By Scotlund Haisley Senior Director of Emergency Services The Humane Society of the United States All photos courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States.
My job as senior director of Emergency Services at The Humane Society of the United States akes me behind the scenes of some of the worst animal abuse in the country. I often find myself walking into puppy mills, hoarding situations, fighting animal confines, and other cases of large-scale cruelty that could only be described as hell-on-Earth. Most people will never experience these horrors first-hand, but it is our mission not only to end suffering, but also to effect change by educating the public on the extreme cruelty taking place across the country.
This approach of combining hands-on action with public education is especially effective when it comes to combating the cruel puppy mill industry. My department's Animal Rescue Team works with members of HSUS's puppy mill campaign and investigations department on a regular basis, to increase our ability to go after these inhumane mass-breeding facilities. We have taken on an unprecedented number of puppy mill rescues last year"”saving over 4,000 in 2009.
But the fight is just beginning"”experts estimate that there are more than 10, 000 puppy mills across the country. Which translates to one puppy mill within 20 miles of every American household. These facilities breed approximately 3 million dogs a year. Puppies born in mills, who are often in poor health, are then sold to unsuspecting members of the public. They are often sold over the Internet, in newspaper advertisements, at flea markets, or through pet stores. The only way to be sure your puppy comes from a responsible breeder is to personally visit the breeder's home and meet the puppy's parents, or at least the mother. Otherwise, consumers are likely to be purchasing puppy mill dogs and supporting this barbaric industry, themselves becoming part of a disturbing cycle of abuse. While the puppies escape these mills early, breeding dogs are kept until they can no longer make a profit.
It is these breeding mothers who are the true victims of the puppy mill industry. These dogs are treated as a cash-crop, kept in tiny, filthy cages for their entire lives, forced to churn out litter after litter of puppies. These mother dogs receive little or no veterinary care, grooming, bathing, or human affection and often have never even felt the security of solid ground beneath their feet. This is an especially cruel fate for man's best friend"”a species that for thousands of years has stood loyally by our side.
With countless dogs imprisoned by this industry on any given day, it is impossible for most people to grasp the magnitude of this suffering. This is why I would like to tell you the story of one dog who I see as the poster child for the puppy mill industry.
BABE'S STORY
It was a steaming hot day in Kaufman, Texas when our Animal Rescue Team came to the aid of more than 550 dogs living in horrific conditions at Klassic Kennels. These animals were imprisoned by a couple who had been in this business of misery for more than 40 years. That summer day their decades-long reign of terror came to an end, and I met an elderly breeding mother we have taken to calling Babe.
As we made our way down the long, narrow driveway of this property, we were greeted by an indescribable stench and a volley of loud, nervous barking. Each mill we visit is unique in some way, but the common thread of neglect and suffering is always present. This particular puppy mill revealed hundreds of frail, emotionally stunted animals housed in filthy wire crates throughout a 10-acre property.
Once on-site, our team wasted no time freeing the dogs from the dank hell they had been living in, most for their entire lives. The overpowering stench of ammonia in the first room forced me to put on a specially-designed respirator mask after only a few minutes inside. I can't imagine having to breathe that suffocating air every day year after year. Dogs were stacked in small wire cages one on top of another, living in piles of their own feces and urine. Waste from the top cages fell onto the dogs caged below, continually showering them in filth. This waste became entwined with their overgrown coats, encasing them in a thick shell of filthy mats.
Emaciated, desperate dogs lunged against the bars of their cages as we stooped down to free them. Their nearly hopeless eyes lit up with renewed optimism as we lifted them from their enclosures. Even after years of confinement and isolation, many of the dogs cling to our bodies and lick us greedily as we lift them out. Their power of forgiveness and resilience even after years of abuse is truly inspiring.
As I knelt down to reach the last cage on the bottom of a long row, no dog ventured up to meet the open door. I peeked tentatively into the cage, thinking we may have been too late to save its inhabitant. I saw an elderly black and white Shih Tzu whose horrific condition stunned the entire team. All of her ribs were clearly visible under her matted and patchy coat, and all of her teeth had rotted out long ago, leaving her tongue to loll out of her decaying jaws. She could barely lift her head as I gently lifted her out of the cage. When I saw her clouded, dark eyes I knew that this dog's spark of life was long gone. She may have been fed and watered, but other than that was left in her tiny cage to die a slow, lonely death.
My teammates called her Babe as a term of endearment, and rushed her to the veterinarian on site. We were all hopeful that something could be done to save this breeding mother. But the vet confirmed that after more than ten years cooped up in a squalid cage churning out puppies she was at the end of her rope. The only humane option was o put Babe out of her misery.
Our whole team was devastated by the loss, but we all took some comfort in the fact that Babe saw the sunshine, breathed clean air and was held by compassionate arms before she departed this earth. Hers was a completely preventable suffering"”one that was caused by neglect and greed. By telling her story, I can at least know that she did not die in vain, for she will be able to speak out beyond the grave as a poster child for every breeding mother suffering in puppy mills at this very moment.
BEYOND THE MILLS
Puppy mills not only cruelly confine and neglect the dogs trapped there, they also have a negative impact on this country's rampant pet overpopulation problem. Millions of dogs are born in puppy mills every year, while millions more are euthanized at shelters across the country. It simply makes no sense to breed millions of dogs a year when roughly the same number are being put down.
As the former Executive Director of the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), I am well acquainted with the pet overpopulation crisis. I ran WARL for nearly seven years and encountered tens of thousands of beautiful, well-adjusted animals in desperate need of homes. While I was there I tackled the long-overdue issue of the ineffective, cage-based shelter. While sheltering facilities are far better equipped than puppy mills, they both illustrate the physical, mental, and social decline that dogs experience when housed in cages.
After traveling the globe and consulting with innovative architects and animal behaviorists, I conceptualized, designed, and led a six-million dollar capital campaign to build WARL's new ground-breaking shelter facility. This facility is "cageless," with animals housed in light-filled glass block and tempered glass doggie dens, cat condos, and puppy pads. The design includes other environmental features such as individual air exchanges, heated floors, and running water to control dust and create soothing white noise to reduce operating costs per animal and provide for happier, healthier, adoptable pets.
While I am proud to have made this innovative shelter a reality and assist in the rescue of thousands of animals in need, it is my ultimate goal to put an end to all animal suffering. HSUS works every day"”through our puppy mill campaign, rescue team and legislative efforts"”to bring us closer to this lofty goal. I know that we have a long road ahead of us, but our team is driven by unflagging compassion and devotion to the cause. We will continue to shoulder the mantle of compassion, and fight against those who wish to harm the defenseless animals of this world.
And even if you can't be out in the field with us as we lift these dogs out of darkness and make them the promise that they will never suffer again, you can do your part to put an endto this industry. I challenge you, through your personal and professional lives, to take your own talents and knowledge of this suffering and find creative ways to put an end to thishorrific abuse of animals in what we call a civilized nation.
For more information or to contact: Scotlund Haisley Senior Director, Emergency Services The Humane Society of the United States 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (301) 258-3143
