Question:
You are absolutely correct in saying that the AKC (American Kennel Club) could care less about registering puppies that come from puppy mills.Several years ago, my daughter and I answered an ad in the paper that advertised puppies for sale. This was in a small town in eastern North Carolina. We were appalled when we went there and found it to be a disgusting puppy mill. There were cages and cages of puppies, all different breeds. They were all AKC-registered.I wrote a letter to the AKC, and the organization said I should contact local authorities to report this facility. I got the impression it could care less about the conditions of this puppy mill, even though all pups were AKC-registered.I find this organization to be hypocritical. You spoke the truth in your article.
S.K., Chesapeake, Va Jul 13, 2008
Answer:
Thanks for the note of support. Puppy mills (and now, kitten mills) are a sad -- if not true -- reflection of our devolution when making money takes precedence over making right, being ethical, humane and compassionate."Just follow the money. Purebred and "designer" crossbreed pups should not be treated as mere commodities. The AKC needs to be held accountable for contributing to the suffering of dogs kept for breeding purposes in these puppy mills and for the genetic disorders being propagated in the pups they register. The two big concerns I have about these dastardly commercial breeders are the extremely restricted, prisonlike environments of the brood bitches and stud male dogs, and the fact that these breeders do not have any way of knowing how the pups they sell turn out in terms of temperament and prevalence of hereditary and genetic disorders. Not having this information means that they have no sound evidence that their breeding stock -- and the pups they produce -- are genetically sound and are not
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