Puppy Mill Series

By Ana Davis of The Lakeland Times

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Terriers in a cage

Truck with Dogs

Protest

Puppy Auction

PART 2

Growing number of puppy mills sparks calls for legislation
Public education paramount for change, experts say

As the number of puppy mills - large-scale, commercial dog-breeding facilities established for financial gain - grow in Wisconsin, so are renewed efforts to regulate their activities.

Wisconsin is one of the few remaining states without such regulation. Proponents says such legislation is needed because puppy mills often subject dogs to gruesome, unsanitary conditions in which they are kept in small, dark cages, often with no access to fresh air or water and with little regard for the animal's long-term physical and mental health.

This is in stark contrast, experts say, to breed enthusiasts, who devote their whole lives to a specific breed, and who seek, through breeding, to produce animals in excellent physical and mental health that are as close to the breed standard of perfection as possible.

This, along with protecting and advancing the interests of a given breed, should be the goal of respectable breeders, not money, says dog trainer Carol Lofquist, who is based in Tomahawk.

"If we listened to good breeders," she said, "we wouldn't be in this mess. If the person selling you that dog isn't willing to open their arms to you and educate you about the breed, I'd be very, very suspicious."

Responsible breeders are not in it for the money, agrees Chuck Wegner, director of the Clark County Humane Society, but are devoted to preserving the integrity of the breed they support, as well as eliminating any genetic health problems in that breed.

"A quality breeder will ask (potential buyers) more questions than you'll ask them," he said. "But these puppy mills don't care where their puppies go. They're only in it for the money."

A lack of awareness by the general public compounds this issue because people frequently buy puppies from pet stores, advertisements in local papers, or even the Internet, with no idea where these animals are actually coming from, says Victoria Stilwell, whose television program "It's Me or the Dog" airs on Animal Planet.

"People buy such puppies without realizing the negative consequences that such an upbringing can create," she said. "These problems range from serious health conditions to severe social difficulties such as aggression, destructive behavior, anxieties and nervousness. These dogs have been given no chance to develop successfully and the consequences have implications for us all. There need to be tougher laws to deal with this despicable practice."

Pet store pups come from mills

Indeed, people purchasing puppies from a pet shop or an advertisement might think they are "saving" the animal. But the reverse is true, says Lyn Hollis, director of a national rescue effort that sees countless mill animals in appalling physical and psychological states.
"You are just ensuring that that crate gets filled up again," she says.

Lofquist, whose own relative picked up a puppy from a flea market, has seen the consequences first-hand.

"The dog had all kinds of allergies and medical problems," she said. "But people just melt and grab them, without realizing that they are actually supporting puppy mills."

Hollis, based in Tennessee, has been involved in rescue work for the past 18 years, and has attended dog auctions across the country, where mills sell off their unwanted breeding stock.

"It's pretty grim," she said. "I've seen dogs that are completely crippled because they've never used their legs, or their cages are too small, or dogs that are blind with no teeth, all being sold as 'good breeders."

Hollis knows of a puppy farmer in Florida who deliberately pulls the teeth from his fox terriers, and blinds them, so they can be caged together and breed without fighting.

"There's a certain place for these people in hell," she says. "The problem is, they get a good price for these puppies, so it makes it an attractive business. We have to educate people on what is really going on, and make them care about where these dogs come from."

A good breeder might charge slightly more for a puppy, Hollis says, but the investment is worth it in the long run, because purchasers would be helping to stamp out puppy mills, as well as significantly reducing the chances of being saddled with a sickly animal with lifelong health issues.

"Puppy millers are not breeding for health," Hollis says, "and, as a result, they are selling a lot of sick dogs."

Cavaliers, for example, often have horrendous heart problems, she says, and labradors have painful - and expensive - hip dysplasia.

A responsible breeder's puppies should not have health problems, Hollis says, because they don't breed from dogs with genetic flaws.

"A good breeder cares about the quality, health, integrity and temperament of the breed," she said. "Puppies from mills are a sad comparison with what the dog should be."

Puppy mills advertise online

Hollis warns against answering advertisements or buying puppies from the Internet, as this puts money back into the hands of the puppy mills. Instead, she says, research the breed you are interested in, and contact the breed's national club for a list of recommended breeders, who will have already been rigorously screened.

"Some of the best websites are the biggest puppy mills," she said. "You really need to educate yourself. Be prepared to be asked a whole lot of questions from a proper breeder, who won't want to risk their dogs' descendants ending up in puppy mills. You've got to really trust someone before you sell them a dog, and vice versa."

