Look Before You Buy: An Unsavory Look Into Puppy Mills

When Canby, Oregon, resident Johnnie Dever discovered her precious Princess, a beautiful 6 month old Coton de Tulear, came from a recently revealed puppy mill, she was crushed to find out that she had unknowingly supported the operation of a puppy mill. Ms. Dever had never heard of the breed before, but it was a small dog that looked similar to a Maltese and she had been thinking of getting a puppy. The so-called breeder was only too eager to supply the puppy. No questions asked. In fact, she hand-delivered the puppy to Ms. Dever within 5 hours of her first inquiry phone call. Once Ms. Dever saw the puppy, she fell in love and willingly parted with the $1,600 for her Princess. And she unknowingly supported the operation of a puppy mill.

Puppy mills prosper because of uninformed buyers like Ms. Dever, unknowing participants in the puppy sales operation. The sole purpose of a puppy mill is to make money much to the demise of any dog in its trappings. Puppy mills provide minimal care, including cramped, filthy cages littered with urine and feces, poor quality food, non-existent veterinary care and limited social interaction with humans. The dams, or Brood Bitches, are forced to reproduce every time they come into heat, every 6 months. These Brood Bitches are typically denied proper veterinary care and nutrition if the litter will not be profitable as compared to the expense of the dam’s costs. And when the Brood Bitches can no longer reproduce, they become a liability. The litters produced by puppy mills are often overflowing with sick puppies from unhealthy lines and brought into unhealthy conditions. The breeders perform no health screenings on their breeding stock and therefore offer no health guarantee on their puppies. Parasites, skin conditions, breathing issues and eye damage are common maladies costing new owners hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. Sick puppies are a liability for a puppy mill. If they cannot be sold, they are starved and left to die.

Ms. Dever unknowingly supported Foxburrow Kennels and these unsavory-type practices. Within a couple of months of owning Princess, she felt she could not handle her new puppy and contacted the “breeder” to return her. The “breeder” showed her true colors when she told Ms. Dever that she could not have her money back, but offered to re-sell the puppy. Thankfully Ms. Dever sought training for Princess and has worked out her behavioral issues. Further, it is fortunate that Princess has no known health issues and now has proper veterinary care. Ms. Dever is thankful she rescued Princess from her horrible puppy mill origins.

What can you do to stop puppy mills and their practices? In most cases, there are common underhanded business practices. The puppies were advertised away from the dam and away from the kennel. In this case, the puppies were displayed for sale on a local church lawn after Sunday services. When Ms. Dever called to inquire about the puppies, the breeder offered to bring the puppy to her. Puppy mill operations don’t want prospective buyers to see the kennel site, the dam, or the rest of the litter and the squalid conditions in which they have been raised. The breeder was also eager to close the sale, not giving the buyer time to research the breeder or check for references. Tellingly, the breeder asked no questions of the buyer about her readiness to own a puppy. A reputable breeder, in stark contrast to a puppy mill breeder, is just as interested in knowing about a potential buyer as an informed buyer is about the breed and the breeder. This breeder did not inquire about Ms. Dever’s living conditions, had she ever owned a dog before, did she have a fenced yard, a crate, etc.

If you are thinking of getting a puppy from a breeder, I recommend you research the breed, the breeder and honestly evaluate your lifestyle and readiness to take on a new puppy. You can research the breed and breeder referrals at: www.akc.org. To research the breeder, contact the National Club of your specific breed and inquire about local breeders. Reputable breeders are interested in advancing their breed and improving their lines, not just selling their puppies. Additionally, you can contact the local county animal control and/or the Better Business Bureau to inquire about any complaints filed against the kennel. Just remember, if you are denied the opportunity to look at the kennel, the dam, the litter and their site, you’ve probably stumbled upon a puppy mill. Take your dollars elsewhere and make an informed purchase from a reputable breeder. Or adopt a purebred at a local rescue or shelter instead.

First published March 11, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Jill Tonkin and Best Behavior Dog Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

ICE for Pets

In Case of Emergency for Pets:

Contact Info and Pet Bio

Owner Name:

Address:

Contact phone numbers:

Emergency Contact Neighbors/Family/Friends if owner can’t be reached:

Pet Bio:

Pet Name:

Breed/Color/Markings:

Sex:

Pet Date of Birth:

Name of Veterinarian:

Address:

Phone:

Please list all medications currently prescribed for the pet including instructions and dosage:

Feeding Instructions: _____eats ___ x a day, ____cup(s) per meal

Known food allergies:

Special Instructions, health conditions or behavior concerns:

Give this list to all your emergency contacts. Seal a copy in a plastic bag and place in your Pet Go Bag and/or attach it to your pet’s crate.

First published March 18, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Jill Tonkin and Best Behavior Dog Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Emergency Planning for Pets

We’ve seen the sad fate of many family pets in recent tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. During disasters, many pets become lost, scared and separated from their families. Animal shelters quickly become overfilled and it may become difficult to locate and/or identify your pet. The recent devastation resulting from the Japan earthquake and tsunami serves as yet another reminder to consider our own pet emergency preparedness.

1.       Pet Identification:

Make sure your dog wears an identifying tag with your mobile phone number; consider getting a microchip in case your pet’s collar comes off; take a picture of yourself with your pet in order to help identify or claim him.

