 20-40 different breeds of dogs, and often 40-50 of each breed. Some of the bigger mills will house 1500+ dogs. Conditions are horrible and would shock you. Mills will breed each female every time she comes into season. Puppies and parents are never held, never played with and are seldom given proper vet care. Puppies are taken from their Mom's at a very early age, all so they can be sitting in the pet shop looking adorable when they turn 8 weeks old. Quite often birthdates are forged, so the puppies are younger looking and more appealing to the puppy buyer. As long as the general public keeps buying puppies from pet stores, the mills will continue to produce puppies.
Missouri leads the nation in number of Puppy Mills, followed by Iowa and Pennysylvania.
What can you expect if you adopt a former Puppy Mill dog?
- They will NOT come when you call them. In fact, they will do all they can to get away from you.
- They do not enjoy being touched. Your touch is very scary to them.
- They have never known love.
- They have never lived inside a home, and may not know how to walk up stairs, walk on grass, etc
- They have never been walked on a leash
- They can be difficult to catch, even in your fenced yard. We suggest letting them drag a long line.
- No.... they are not housetrained. (allthough most rescues work on that right away)
- IF they manage to get loose, you will need professional help to catch them. Security is key.
Do these dogs ever become normal?
Yes. It usually takes about a year. It is a wonderful feeling and process rehabbing one of these dogs. And once they do bond with you, it is usually a very strong bond. However rehabbing a puppy mill dog takes a lot of work and patience.
