PUPPY MILLS A puppy mill is a large scale breeding operation where profit is put over the welfare of the dogs Generally large scale operations are out to make a profit but some may care for the well being of their animals whereas puppy mills do not The USDA licenses and inspects large scale breeding operations These puppies are commonly sold online directly to the public or to pet stores Brokers are the middle men who buy puppies from mills and sell them to pet stores Puppy mills are located in the agricultural states Midwest primarily and the main state is Missouri Amish and Mennonite communities seem to commonly operate puppy mills The AWA animal welfare act covers puppy mills and the one exception to this law is commercial breeders who sell to pet stores even online The five freedoms are freedom from hunger and thirst discomfort pain or injury to express normal behaviors and fear and distress No AKC registered puppies from licensed breeders are guaranteed to not be from puppy mills Responsible breeders let you see their facilities they ll have references they ll ask for references Puppies a lot of the time are ill or diseased hip dysplasia distemper etc and the breeding dogs have illnesses and extreme phobias and trauma ANIMAL HOARDING A true animal hoarder can t help themselves and has a mental illness while someone who just owns a lot of animals is considered a hobbyist Both the humans and the animals can get very ill zoonotic disease don t clean up animal waste A rescue hoarder is an animal hoarder who hides under the guise of rescuing and helping animals There is no clear explanation or diagnosis for animal hoarding but there are several models pointing to dementia OCD addiction Hoarders without long term treatment almost always repeat their behavior EQUINE INDUSTRY Horses were used for transportation and farming also as war horses Horses are found all across the country in the US 2 million horse owners nationwide 9 2 million horses Horses need Fluids Facilities Food and Flexibility Anyone can find a job in the horse industry not just animal science majors When US Slaughter plants closed there was an increase of horse meat being sold for consumption They call sell gift the unwanted horse and it can be exported or you can give the horse to a sanctuary much like a humane society for horses EXOTIC ANIMALS Exotic animals are rare or unusual pets that are kept in households when they are generally thought of as a wild species not a pet Exotic animals can be monkeys lions hedgehogs birds turtles frogs etc Exotic animals can be sold in pet stores and online sometimes they are acquired by illegal smuggling and they are sold in wild trade there are some responsible breeders of exotic pets Issues are that they may carry zoonotic diseases and they are relatively unpredictable when it comes to temperament There is a law that prevents endangered animals from being sold or kept as pets and then there is the wild bird conservation act as well as the US captive wild animal safety act big cats not allowed to be sold across state lines DOG FIGHTING Bull baiting and bull fighting eventually led to the development of dog fighting There are street fighters often no rules and very informal associated with gang activity hobbyist fighters more organized more for entertainment profit more attention given to the dogs and professional dogfighters dogs are bred and sold for this purpose only are often killed if unable to fight The AWA is in place to protect against dog fighting Michael Vick s dogs were adopted and given a chance to live which is extremely rare PIT BULLS Pit bulls are one or a mix of the American Staffordshire Terrier the American Pit Bull Terrier or the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Many of the dogs in the 2006 incidents were not spayed or neutered and they were under the care of reckless owners Myths are that they have locked jaws they have a very high PSI for their bite they do not have a good temperament Media tends to amp up the story on the behalf of the dog s actions in order to gain a wider viewership BSL is legislation that is targeted towards a specific breed of dog pit bulls denver but it doesn t work because breed isn t the only predictor of dog violence Doggie DNA most people can t even pick a true pitbull out of a group of large terrier breeds so they give DNA tests to determine the true breed it helps by providing documentation about the true breed less guessing less dogs that are left in shelters ANIMALS IN DISASTERS A disaster is a tragic community felt event that typically requires government involvement includes hurricanes tornadoes earthquakes We have to be prepared for our animals because otherwise many people will refuse to leave 44 delayed leaving during hurricane Katrina because they didn t want to leave their pets behind PETS act made it law that FEMA provide assistance to accommodate pets and service animals in evacuation plans Number one rule if it isn t safe for you it isn t safe for your pet VETERINARY MEDICINE Rabies is the most prevalent zoonotic disease Domestic cases have gone down but wild cases have increased over the past 50 years In the US prevalent in the east coast raccoons skunks foxes in developing countries wild dogs It increases awareness and favors behaviors that involve are good for our health including vaccinations and smart handling of wild animals