Puppy Mills go by many different names; backyard breeders, kitchen breeders, and entrepreneurs etc... It is up to the public including media and buyers to distinguish between people out to make a profit at the expense of animals and professional breeders seeking to uphold breed standards through genetic selection for good health, good personalities etc. Let's educate the public properly!
We don't need to glamorize breeders who are not interested in the improvement of a breed and in finding their puppies loving, committed and responsible homes,
What is the matter People magazine, and what is the matter with this woman. She is teaching her son that all animals except humans are worthless, except for the money that they bring in. How can anyone be so heartless and cruel. I hope that People magazine will step up and do the right thing.
HOW HEART UP FOR A STORY CAN YOU BE! A KID SELLING PATHETIC PUPPY MILL DOGS AND YOU GLORIFY IT. YOU ARE THEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MISERABLE TREATMENT THESE POOR ANIMALS SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF THE PUPPYMILLERS. I WILL NOT BUY PEOPLE UNTIL YOU WRITE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE HORRORS OF PUPPYMILLS AND THE WORK RESCUE GROUPS DO WITHOUT PAY TO UNDO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE GREED OF PEOPLE LIKE TIMOTHY HAMPSON
As a pet trainer, I can attest to the physical and mental deficiencies found all to frequently in animals who came from puppy mills. These "businesses" should be abolished.
Please allow and promote the good and humane existence of the many dog rescue groups in your magazine in response to the article about puppymills which encourage indiscriminate breeding for profit motives.
How this travesty made it past your editors is beyond me. There is a reason this "entepreneur" has his own web site. Even sites like E-Bay would not allow this business to advertise for good reason. It is unfortunate that you provided this individual and his family with free national advertising. Shame on you!
I am a dog breeder. I do not sell dogs unless the owners meet my requirements and we have a face to face. My dogs come with a health guarantee for the first two years of their lives. Responsible breeders are responsible for the dogs they breed for the whole life of that dog, not just for the few weeks it resides with them. People like this give all dog breeders a bad name.
The puppy mill practice MUST BE stopped. In order to do this, the public must be made aware of the horrors that take place in these types of operations.
I'm a small scale breeder of purebred dogs and I microchip all my pups and screen buyers carefully for appropriateness to own a puppy/dog. It's hard for me to believe that NO ONE on the staff of People Magazine recognized the innappropriateness of this teenager's financial venture. No one on your staff saw this as a youthful misdirection?? I'm still stunned. Puppies should not be sold to faceless people with extra cash. If you investigated his sources for these puppies I bet you would have been appalled at the conditions and circumstances in which these animals are raised. Shame on you for supporting puppy milling!
This young boy is being encouraged to become a puppy mill and increase the number of dogs in shelters and being euthanized every single day. Shameless and shame on People Mag for not doing their homework.
People need to know the truth about puppymills and the abuse that these innocent dogs suffer
PLEASE,,,shine the light of truth on this horrid situation!
Please take the time to educate the millions of People you reach each issue about the state of puppy mills and rescue dogs. As a concerned reader this issue should be given equal time. I would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
TO LOVE AN ANIMAL IS TO RESCUE ONE. OBVIOUSLY THE PEOPLE AT PEOPLE MAG DO NOT FEEL THE SAME OR SOMEONE WOULD HAVE STOPPED THIS ARTICLE FROM PRINT. NOW PEOPLE MAG NEED TO CORRECT THEIR MISTAKE AND PROMOTE RESCUES AND RESCUERS AND EDUCATE ON HOW NOT TO EVER BUY AN ANIMAL RESCUE ONE. IT IS THE AMERICAN WAY YOU KNOW!
Puppy mills cause so much pain. The dogs live in horrible conditions and many have lifelong health and behavior problems. I know of one puppy mill dog who had four homes before she was a year old because she was so hyperactive. Another puppy mill dog I know died at the age of three after having seizures for three years. His short painful life is a perfect example of the pain caused by the greed of these breeders.
This "Teen Titan" should spend some time in the shelters and watch the hundereds of pets killed each week. He and his family have total disregard for the care or safety of these poor animals.
it is people after all but being an owner of a rescue dog, breeding for profit is a poor choice. you breed to preserve the breed not to pay for things a teenager wants.
People Magazine should get their facts straight before endorsing Puppy Mills. Do some research. I expect this sort of thing from a rag but from People.
As a member of rescue and seeing the tragedy that comes with pets that have been mistreated and repeatedly bred, I am horrified that you would not only support this puppymill but encourage it by singing its praises.
we need education about the pet industry corruption, now. These incredible animals that can detect cancer or serve our most precious gift of independence by detecting seizures, narcaleptic attacks, etc. should tell us that we need to protect these dogs from torture.
This type of breeding has no care for the animal or the health of any breed. The people involved with such "businesses" are out for money only and not for the care of of the animal or the health of the animal either long or short term. Puppy Mill dogs are the most common type found in rescue for the breed I work with - Keeshond. They suffer with seizures, hip displaysia, temperment problems and many other health issues too numerous to count. The animals in Puppy mills have little to no contact with humans, are unsocialized and are trapped in a life of being only there to make puppies, when they can no longer accomodate the miller the dogs are dumped on to animal shelters and rescue to try and "fix" the problems created.
Years ago being fully unaware of puppy mills, a girlfriend and myself each purchased teacup poodles who must have been taken from its mother too early. Shortly afterward both puppies died. This was one of the most devastating experience I've had in my life.
People Magazine has done a huge disservice to dogs everywhere by promoting puppy mill type breeders. Here's a chance to rectify the situation by helping to educate the public about the evils of puppy mills.
Teen Titans and the like should be made to work 6 months at a shelter and do the dirty work of killing what society throws away! Then gather up all the dead bodies and drag them to the dumpster daily. What a horrible job for these deserving that contribute to it and make money to boot.
People - you just lost a subcription! How do you justify promoting Timothy Hampson as an entrepreneur, when he is directly contributing to the mis-treatment of animals. Perhaps little Mr. Timothy should be taken from his mother to early, thrown into a small, cold cage vunerable to sickness, and shipped to God knows where to live a very very uncertain, possibly horrific future!
As an owner of a dog that was rescued from a puppy mill, I find this kids behavior disgusting. My dog is wonderful, but this boy is encouraging more dogs to be kept in these types of horrible conditions, where many more die than actually end up in good homes.
It is outrageous that a respected magazine like People could condone and promote such an egregious practice as selling puppies without any concern about the qualifications of the prospective purchasers. Please write an article exposing the truth about puppy mills.
It's bad enough when PEOPLE publishes snippets/photos about Star X spending $2000 for a puppy from a pet store, but now to have a whole article dedicated to an ignorant kid who is perpetuating the "animals as merchandise" theory is too much. Shame on you PEOPLE magazine!
Mother and son and anyone else who thinks this is a good thing should be made to visit their local shelter so they can look into the pleading, scared eyes of the many, many animals that end up there through no fault of their own.
