From NBC17 RALEIGH, N.C. — Animal advocates converged on the state legislature Thursday to demand a crack down on puppy mills.
Democratic Senator Don Davis of Wayne County is drafting a bill to keep check on large commercial breeders.
Authorities seized 283 dogs from a Mount Olive home last week.
Davis called the conditions at the scene horrible, adult dogs with feces matted in their fur, unsocialized animals roaring in their cages.
“I was not prepared for the magnitude,” said Senator Davis. “It’s believed to be one of the largest cases ever of a puppy mill in our state. Nearly 300 animals in horrible conditions,” continued Davis.
The small breeds will be nursed back to health and adopted out by various rescue agencies throughout the Southeast.
But the scene left an impression on Davis, so he along with the Humane Society, is pushing for legislation to allow random inspections of breeders that have 20 or more adult females.
They also want to cap the number of breeding females people can own.
The definite numbers are still being worked out, but Davis expects to file the bill within two weeks.
“We don’t want legislation to effect your hobby breeders. We don’t want people breeding a couple of dogs a year to think that they are going to be impacted or licensed or inspected by the state,” said Amanda Arrington, the Humane Society’s NC State Director.
To see our entire NBC 17 news story, click on the video clip.
February 15th, 2009 at 9:37 am
This legislation will barely touch the tip of the iceberg…but it is at least a start of awareness in NC and dialogue on this outrageous, inhumane “business” practice. Thanks to Don Davis for having the courage to speak for the innocent victims of puppy mills.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I would like to see all breeders, kennels, hobby breeders and back yard breeders included in the AWA and the puppy mill bill. It’s no wonder the animal shelter is always filled to capacity with unwanted, unloved companion animals. Any breeder who sells to the public should be held accountable. It is often a heartless business, and a haven for tax evaders. Baby steps will not work in our efforts to stop the “cash crop”. Puppy mills are no worse, just bigger, than many breeders in NC. Every one of them should be subjected to inspections. We are the only voice for the animals who suffer daily at the hands of abusers who are accountable to nobody. That is wrong on so many levels! Thank you, Shelby – Unchain Cumberland County
March 8th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I think you should first start cracking down on people who have mut dogs out side chained up, that indiscrimately breed. They are the ones that fill up the Human society. I am a breeder, and I hand raise my dogs, in the house. They are clean and groomed, and loved. Yes there are bad apples in every basket. But this doesn’t mean every one is this way. Crack down on them. Not everyone. I am going to fight this bill just as hard as I can.
March 8th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
This post has good and valuable information, Is nice to see some good articles like this one, thank you.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:39 am
As usual the devil is in the details. How many dogs constitute a breeder? Who has the knowledge to tell if the animals are being appropriately cared for? Who is going to pay the thousands of “inspectors” who are supposed to inspect every so called breeder in the state?
There are cruelty and animal welfare laws already in place, if they were enforced, rather than mandating more state expense, it would be enough. Not difficult to identify the sub standard facilities, they advertise widely, they have to to sell hundreds of puppies. Some high volume breeders are loving, caring, and take great care of the dogs. Other single litter a year people don’t have a clue. It is always a clue that someone may be a miller when they advertise many breeds, usually of toy dogs, designer dogs, etc. Most show and hobby breeders are great, dogs in the house, trained, cared for. If the HSUS has their way there will be no companion dogs left. These are the great breeders who will be forced out of their hobby, not the big producers.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I, too, am a breeder and I can definitely state that my dogs are well kept. We don’t produce a lot of puppies per year, but what we do produce are quality. At our home, the puppies have educational plans that assist with their learning and developmental milestones each week. When one puppy is not performing up to standard, we work harder with that puppy to bring them up to speed. How else do I know we produce quality, you ask? Because we show, we go to judges who know what our breed should look and perform like. Our dogs are groomed every 2 weeks to keep show coats, and I am not just talking getting baths, it’s the whole 9 yards for a long coated dog. Anyone who shows their dogs invest a LOT of money, time and effort in registration fees, show fees, grooming supplies, transportation, hotels and sometimes conferences/education and handler fees. We do it because we love it, but also because that helps evaluate our breeding stock against others, helping keep the standards high. There is a difference in a breeder who just breeds and a breeder who shows and health tests their stock. Ask anyone showing and they will probably tell you that. If we could help place regulations that incorporate health testing results and number of showings attended per year, that might be a good indicator. As serious breeders, we take special precautions not to overbreed, choose who we breed to, perform health testing on parent dogs BEFORE they are bred, breed in a controlled setting, having our males and females tested for sexually transmitted diseases and examine pedigrees prior to breeding a couple of dogs. Yes, some people have equated passionate breeders to the Nazi’s with their control of genetics. We choose who should be bred and for what qualities and traits, spaying /neutering the rest. It would actually help in the human world too, but that would be called inhumane and another issue for another day. I don’t know the answer to helping regulate the abuse, neglect and over taxing burden of bad breeders. Maybe it should be like a real estate person before they can sell real estate they have to attend classes, and have a license saying they know something about what they are doing and in that, that they are only allowed to have a certain amount of dogs, doing away with all of the large breeding facilities. If they have to have USDA license, they are really too big in my book. There should not be a need for that. Those facilities assist in overpopulation of sub-standard unhealthy dogs. That is one reason you see such low prices for those dogs at those facilities. Those facilities are just trying to move a product, not caring about the quality.
I feel like those people who need a USDA license should be inspected on a regular basis, but I also understand that with the crisis of the economy, it’s harder to allocate funds for humans much less dogs/animals. Only creating another bill, micromanages, only needing a structure in which to function along with a BUDGET and employees. If you are trying to create jobs, then that is a possibility, but then how will you pay for it? New or more taxes. I hate to say it, but we are already taxed to death. Why can’t you just make do with what you have in a budget? When evaluating budgets in a household, reality is there are always somethings that have to be put on the back burner. Why shouldn’t that be the case with the government who is in debt by billions/trillions. Right now, government can’t even keep up with inspection demands now, as I understand it. When we can keep up with the work demands to enforce the current bills, rules, laws, then we should create a new one.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Hey! Can I ask what’s this template you are using in your blog? thanks.
May 12th, 2009 at 2:04 am
ohh