Just what is a puppy mill?
A puppy mill is . . . .
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The term "Puppy mill" means different things to different people:
Is a Puppy Mill. . .
A place where several breeds of dogs are raised and the breeder always has puppies for sale?
A dirty, trashy place where one or several breeds of dogs are kept in deplorable conditions and puppies are always available?
A place where a single breed of dog is raised in acceptable conditions and puppies are always available?
A place where lots of dogs are raised, where breeding is done solely for financial gain rather than protection of breed integrity, and where puppies are sold to brokers or to pet stores?
All of the above?
The answer depends on who you ask. . . .
A hobby breeder dedicated to promoting and protecting a particular breed or two might consider all of the above "breeders" to be puppy mills. Animal shelter and rescue workers who deal daily with abandoned dogs might agree. Operators of clean commercial kennels, licensed by the US Department of Agriculture, will strongly disagree, for the very mention of "puppy mill" damages their business and that of the pet stores they deal with.
John Q Dog Owner probably thinks of puppy mills as those places exposed on "20/20" or "Geraldo". They have seen the cameras pan back and forth over trash, piles of feces, dogs with runny noses and oozing sores, dogs crammed into shopping carts and tiny coops, rats sharing dirty food bowls and dry dishes. They've seen the puppy mill owner captured on tape, dirty, barely articulate, and ignorant of dog care, temperament, genetic health, or proper nutrition. He's belligerent, too, demanding to be left alone to earn his livelihood.
But is the television crew simply seeking the sensational and applying these appalling conditions to the entire dog producing industry? Just what is a
If one breeds then one should rescue. These people are ignorant and just in it for money and are clueless about dogs and breeding and obviously don't care who ends up with them, in most cases a shelter for eventual euthanasia. Shame on people to promote puppy mills.
Want a purebred dog then get one from a reputable breeder or a rescue or go visit a shelter. Boycott backyard breeders, pet shops, puppy mills.
It is sad to see this person get published , and even sadder that his "mother" helps. Your mag. should do better research on puppy mills and how dogs get into the shelters.
Please do a follow up explaining the horror of puppy mills and what happens to many of these little dogs when they are not so cuddly anymore. This young man needs to be told the truth about what may be happening to these little ones
This child, while he should be commended for his entrepreneurial leanings, is probably not aware of the awful treatment of animals at puppy mills. Really, in my mind, shame on his mother for not helping him research this business before going forward. Had they done any research, they would have realized how inhumane this industry can be. Mom should have taught her son that one must consider ethics and non financial ramifications before the irreverant pursuit of the almight dollar.
This must STOP !! We must protect these pups!! Too many dogs already living in terrible, horrible conditions,too many already in need of loving, forever homes that rescues are so full of,,,many have to be put down . We must STOP these puppy mills and prosecute these ignorant people that want profit for themselves only...and I consider this a crulity issue that must be treated as such.
PEOPLE should know better than to encourage someone like this. Like so many his age he has no conscience of what is right or wrong. When he grows up he'll probably be selling babies.
You have done an extreme disservice to your readers in promoting this specific Teen Titan. Please consider running an article about resuce organizations.
Very upsetting! Puppy Mills must be shut down! People Magazine needs to do some research on puppy mills...I wonder how many of the dogs this boy in the article land up in rescue!!!!!
"Businesses" like Cuddlypuppy just add to the overpopulation of unwanted dogs in this country. There have been thousands of dogs put to sleep in shelters because they weren't wanted any more. People Magazine should publish an article denouncing puppymills and advocating dog adoption.
It is time to stop this torture for these poor female dogs. I hope they will be punished by G-D when they will meet him... Unfortunately these
best (people) are the worth ennemy of the animal. ENOUGH SUFFERING AND MASS PRODUCTION TO MAKE PUPPIES SHOP RICHER
I can't believe that a magazine that I have always trusted as reputable would even run this kind of story! I'll be questioning your authenticity from now on. Now I know why they market you next to 'the enquirer'.
Shame on you for promoting a unique form of juvinal deliquency! May I suggest your magazine print a humane story, and make a sizeable contribution to an animal shelter that cares/rather than exploits animals.
How disgusting.He's no entrepereneur,any idiot with out a conscious,can do what he is doing.And his mother must be totaly with out a conscious as well.And it does not say much for the class of people who are doing the writing and editing for the magazine.I will no longer be buying it for casual reading.
Have you ever been to a puppymill or a puppymill auction? These babies are treated with less humanity than a lamb being led to slaughter at least they don't endure years of pain and suffering of being kept in cages with no room to move, full of filth with no regard to pain and suffering. Imagine going blind from the stench of ammonia from the days weeks and years of urine being left at your feet. Imagine your babies being taken from you everytime you give birth. Imagine having your jaws intentionally broken because you nipped at someone for taking your babies to early. Why don't you read the poem
"How Could You", maybe then you will see what happens to these babies due to breeders and just plain irresponsible pet ownership. I hope that you print the poem in you next issue along with the other side of the story of what happens when you have irresponsible for profit breeders and pet owners.
THESE BABIES ARE NOT COMMODITIES.
HOW COULD YOU!!!!!!!