Ultimately, the only thing that will stop puppy mills, Hollis says, is for people to stop purchasing puppies from them.

According to experts, many of these puppies subsequently end up in shelters such as the one Wegner runs, given up by owners who cannot cope with a sickly, terrified or aggressive dog, instead of the happy, confident, and playful family pet they were hoping for.

People deceived

"It's not their fault," says Wegner, who takes in puppies and adult dogs from mills all the time. "These people have been deceived. I get a lot of people who have answered ads in the paper, and gone to the place, and are absolutely horrified by what they see.

"Dogs used for breeding might spend eight to ten years standing on wire in a cage just six inches longer than their body, and puppies that come from such parents, in such places, will have all kinds of medical and behavioral problems. It's incredible that this issue continues in this age. Yet if you call the police, there's nothing they can legally do."

Charles Saxler of state Sen. Pat Kreitlow's office agrees that lack of clarity in the law makes policing these establishments impossible.

"Unfortunately," Saxler said, "Wisconsin is home to a number of large-scale breeders who are housing dogs in horrendous conditions, leading to disease, disability, and mental anguish for these dogs. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of clarity in the definition of cleanliness and safety requirements in these facilities, which prevents local law enforcement from investigating or enforcing any legal violations."

Education essential for change

Educating the public is essential for change, Wegner says, as many people have no idea that the issue even exists.

"It's kept hidden for a purpose," he said, "because they don't want the public to know - or see - what's going on. It's impossible to get in there to see the parent animals, which of course you should do, as you're going to have that puppy in your home for the next 15 years."

There are some classic tell-tale signs that people should watch out for, Wegner says, such as many breeds from the same kennel, puppies always available, and a profusion of "designer" breeds such as puggles (beagle-pug cross), golden doodles (poodle mixed with golden retriever), and cockapoos (cocker spaniel-poodle cross), which are little more than expensive mutts.

"If three or more breeds are listed," he said, "it's definitely a puppy mill. Small, mixed breeds like Yorky-poos (Yorkshire terrier poodle cross) are big money for these guys."

Mills specialize in hybrids

Trainer Sue Lienau, who often sees puppies from mills in her classes, confirms that people unwittingly pay large sums for hybrids from mills that are not recognized by the AKC, and which may have all kinds of long-term health problems because of their breeding.

"There's every goofy mix you've ever heard of," she says. "I have people in my classes who have spent $800 or $900 on a 'teddy bear.' 'What's that?' I ask them. I see so many animals that are screwed up because they were badly raised, not socialized, and placed too young.

"If only people really knew the conditions that these animals are kept in, and the intense behavioral problems they have," Lienau said.

Time for action

Wegner sincerely hopes that increasing pressure from the public will compel legislators to act soon.
 "Wisconsin is really in the dark ages," he says. "We really need enough of a public outcry to force legislators to act."
 Stilwell also believes that the law must change so that puppy mills in Wisconsin are closed down - for good.
 "Legislators have a responsibility to provide laws for the common good," she said, "and people have an ethical responsibility to raise and treat animals with care and respect. The only way this horrendous situation will change is with education and effective legislation. The problem needs to be tackled at source and the despicable practice of puppy farming must become a thing of the past."

  Sickly, diseased and terrified animals sold on auction table, protestors say ...

  Approximately 100 protestors gathered at last Saturday’s dog auction at Horst Stables in Thorp to demonstrate against the sale and the puppy mills from which these animals came.
While protestors, who came in droves from all across the state, infuriated by the lack of legislative action to stem this growing problem, remained peaceful, they were unable to prevent the auction from proceeding.
  270 dogs of all ages and breeds were sold, with prices ranging from $30 to $800. All the animals were kept in wire cages that were often too small for them to stand up in, and many had visible eye, teeth and spinal defects.

Yet these dogs had been used for breeding by millers, who sell their often unhealthy puppies to unsuspecting members of the public in this burgeoning – and largely secret - business.
“Our aim is not to stop the event,” Chuck Wegner, director of the Clark County Humane Society, told protestors before the auction, “but to raise awareness. Everyone in the state is going to see this. The average citizen must be aware.”

  Dog auctions are an unpleasant side-effect of Wisconsin’s puppy mills.
These large-scale commercial dog-breeding facilities are growing exponentially in this state, experts say, primarily due to a complete lack of regulation governing this industry. And it is an industry.

