Finding Fido, the Canadian Federation of Humane Society’s campaign to inform people about the hazards of puppy mills and how to avoid them, is in its second successful year, according to program director; Shelagh McDonald.
The campaign is an online website that targets potential dog buyers and highlights information about how to identify unethical dog-breeders and sellers, which sometimes run large-scale operations known as puppy mills.
It’s the lack of knowledge about puppy mills that leads people to them in the first place, says McDonald, and Finding Fido seeks to provide a resource to educate people about making responsible decisions when it comes to buying a dog.
“There are too many people who don’t know at all how to recognize good sources or bad sources for buying a dog,” she says.
McDonald explains that puppy mills are dog breeders whose goal is to produce as many puppies at the lowest cost possible. According to her, most of these dogs live in “horrendous conditions,” usually barns with very little ventilation, they’re not fed properly, and they don’t have veterinary care.
Dr. Shelley Hutchings, a veterinarian with the Ottawa Humane Society, says that common infectious diseases found in dogs from puppy mills include intestinal and external parasites, as well as kennel cough, while common behavioural problems found in these dogs stem from poor socialization.
“Obviously there’s a huge welfare impact on the dogs kept in those conditions,” says McDonald. “And people who buy them are buying puppies that are physically unhealthy and most often have behavioural issues because they have not lived any kind of normal life at all.”
McDonald said that while the cost for buying puppies from puppy mills is usually lower than elsewhere, the costs for veterinary care usually ends up being significant.
According to her, while there’s a lot more awareness out there about puppy mills, people still don’t know how to recognize them.
Miriam Smith, OHS’s rescue and investigation inspector, offers some helpful tips in recognizing puppy mills.
She says that those who don’t give full disclosure of where the puppies and parents live, those that sell puppies out of the back of a vehicle, those that provide a sad story to go along with it, those that don’t disclose any information about the seller or the breeder for “confidential” or “privacy” reasons, are most likely involved in puppy mills.
But there is also findingfido.ca. The website is full of information about puppy mills, and valuable resources for locating ethical breeders.
“There’s three parts to (the website),” McDonald explains, “The first is: Are you ready for a dog? . . . If so, how do you choose the right one? . . . And the last step: Where to find it.”
Both CFHS and OHS said that if you suspect someone to be involved in a puppy mill operation, contact your local police service.
For more information about puppy mills and the program, go to findingfido.ca