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The Tragedy of Amish Puppy Mills
We at Pixiedust papillons and phalenes have long been aware of animal abuse problems in the Amish communities--especially since we live in the same general area as many Amish. It has been difficult to convince the general public of the sad state of animal care in the Amish community because of the stereotypes of Amish as gentle religious people living the simple life. We have personally seen the complete lack of any mercy shown to the horses on 90 degree days forced to trot on hot roads pulling a wagon or buggy, or tied by the side of the road in the sun with no water (and a tree nearby that any reasonable person would have shared with the horse). Horses covered in sweat with ribs showing as they worked with no mercy.
Now the Amish have found a new source of money and new animals to use and abuse--dogs. Amish puppy mills are spreading in the east. Many of the pups that are sold are sick and many people are protesting the way the pups are raised. Some sites have quotes from the Amish that "God gave them animals to use as they see fit". Have they not seen any other commands from God to care well for his creation? "Use" does NOT mean "abuse".
We have been contacted by some of these Amish puppy millers looking to get papillons or phalenes for breeding--and trying to get them as cheap as possible. The Amish have no interest in the Health tests we have done for our papillons and phalenes, all they want is a good pedigree that they can flash at an unsuspecting buyer.
We are joining with other sites to expose the miserable conditions these dogs endure. We at Pixiedust Papillons and Phalenes hope that many people will see the tragedy of the Amish Puppy mills and never buy a puppy raised in such horrid conditions.
We have reprint permission for the following article (thank you Arleen) and we have links to more information--including pictures and quotes.
Letter to the
Lancaster County Commissioner:
I was on a three week vacation in June of this year on the
east coast and decided a two day stay in Intercourse, PA would be nice. I
enjoyed the countryside but I did not enjoy the knowledge and exposure I had to
six Amish run puppy mills.
Clearview Kennels in Ronks was horrendous although I could not see the worst of it, I saw the huge dilapidated barn the breeding stock and puppies were in. It was 95 degrees when I was there and a teenage girl from the family brought out this sickly eight week old Shih Tzu puppy that was totally filthy, already had evidence of eye problems and had none of the typical puppy animation.
This facility advertises by using decoy Amish farmers that have an AKC puppy sign on their property, you stop there and they say "we do not have puppies but our friends do and then direct you to the Clearview Kennels". Good marketing strategy for just 'plain unmodern folk" I would say.
Dateline did a one hour program in April on midwest puppy mills which are run by rednecks or disfranchised farmers with no heart or compassion. I would think the Amish who live according to the Bible would not be so heartless, cruel or indifferent. They treat the breeding stock and puppies as "livestock". At 3 other facilities that handled two to six breeds, I saw the breeding adults and they were on wire cages with "no water". It was 95 degrees.
Yet, the zoning department in Salisbury or Leacock just granted three new licenses to three Amish farmers who live within 3 miles of each other to operate breeding kennels with a capacity of up to 40 breeding dogs and 50 puppies in cramped quarters.
This has got to stop. Lancaster County is known as the puppy mill capital of the east coast. I can tell you that more and more tourists are become aware of this dark side of the Amish lifestyle and will definitely defer their tourist pursuits to other areas.
Puppy mills need to be made illegal and the plight of the breeding stock and the excess puppies being produced to be peddled to pet stores who charge exorbitant prices of poor quality, poorly socialized and genetically defective dogs has got to end.
I await some feedback from you. I sent a letter to the Salisbury Township Zoning Dept. and they sarcastically said they just "approve licenses", that I should curtail sending them anything as it just antagonizes the "zoning board" and it is something that the PA Dept. of Agriculture should be contacted about.
What do you suggest?
Arleen Rooney
My letter follows:
Dear Editor:
I was on a three week vacation in June of this year to the east coast from California. I wanted to see the Amish countryside, experience a ride in an Amish buggy and do some shopping. All of these were accomplished and enjoyed. I also wanted to see something I had heard about: Amish farmers dealing with a new cash crop. It wasn't tobacco or produce but what they regard as livestock, puppies. Amish farmers in significant numbers are seeking licenses to open and operate commercial breeding kennels also known as puppy mills. There already are hundreds operating them legally and illegally.
I visited one commercial kennel in Ronks that had over 20 breeds housed in an old dilapidated barn. The puppy I saw as a potential buyer was filthy, had evidence of eye infection at only eight weeks of age and lacked any puppy animation whatsoever. The breeding dog, namely the bitches, are bred twice a year and all breeding and sales stock are forced to spend day in and day out on wire cage bottoms with little or no water.
I saw evidence at two Amish run kennels where I could see the breeding stock as well as the puppies on a 95 degree day that none of the dogs had water and two that did had about one inch of dirty water in a green slime plastic container.
There is little or no ventilation, exercise, medical or grooming attention. Long haired breeds such as Shih Tzus, Maltese, Lahsa Apso and Pekingese are never groomed and their hair coats become matted with feces and urine and they are subject to terrible eye infections.
Puppy mills are bad business for all concerned and are a strong force to end the good tourist trade Lancaster County has enjoyed because of the "quaint Amish countryside". I for one will be spreading the word among my relatives in New Jersey and Maryland about the horrors I've seen and am aware of. The Salisbury Township Zoning Board sent a snotty response to people writing them to not grant licenses to the Amish farmers to operate puppy mills.
Enough said. If you really value the tourist dollar and the animal lover dollar, you had best take an interest in steering the Amish farmers who do operate breeding kennels to select another "cash crop" and not categorize dogs as livestock which once they are used up become "deadstock". They are sold for medical research if they don't sell in the cute puppy stage or are used to replace the depleted breeding stock that are bred to exhaustion and in turn at the age of 7 or 8 years of age are also sold to medical research for $25.00.
In any of the Amish folk who operate such breeding kennels happen to read this letter, let me say this. God assigned humanity as caretakers of the creatures of the earth and you will have to account to Him for your poor representation. That's the "plain truth".
Arleen Rooney
email: corgially@mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~corgially/CORGIALLY.lnk/rescue.html
http://www.charityadvantage.com/njcapsa/TheAmishConnection.asp