  According to Eilene Ribbens Rohdie, founder of the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, a state-side, non-profit organization dedicated to ending puppy farming as well as raising public awareness, the number of Wisconsin mills has increased by 698 percent in the past three years.
To diversify their stock and disperse of old, sterile or impotent dogs, millers have now started holding regular dog auctions at Horst Stables, where hundreds of dogs are sold off to other farmers, rescue groups, and families looking for a cheap pet.
Older dogs whose breeding days are over sell for as little as $30, whereas desirable breeds such as French bulldogs have attained price tags of $1,600.

Garage sale for dogs
  “They might have too many of one breed, or getting out of a particular breed,” says Ribbens Rohdie. “The female dog may not be producing puppies, or maybe all the puppies from a litter didn’t sell. So this is a convenient way to get rid of them, and make some money.

Think of it as a garage sale for dogs.”

Why the huge increase in Wisconsin mills?
  First, this is an attractive business, as millers can make big bucks selling vast numbers of puppies to an unaware public, many of whom have little or no idea of the often squalid conditions in which these animals are raised.
  Breeding dogs and their young are kept in small, wire cages, with no access to light, fresh air, or clean water, and many have significant life-long physical and psychological health problems, experts say.
  Meanwhile, sellers usually insist on cash-only deals without printed receipts or guarantees, meaning the purchaser has little recompense if their puppy dies or is riddled with costly health problems, or turns out to be a totally different breed to the one they purchased.
Consumers get a year-long guarantee if they buy a $50 microwave from Best Buy, but no such protection if they spent $500, or even $1,000, on a mill puppy. Sales at Saturday’s auction, for example, were cash or check only, and all sales were final.
  Indeed, advocators for legislation are starting to question how much tax – if any, millers are paying on their earnings.
  Second, the majority of states do have laws that regulate breeding facilities, including a license fee, regular inspections, a maximum number of litters per animal and per business per year, as well as basic standards of cleanliness and veterinary care.
  Wisconsin, which has none, is quickly becoming a national puppy mill capital, as farmers, many from the Mennonite community, flock here to cheaply and easily set up businesses free from the encumbrances of regulation.

No action taken yet
  Legislators know about the problem but have, to date, taken no action.
Two bills in 2001 and 2003 failed to pass, and representatives, including Rep. Steve Wieckert, Sen. Christine Sinicki, Sen. Alberta Darling, Rep. Tom Lothian, Sen. Pat Kreitlow and Sen. Jeff Plale, have been promising something on the table since May, of which there is still no sign.
  “If the last bill had gone through in 2003,” said Ribbens Rohdie, “we would have stemmed this tide. The legislators are moving at the speed of a glacier before global warming. As it is, millers feel nothing about defrauding the public, because there is no recourse for the buyer.”
At previous auctions at Horst, for example, sources say a female Labrador that was sold as pregnant was actually morbidly obese. A male dog had been sold as female, and a West Highland terrier described as a “proven breeder” was permanently scarred, and sterile, from a home cesarean section.
  Ribbens Rohdie says she gets complaints every week from people who have bought a mill puppy that has health problems, or is not the breed it was sold as.
  In researching this issue, this reporter has heard similar stories over and over again, from veterinarians, breed rescue organizations, and humane societies across the state, of mill dogs unable to stand due to lives spent in tiny cages, of dogs with serious, debilitating genetic conditions used for breeding, of puppies raised in their own feces, in the dark, with no socialization from humans or other dogs, which is essential for a puppy’s normal and healthy development.
Seeing the dogs at the auction, huddled and trembling in cramped cages, many with obvious health issues such as blindness and spinal deformation, confirmed these reports.
  “This ranks up there with child abuse,” said protestor Amy Quella from Eau Clair. “It’s heart-wrenching. People should boycott pet stores, where they sell these sickly puppies for $500 to $2,000, but will never give you a straight answer on where they came from. But I am more angry at our staff and Governor in Madison, who have known about this for a long time. We need more regulations.”

