Unfolding The Horrid Reality About Dog Breeding Business

Dogs have been around us for ages. They are one of the most loyal companions of human beings. But are we human beings good to them? At least the dog breeders have rarely been kind to them. When I learned the truth about the dog breeding business, I felt ashamed. Let me share my knowledge with you.

Definition of a dog breeder

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), any individual using the reproductive process of dogs to earn a profit is a dog breeder.

The dog breeders operate in several sizes; some may be running the operations in their backyard on a small scale, while some ‘industrialists’ run ‘puppy mills’.

Ways in which dog breeders do their business

• In most countries, dog breeders do not follow any law. The breeders bribe the customs officers to smuggle in the dogs through duty-free bags. Foreign dogs are selected and bred in disgustingly dirty conditions. The sole motive of the breeders is to earn more money. Hence, the breeders never care whether they are mating sisters to brothers and daughters to fathers. The breeders thus contribute to bringing thousands of puppies with genetic defects into the world.
• Most of the breeders do not even care to keep the dogs in a healthy environment. They remain in unclean cages where they don’t have enough space to stand and are often tied to trees or poles. The condition leads them to suffer from injuries and illnesses.
• The breeders exploit the female dogs to produce litter every breeding season. Most dogs force mate with other dogs even after they reach the age of eight. When these female dogs wear out and no longer can breed, they are sold or even killed.
• The condition of male dogs is no better. They are used for breeding even before they reach their eighteenth month.
• Most of the breeders do not consult any consultant veterinary practitioner. In some cases, animals suffering from contagious diseases are part of the breeding purposes. The breeders do not even care to quarantine the sick dogs till they recover.
• There are reported cases where dogs were injected with substances to enhance their visual appeal. Disgusting practices like ear cropping, dyeing, tail docking, de-clawing, de-barking are run on the dogs to create new breeds with different looks.
• Unnatural or artificial techniques are put into practice to impregnate dogs. The breeders, at times, inject semen into the vagina of female dogs.

Read Also: Perfect Guide To Choose The Best Dog Breed For Your Family

Consequences of reckless breeding

• Reckless breeding leads to create deadly disabilities in the dogs. These disabilities include heart defects, crippling hip dysplasia, skin problems, deafness, blindness, epilepsy. These diseases creep in as the dogs grow older. The breeders are often clever enough to sell the sick puppies. So, people who buy puppies are frustrated when they notice these disabilities at a later stage. It leads the ‘dog lovers’ to desert their pets.
• The greed of dog breeders is making the issue of overpopulation crisis worse. The statistics say that an excess of six million animals wraps up being homeless every year. They don’t find appropriate homes. So, they are put to death inhumanely. So, when a breeder breeds a dog, that breeder takes away the opportunity of a dog to lead a good life.

Legal steps on dog breeders

• There is barely any law in the US that regulates a breeder from breeding an animal. Large institutions such as the American Kennel Club took some steps to restrict the count of litters by enforcing the breeders to register with them.
• In India, the Indian Government issued a notification in 2017 to regulate the breeding and selling of dogs. According to this regulation, a breeder needs a registration certificate from the State Board. The breeders need to display authentic certificates in their establishments. A State Board authorized person shall inspect the establishment. Only if the person is satisfied after inspection, the certificate of registration will be issued. The certificate will be valid for two years. If a complaint has been lodged against the breeder in these two years, the authority will inspect the establishment. In such a situation, the concerned authority can cancel the registration of the breeder establishment if found guilty.
• PETA has also been quite active in supporting legislative measures that give authority to spaying and neutering. Spaying completely removes the stress and uneasiness that the female dogs suffer at the time of heat periods. It also reduces the risk of cancer in the uterus. Spaying helps in minimizing the risk of mammary cancer as well. Neutering, on the other hand, reduces the habit of roaming and fighting in male dogs. Besides this, neutering eliminates cancer in the testicles and minimizes the risk of cancer in prostrates of male dogs.

Read Also: Top 10 Cutest Dog Breeds to Keep as Pets

Our responsibility to take down unethical dog breeding business

The unethical dog breeding business will not thrive if we do not buy puppies from these establishments. And, if they don’t make business, they will stop their filthy activities. Instead of approaching these breeding houses, we can adopt dogs from a shelter.

Any socially responsible animal shelter ensures that dogs get all recommended vaccinations. They even take care that the dogs are spayed or neutered. They make sure that the dogs get socialized in a scientific method. It will ensure they become part of family life.

Animal shelters charge an adoption fee. It is to confirm that the potential adopter does not adopt for a short period. The families do need to go through a screening process before they qualify as adopters.

So, we should promise that we will not buy puppies from the dog breeding business establishments that produce puppies on a mass scale without paying any heed to the health of animals.