Puppy breeding kennels
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Dr. Michael Fox
December 2014

Question for Dr. Fox

If we addressed the issue of puppy breeding kennels would that not reduce the number of dogs in animal shelters? My children bought a dog on line from a breeder in the Midwest, dog had health issues so they contacted the breeder and Vet that had checked the dog. The breeder did not return calls and in trying to locate Vet they found that the country had 38 breeders listed. We are happy to have this great little dog with all her problems as we are sure had we not purchased her she would have been destroyed.

Answer from Dr. Fox

The only way to reduce all the cats and dogs, puppies and kittens awaiting adoption in shelters across the country is to close down the cat and dog commercial breeding facilities and for people to go to the shelters and adopt an animals rather than stupidly and impulsively purchasing on-line from a commercial breeder.

Puppy mills are notorious for marketing pups whose health is compromised and genetic background rife with potential life-long health problems. Many such animals finish up being euthanized or put up for adoption in shelters because they are too much trouble/expense.

The only time to go online to possibly find a companion animals is to go to a reputable animals shelter website or specific cat or dog breed-adoption network. Purchasing a purpose-bred purebred or 'designer' breed cat or dog on line is the height of idiocy when common sense calls for seeing what the parents are like, temperament-wise, and how well the animals are being cared for.

Your children just gave more support to an industry that should be abolished.


Dr. Michael W. Fox is a well-known veterinarian, former vice president of The Humane Society of the United States, former vice president of Humane Society International and the author of more than 40 adult and children’s books on animal care, animal behavior and bioethics. He is also a graduate veterinarian from the Royal Veterinary College, London, whose research lead to a PhD (Medicine) and a DSc (ethology/animal behavior) from the University of London, England.


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