Dogs unable to stand
  While protestors in orange shirts from across Wisconsin gathered outside with banners demanding legislators pay attention, potential buyers browsed row upon row of cages stacked on hay bales inside the barn, including a large number of Mennonite farmers.
  Many of the popular breeds were there; maltese, shih-tzus, pugs, Chihuahuas and cocker spaniels, as well as larger dogs such as boxers and Rottweilers.
  They ranged in age from a few weeks (there was a male pug puppy, lot 154, advertised as eight weeks old, that could not have been more than four weeks, alone and shaking in a cage), to six

or seven years old, worn down from years of malnutrition, over-breeding, and lack of exercise and care.
  I heard only one dog barking. The majority were lying down, eyes closed or staring dully back, displaying none of the energy and vitality and sense of play that people love about dogs, especially puppies.
  A female Rottweiler was in a crate suitable for a 15 pound dog. Some cages housed as many as seven or eight young dogs, all bundled together.
There were dogs with cataracts, significant under-bites, and spinal deformities, which had been used for breeding and therefore passed on these genetic defects to their young.

Bad breeding encouraged
  Indeed, a letter from the American Canine Hybrid Club that was being handed out at the auction actually encouraged this type of breeding, as a means of making money.
  “Cross-breeding provides the breeder with a choice,” the letter reads,
“When deciding what to do with a lesser quality dog - say, a poodle with an under-bite that may be bred to a Pekinese and produce very desirable puppies, whereas the purebred poodle puppies might be defective and actually worth less than the hybrid.”
  In other words, use a poor quality dog with known and visible defectives, breed it with another inferior animal of a different breed, give the puppies a fancy name – in this case Pekapoos, and sell them for $1,000 each. Most purchasers have no idea that these “designer dogs” were dreamed up by puppy millers.
“They are laughing all the way to the bank,” says Ribbens Rohdie.
  There were a number of such breeds on sale at the auction, including puggles (pug and beagle hybrid), morkies (maltese and Yorkshire terrier) and cockapoos (cocker spaniel crossed with poodle), as well as a litter of puppies advertised as miniature St. Bernards, which the auctioneer admitted was untrue.
“They’re not really miniature St. Bernards,” he said.

Blind dog has big litters
  Other descriptions in the auction “catalogue” included the dogs’ color, gender and a word or two about their breeding capability.
   Lot 14, a five-year old female miniature pinscher, for example, was described as a “good breeder,” lot 190, a female bichon, was a “proven breeder, last litter on November 8, 2006,” lot 33, a female Shetland sheep dog, blind in one eye, had “big litters.” The male dogs were either “proven” or “not-proven” in their ability to reproduce.
  This was another day of swift business for the millers. Whole families attended the auction, many dressed in traditional Mennonite garb, their children wandering around eating ice-creams.
There were plenty of “backyard” breeders there too (people who raise and sell dogs from their homes, again with little or no consideration, experts say, of the health or quality of the animals they are producing), from all parts of the state, looking for a bargain to add to their breeding stock.
  When questioned, one woman said she bred at least seven different breeds from her home, including King Charles cavaliers. Figuring on up to 14 litters a year, with an average of five to seven puppies a litter, selling at $500 a piece, she could be taking home at least $40,000 a year in cash. She told us she had come to the auction looking for breeding dogs. When Ribbens Rohdie pointed out to her that many of the auction dogs have been diagnosed by veterinarians with genetic conditions and contagious diseases such as canine brucellosis and kennel cough, she was dismissive.
“I’ve been doing this for years,” she said. “I can tell just by looking at them.”

Dogs carried to auction table
  The jovial auctioneer sold bunches of brightly colored collars and leads to eager bidders, followed by water bottles and rusted food containers.
  Then came the dogs – man’s best friend, as the auctioneer pointed out. Not a single dog walked to the auction table.
  Scott Willmarth of Cornell, who, along with wife Shayla, has attended all but one of the four auctions held at Horst Stables, said that the dogs, even Rottweilers and boxers, are always carried, because many of them cannot physically walk. “It’s sad,” he said. “A lot of these dogs can’t even stand up.”
  The Willmarths have rescued a number of cavaliers from previous auctions, all of whom have problems. “We’ve had one with a heart murmur,” he said, “and one with dry-eye, who will require drops twice a day for the rest of her life. Another has a very debilitating illness of the brain.”
  This time, they purchased two dogs, a cavalier and a bichon, both of whom are now in quarantine while they are tested for brucellosis. “The bichon is a real mess,” Shayla Willmarth said. “He has terrible fear aggression, and has already bitten my husband. He’s impossible to handle, and won’t make any eye contact with us. Neither of them will even move while we are in the room. There’s no way any normal family could have one of these dogs as a pet.”

