Stepping Up Against Puppy Mills
    by Beth Nelson

    I sent my first-ever "letter to the editor" yesterday. I'm dismayed at the conditional permit recently granted to Gary McDuffee. He's a former co-operator (pre- divorce) of a 800 dog puppy-mill in rural Minnesota, who aspires to run his own 600-head, breeding dog facility. I'm not used to publicly stating a position, but working with such a great group here at Animal Ark is pushing me in new directions. So many gains are being made in our metro community through Animal Ark's innovative outreach of spay and neuter programs, that we can't ignore someone who is actively working, in our own back yard, to increase the surplus of companion animals.

    The good news is that this story is drawing a lot of attention, not just in Belle Prairie, but also in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and even nationally. Gary McDuffee's plan to open a "commercial dog breeding" facility in Belle Prairie, is an opportunity for education, and a chance for Minnesotan's to say "NO" to another inhumane pet factory in our state.

    Several of the operator's comments raise excellent discussion points. McDuffee claims that his operation is "top shelf" and that his animals will be socialized and "raised to be pets." What a soothing message!

    Most of us are full-up on worry and concern, and we just want to believe he could be telling the truth. Well, it might be McDuffee's truth, but simple math doesn't support his claim, let alone the fact that the owner doesn't plan to live on the premises of his proposed puppy-mill.

    Consider that he says he may have 4 full-time, and perhaps, 2 part-time staff. Five full-time equivalent staff hours would equal about 200 hours per week. Convert those hours into minutes and divide by the 600 breeding dogs requiring care, and you get about 20 minutes per week of "quality" time for each dog. Divide that paltry number by the 7 days in 1 week, and you get about 2.85 minutes devoted to each dog each day. These numbers don't count time out for staff phone calls, smoke breaks, snacks, or water cooler chit-chat, nor do they count or consider special care for thousands of pups per year. This is not an equation for quality living and socialization; the numbers just don't add up, even if McDuffee works the 10-12 hour days he's promising.

    One of McDuffee's comments is right on: if people didn't buy dogs sold by pet stores, he wouldn't have a market for breeding his dogs. Plenty of buyers fall for the cute, puppy face and the idea of a family pet. Sadly, a mere 20%-30% of puppies sold in pet shops stay in the homes that first purchase them. Caring for a family pet is a greater commitment than many people understand.

    Even so, should puppy mill operators have no accountability for the overpopulation of pets in our cities and towns? The practice of breeding and promoting "designer dogs" as the new must-have, like the "puggles", "labradoodles" and purse-sized "accessory" dogs, creates a false demand that cannot be supported or sustained. Thousands of cats and dogs are euthanized each year in our own community because there aren't enough homes. Certainly, breeding more animals is not the answer to our overpopulation problem, nor is it to keep killing excess companion animals in our cities and towns.

    The answer lies in educating Minnesotans. We must acknowledge that this industry's tight profit margins dictate a climate for animal abuse and neglect. Do we want this type of industry to flourish in our state? We need to change our policies so we aren't one of the top ten states housing commercial breeders, and we need to spay and neuter our own pets. Let's not propagate, support or promote this industry in Minnesota anymore. Its time to step up. Its time to call our state senators and representatives. Its time to stop supporting pet shops that sell live animals. Its time to write "letters to the editor", even if we have never done it before.

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    Comments from readers:
    On 02/08/2006 Chris M said: related ugly secret

    There is another cruel industry happening in Minnesota (and many other states). This business is obtaining and selling animals for research. These business operators are called USDA grade B dealers. How they aquire the animals is often criminal, for example buying stolen dogs -often from other states. What is equally criminal is the apparent lack of care the animal recieve while with the dealer before being sold for research. I have seen and worked with these poor dogs while going to a local school for vet tech training (they were bought from the dealer due to a temporary shortage of dogs from local shelters and rescue groups).When the obviously traumitized dogs arrived at school they were extremely fearful, infested with fleas and intestional parisites had extremely long nails and incredibly bad teeth. These were the lucky ones for they got adopted by students after their caring stay. What haunts me today are the others that are surely in the same situation but have a not so bright future. These dealers are regulated by the USDA-what does this say about the lax inspections and regulations by this department? Can we also put an end to this underground evil business?

    On 02/06/2006 Sarah said: Time to take action

    The fact that this man is legally allowed to have 600 dogs and only 6 staff members is an outrage. We need to get in contact with our state Representitives and Senators and demand a change Minnesota State Law on the matter.

    On 02/02/2006 Stacy N. said: Great article.

    I've already written (twice) to each of the commissioners at Morrison County. Sent letters to the Morrison County newspaper and the St Paul Pioneer Press. It's appalling that all that seems to be driving this is money. There is a complete lack of understanding by the commissioners about what impact this type of facility will have on the animals. We must continue to speak for them!

    Thank you for your article. If enough of us make noise, we can make a difference.

    On 02/02/2006 S. Billings said: Well put!

    Great article! I am calling my senators and reps today!