Rebecca
Tamarac, FL
Shame on you, People's magazine for promoting puppy mill mentality in this country! This boy is a monster, not a hero. Hopefully if he understands what kind of disservice he is doing to the helpless animals that he is selling, he will stop. I know that I thought better of your magazine before this article!
You should do your homework before publishing an article like this. I can't believe they are doing this, much less selling the puppies so young: "Puppies are released on our website at 5-7 weeks of age." It's against the law in Colorado (and many other states) to buy, sell, trade, or give away a puppy before 8 wks old. Why would your magazine endorse someone who is breaking the law?
Denise Dawson, CPDT
I would like to know where these puppies come from and I can bet they are from puppy mills. Those of us who work in rescue and get these poor dogs who have lived in cages their whole lives being puppy factories, who do not even know what a toy is or what it is to be petted and loved. Shame on you for encouraging this! This is a live - not a commodity to be massed produced and shame on people who buy these puppies and encourage this travesty.
Someone said to me once... whatever breed you like, they will eventually show up in Rescue, just wait. So far from my work with rescues, I now fully believe this statement. Anyone wanting an animal should go to petfinders.com or work with local rescue groups, the breed you want will show up.. just wait.
This is horrible and this kid is irresponsible and has no reguard for life - - People Mag should have done their homework and I hope that they will do the right thing and do a retraction or show what this kid is really doing to the fur babies and the prices that he is charging is a profit of over 1000% of what he has paid for the puppies from the puppy mills.
Yes, it is disgusting that such an insensitive, greedy kid, plus family, is being featured in People Magaine, but it doesn't really surprise us that the mag would do this as we've noticed over the years that People features some pretty plastic, insensitive, thoughtless and crass stories just to make money. I quit subscribing a long time ago because People's stories seem to be going the way of yellow journalism, sensationalism. This story's one more example of such.
Ok....this kid is 16 years old, and perhaps is ignorant of how puppy mills are run, and what the breeding stock is like....People magazine is too worldly to not know. But what a contribution to animals and mankind to use their pages to educate the public.
Do you know these poor dogs can be sold to anyone without proper screening? They could be going to puppy mills, labs, heaven only knows! There must be a followup article on the puupymill - pet store tragedy happening.
Please investigate the plight of these dogs. You need to do a follow-up article. Puppy mills are horrible for the dogs and many people who buy these dogs end up giving them to shelters due to the high incidence of health issues and socialization issues. Making money off of puppy mill dogs is an atrocity, not a business to be praising.
absolutely terrible. poor little puppies. he even sells them too young. if he loves animals so much he should be promoting rescues and helping out at shelters.
It's obvious you didn't do your homework regarding the millions of animals in shelters/pounds/rescue/fo stercare that are waiting for homes. All this article and this venture does is promote further overpopulation of unwanted, abandoned animals. How could you be so naive and promote this venture. It's nothing short of supporting puppymills!
What you thought was a good, benign human interest story is nothing more than a horrible acknowledgement by your magazine that this is OK!!! It is a puppy mill and you need to investigate and do a new story about the horrors or puppy mills.
AFter having done rescue for over 20 years, I have taken in way too many of these "cuddly puppies" after people didn't want them anymore, or after they wouldn't stop pottying in the house, or after they chewed up one too many household items. People don't know what they are getting into with a particular breed unless they have an experienced, responsible breeder to talk to them frankly about the temperament of that breed and what to expect. PLEASE do not make puppy-milling into an aspiration for young people. Animals are living, breathing, feeling creatures and should not be carelessly bought and sold for the sake of the almighty dollar.
Shame on you People Magazine! It is imperative that you run an article showing the horrors of puppy mills. This child has no business being praised for this type of entreprenurialship.
Does Mr. Hampson know the conditions the dogs are coming from? Being a "pet store", does he realize his suppliers are required to have a USDA license to sell dogs through his "store"? Has he asked to see their licenses? More importantly, does he know the exact conditions the dogs that are sold are going into? Does he know how many of his dogs are ending up in rescue? Or is he, like other puppy millers, just interested in the almighty dollar? Maybe he should hang out with a few rescue groups for a while to see the messes those of us in rescue have to clean up because of people like him.
places like this should be shut down people like my wife and me carefully check the back grounds of our dogs to make sure of there blood line and we do this not for the money but for the love of our breed and to make sure of good genetices in our puppies this cost more than you will ever make from selling the puppies but we dont care and we are very careful about who our dogs go to unlike people in this ad I hope this boy and his mom get the crap sued out of them and the law catches them and fines them to the full extent of the law
PEOPLE....your reputation is on the line after this one. Let's hope you'll dedicate an entire issue on the pet over population problem, the shelter dogs, the dogs who sit waiting alone and cold and scared in the high kill shelters! And don't forget the relentless work of volunteers and rescue workers!
This boy sounds like a clever and enterprising young man. However, the business he's chosen is thoughtless and cruel, both to the puppies he sells and to all those dogs in and from puppymills. I hope the direction he has taken stems from a lack of education and knowlege, rather than plain heartlessness, and that he turns his skills to a more appropriate business. As for People magazine, who absolutely SHOULD know better--SHAME ON YOU!
It is disgraceful that a national publication would laud such a dispicable way to earn a living. I used to read your magazine each week, and was going to subscribe, not any more.