Millers ready for fight
  Yet, until legislation passes that will implement minimum standards of health, cleanliness and care, physically and psychologically ill dogs will continue to be bred and sold for profit.
And the millers are not going to relinquish their highly profitable businesses without a fight. Puppy farmers here have already grouped together as the Wisconsin Professional Pet Breeders Association (WPPBRA). The president? Wallace Havens, owner of Puppyhaven, a mill that was investigated earlier this year by TMJ4’s John Mercure, who reported that feces-covered breeding dogs were being housed outside in cramped kennels, their puppies sold with canine herpes, parasites and worms. The vice-president? Clyde Horst, owner of Horst Stables, where Saturday’s dog auction was held.
  “New regulations are coming,” warns the WPPBRA literature that was being passed around at the dog auction. “We must be prepared. Our industry MUST band together. There is strength and power in numbers. (We must) work together to protect our rights against the devastating effects of the animal rights movement.”
  In the same literature there was advice for breeders on how to keep their kennels in order. “No old poop,” the paperwork says. “Know your puppy lemon law.”

(Lemon laws were introduced for customers who bought faulty cars without a warranty.)
Wegner said nine dogs from the auction were delivered to his animal shelter, including a Yorkshire terrier that was caked in feces, and a female chocolate “Labrador.”
  “There’s no way she’s a Labrador,” he said. “We really need some protection for consumers, as well as the dogs.”

  Responding to a growing public concern about the increasing number of puppy mills in Wisconsin and a lack of regulation, state lawmakers are working on two separate legislative drafts to regulate commercial dog-breeding facilities, often called puppy mills because of the substandard conditions in which many of the facilities keep the animals.
  Since 2003, the number of puppy mills in Wisconsin has increased by 698 percent, experts say.
"We're not happy with this situation at all," says Oneida County animal shelter manager Karen Hess, who hopes to start a petition against Wisconsin puppy mills. "We got a Japanese Chin from the Thorp dog auction two weeks ago that had been used for breeding. She had a tumor and rotten teeth, and needed $500 of surgery. The poor thing did nothing but lay on a blanket. We've got to stop these mills."
  One draft bill aimed at doing just that has already been authored by Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee), Rep. Thomas Lothian (R-Williams Bay), Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), and Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee).
  The draft Plale bill, however, has been criticized from all sides of the debate, as certain proponents for legislation say it does not go far enough in regulating the industry, while some opponents argue that its proposed licensing fees and inspections will be too burdensome on breeders, and too difficult to enforce.
Those same arguments caused previous attempts to enact legislation to fail by gubernatorial veto in 2001 by then Gov. Scott McCallum, and in 2003 by Gov. Jim Doyle, a bill that was co-sponsored by Sen. Roger Breske.
  Doyle's office said he would return phone calls regarding this series of articles and the Plale legislation, which he did not. Rep. Dan Meyer and Rep. Donald Friske were also contacted, but also have not responded.
 

Puppy mill work group
  Meanwhile, state Rep. Steve Weickert (R-Appleton) is also working on legislation to regulate the industry, and has invited a group of "animal experts" to form a puppy mill work group, which met for the first time last week in Madison.
  Members include Wallace Havens, president of the recently formed Wisconsin Professional Pet Breeders Association (WPPBA) and owner of one of Wisconsin's largest commercial dog-breeding facilities, Puppy Haven; Eilene Ribbens Rohde, founder of the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project; state humane officer Dr. Yvonne Bellay; former DNR secretary and now executive director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation George Meyer; Bob Welch of the Wisconsin bear hunters; Joy Brand, president of the Dog Federation of Wisconsin; Amy Schwarz of Petland, a national retail pet store; Mike Marsch of the Wisconsin Trailblazers Sled Dog Club; and Cheri and Chuck Wegner of the Clark County Humane Society, who have been instrumental in organizing protests against puppy mills and dog auctions.
  "Everyone agrees there is a problem," Weickert said. "But people disagree on how to solve it. I'm trying to bridge that gap and find some common ground among the experts on how to raise puppies correctly."
  Dusty Leet, director of the Vilas County animal shelter, also believes there must be a way to strike a happy medium between breeding dogs commercially and keeping them healthy, clean and properly nourished and exercised.

"Any improvement is a step forward," she said.

The Plale bill: pros and cons
  The Plale bill would introduce licensing at a cost of $75 to $125 (depending on the number of dogs sold annually) through the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, applicable to people who sell 60 dogs in a year, or who have at least eight breeding females.
  This proposal has met with opposition from certain breeders and hunting groups, which may own eight or more breeding females and who argue that they should not be regulated or financially penalized because of the "bad actors."
  "Our members would be opposed to a licensing fee that applies to all dog breeders," Meyer said. "Those who are not causing problems should not be paying for it. There needs to be a threshold (on the number of dogs being sold)."
But others disagree, pointing out that anyone who is selling a product, especially a live one, often for hundreds and even thousands of dollars, should be willing to have their premises inspected by certified inspectors, and particularly by potential customers.