2.       Prepare a Pet Go Bag:

·         Food – 3 day supply in waterproof container; be sure to replace and resupply before food expires

·         Water – 3 day supply

·         Dishes - small, lightweight or collapsible

·         Pet medication with instructions; be sure to replace and resupply before medication expires

·         Collar; walking leash; long leash or rope with carabiner clip for tethering; soft muzzle (dogs may bite when afraid)

·         Clean up supplies: poop bags; paper towels; pet waste clean-up product

·         Towel

·         Toy or bone

·         In case of emergency instructions and contact information

3.       Crate:

A crate is a necessity for cats and other small animals; big dogs might be ok on leash but also might like the safety and warmth of a crate; consider a soft-sided crate for easy transport.

4.       Prepare an In Case of Emergency List:

Where can your dog go? Prepare a list of family, friends and neighbors who would take care of your animals in case of an emergency; make sure they have your contact information, your pet’s bio and a list of alternatives for pet care; print a list of pet friendly hotels in your area; http://www.1clickpethotels.com/oregon.htm; locate kennels and boarding facilities in your area.

First published March 18, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Jill Tonkin and Best Behavior Dog Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

To Punch Or Not To Punish

When I was a child, a day at the zoo was a great treat! I learned so much about animals from zoos. I learned where they came from and what they ate, as well as what their predators and prey were. Mostly though what I loved was seeing their beauty up close. I always wanted to connect with them and touch them. My favorites were always the big cats and the elephants. Last weekend, I was able to touch some big cats that most people would never have the opportunity to touch. That was a treat, but at what cost?

I’d heard about a wildlife park/petting zoo that allowed you to pet baby lions, tigers and bears. Oh my! I know this sounds crazy but it’s true. I wondered how they ever got insurance for such a venture. I mean, I can’t even bring domestic dogs into a classroom, even if they’re Canine Good Citizens! I learned from the park website that they currently had lion cubs and leopard cubs available for petting. The cubs are hand-raised and very young. I just had to go see them for myself. Each cub is kept on a choke chain and leash and handled by show staff or a park attendant when presented to the public. The lion cubs and leopard cubs were, of course, tremendously cute! The safety rules were that you could pet the cubs anywhere behind the choke collar, but not on the face - as the cubs, much like puppies, are chewers and hands and fingers can easily be mistaken for chew toys. Surprisingly, we were not required to sign any waivers prior to this petting experience!

My husband and I were allowed to go into a more private area and meet a leopard cub. I was so excited by this opportunity. The handler was leading the cub around with a rolled-up rawhide. Eager to learn, I told the park attendant that I was a dog trainer and asked if he could show me some training techniques. The first thing he said was, “It’s not like dog training, but, like training a puppy, you ‘correct’ him when he mouths you, but otherwise, you let him be a cat.” He then showed me how to correct a baby leopard by punching him on the nose with a closed fist and taking the rawhide away. Being a positive reinforcement dog trainer, I was stunned. The leopard was too. I’m not entirely certain that the cub had even mouthed him before he got punched; the handler may have just been demonstrating the correction technique for me. The leopard responded first by retreating from the man, looking fearful, then he came back at the man with a hard stare and twitching lips, looking kind of fierce. The cat paced back and forth, alternately looking afraid and feisty. After a couple of round trips, both the cat and I frustrated, I looked to the handler and asked about the rawhide chew, “What does he have to do to earn it back?” He told me they don’t do “any reinforcement stuff”. Obviously! He told me they can’t with the cats.  I was pretty speechless and felt sorry for the cat. I believe in fairness, firmness and consistency in training animals, but they must learn something from the techniques and it shouldn’t be to fear or fight their handlers. Good luck ‘correcting’ an adult leopard.  I don’t know what kind of puppy training this park attendant thought I might do, but he imagined it entirely wrong.

You see, reinforcement means rewarding behavior you like to see with something the animal likes. By giving the leopard back his chew toy for no specific reason, the cub learned that if he bites, or maybe, even if he doesn’t, he gets punched in the nose, paces a few times and then gets a reward for either being afraid or being aggressive. So, even though the handler said they don’t do any of that silly reinforcement stuff, he just had. Only he reinforced the wrong behavior. While I’m by no means an expert in training exotic animals in captivity, or training big cats or baby leopards, I do know a thing or two about animal behavior and motivation. Any species will repeat a behavior that is reinforcing for them. It’s the ‘magic’ we trainers use to get dogs, cats, birds or elephants to do the things we want them to do.

Last fall, I was fortunate enough to attend the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ educational conference in San Diego. Some of our speakers were trainers from the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and were proud to tell us that they use exclusively positive reinforcement at the San Diego Zoo. Did you know that some of the same principles for training dogs are used in training other species? They explained how it is not possible to get a mountain gorilla or an elephant to move by force and manage to be safe. It is much more effective and humane to influence animals by giving them something they want in order to get them to do something that you want. That is positive reinforcement training. Now you may wonder what kind of training zoo animals need. It’s not like they are circus performers, right? Well, it turns out that training is very helpful in performing the needed medical procedures (called husbandry) of the animals. Before positive reinforcement training there were many injuries and deaths to the zookeepers. Elephant trainers used to use an ankus, a pole with a hook on the end, to stick the elephant in order to make him move. They literally stabbed the elephants to get them to move. With positive reinforcement methods, they can now lure an elephant with apples and train them to lift a foot for nail trims or train a mountain gorilla to offer a shoulder for a blood draw by offering a banana.

So, while I’ve loved my many experiences at many zoos and wildlife parks, I was disappointed by what I learned about the treatment of these particular hand-raised exotics, that they use intimidation and force and not positive reinforcement. Oh, how I would love to see the difference in the animals’ behavior if they merely started rewarding their good behaviors. I imagine I will if the 'show staff' at this remote wildlife park ever catches on to the science and efficacy behind rewarding good behaviors as well as the unproductive and often dangerous results of punishment.