A Hazelhurst point of view
  Hazelhurst veterinarian Joe Bodewes, for example, who has seen numerous sickly puppies from   unlicensed and uninspected operations, believes anyone who owns more than two breeding females, or who has more than two litters a year, should be licensed.
"Sixty puppies a year is a huge number," he said. "They should all be licensed. But how do you enforce it?"
  The draft bill would also require DATCP to introduce minimum standards for food and water, housing and humane care at commercial breeding facilities, as well as incorporating remedies for purchasers of dogs from such establishments, and buyers of dogs aged 18 months or younger from anyone else.
  Still, some proponents for legislation say the Plale bill is little more than a combination of a puppy "lemon law" (lemon laws were originally introduced for customers who bought faulty cars without a warranty) and a minimum set of standards for people who breed 60 or more dogs a year.
  "We strongly oppose this draft," says Ribbens Rohde of the Puppy Mill Project, a statewide nonprofit organization that seeks to halt puppy mills and to raise public awareness, "because it does not provide for the DATCP to have any inspectors or staff to handle complaints, and it allows people to get licenses by simply signing an affidavit stating they are in compliance with minimum standards."
  Furthermore, concerned humane groups and animal shelters say the Plale version makes no provision for organizations that rehome stray and unwanted dogs of unknown histories, many of which may fall under the proposed bill's 18 months or younger category.
Another problem with the draft, Ribbens Rohde says, is it calls for sheriffs' departments to respond to complaints, yet this is not mandatory.
  Bellay agrees that local law enforcement is not the answer to solving the state's puppy mill problem, as the police have neither the time nor the resources to pursue complaints.

Minimum standards essential
  In Bellay's experience, a large number of these complaints involve people who are breeding dogs in their garage or basement, without adequate care.
  "Wisconsin is in the minority group of no regulation whatsoever," she said. "Whether you have 10 dogs on your property, or 500, there needs to be standards of care."
But there was widespread disagreement among members of the puppy mill work group about how many animals would necessite a license, what standards of care should be, how they would be enforced, and whether they should apply to all dogs, or be breed-specific.
  "One size doesn't fit all," said Brand. "It's not that hobby breeders don't care, but you can't put them together with commercial breeders."
  Chuck Wegner, who has rescued numerous mill animals, disagreed, saying that all animals deserved a basic minimum standard of care.
Welch, who was representing Wisconsin's bear hunters, many of whom use dogs, also expressed concern about overregulation.
  "Hunters may have breeding dogs," he said. "We could be talking about a lot of people. How do we deal with legitimate problems, and pay for the cost of regulating bad operations?"

All sellers held accountable
  Havens, however, who has been breeding and selling dogs commercially for the past 30 years, both wholesale and direct to the public, and welcomes visits to his establishment, believes anyone who is selling a dog should be held accountable by the law.
  "We need to force people who sell a bad product to stand behind it," he said, "no matter who it is. They should not sell puppies with hip dysplasia or heart murmurs."
Havens, who sells between 2,000 and 3,000 dogs a year, says he offers a written warranty for every animal he sells, and he addresses any complaints by offering a refund or a replacement puppy (though his warranty, published online, excludes a number of health conditions, including kennel cough, bronchitis and parasites).
  "I've been selling pups for 40 years," he said, "and I've never gone to court. I've always settled out of court."
He gives a recent example of a puppy he sold to a pet store, which, having been resold, developed a bad underbite. This required two canines to be pulled at a cost of $500 to the new owners, Havens said.
  "I refunded the $500," Haven said. "And the parents won't be bred from again. They'll be given away."
  Meyer, whose organization represents 158 hunting, trapping and fishing groups with approximately 100,000 members, also believes consumer education is crucial.
"I can't understand how people would buy a dog without seeing where it was raised," he said. "None of our members would buy a dog that way. You've got to know the reputation of the breeder you're dealing with."
  While he stresses that the WWF has not yet made a decision on its position regarding legislation, Meyer is cautiously optimistic that its members would support a bill designed to get at large-scale facilities selling a high volume of dogs raised in an inhumane way.
 

Also see Stop Puppy Mills.org