Larry, a pit bull dog breeder has eleven pit bull dogs, three adult and eight pups. He thought he could breed his pit bulls on the side while working full time at a casino in Northern California to make ends meet. Fulz, who got into the breeding business about a year ago, has a strict contract that customers must sign before they purchase any of his pups:
“Buyer certifies that he/she is not acting as an agent for another individual in the purchase of this dog, and will not sell this dog to any mass-producing kennel (puppy mill) or business.”
Fulz is beginning to realize that not as many people are willing to spend their money on pure breds and he is worried that he will not make a profit and worse, he might have to give these pups to an animal shelter. Although Fulz has a strict contract that buyers must sign he is still adding to an epidemic: animal overpopulation.
According to the American SPCA, a puppy mill is a large commercial breeding site where puppies are bred with profit, not so much the well being of the animal, as the main goal. The pets are usually kept in unsanitary conditions, small cages and bred until they die.
Because of societal trends such as the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Legally Blonde and Hollywood heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Ricci trendy pups like Yorkies (Yorkshire Terriers) and Shih Tzus have become very popular. Puppy Mill owners have capitalized on this trend and the consequences have been dire. A puppy mill in Virginia is said to house over 1,000 puppies that are treated in very bad conditions. If you are buying your pet from a pet store odds are they are from a puppy mill.
Fulz makes up to $3,000 for selling a female UKC Blue Pit Bull Terrier. A pit bull is known to breed up to 12 pups in a litter, which can earn the owner up to $45,000 in one year. The female pit can be bred once a year.
In these economic times, many are looking for alternative ways to make income. Some have turned to selling and breeding their animals. Many animal activists have noted that there seems to be an inflation problem going on in the animal world: too many animals chasing too few owners.
“If more people decided to adopt a pet, the less would get euthanized,” says Betsy McFarland, senior director for companion animals from the Humane Society of the US.
According to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), 800,000 cats and dogs are abandoned in California each year. More than half of those are euthanized which is similar on a nationwide scale where 6-8 million cats and dogs enter a shelter each year and almost half are euthanized.
“Especially since the recession started animal shelters have become inundated with a severe overpopulation problem,” Harrington stated. She goes further to say that people and organizations are tightening up on their donations and in some cases they have to close all together.
The SPCA said that police departments have reported animals left behind at foreclosed homes as a significant problem as well. McFarland urges prospective pet owners to understand what kind of pet fits their lifestyle in terms of expense and how active the pet is. She says that bigger dogs will require more care than, say, a Chihuahua, which will require less.
Because of Michael Vick raising the public’s awareness about the brutality of dog fighting the attention has been turned towards Pit Bulls. According to the documentary “Off the Chain,” there are over 200 websites devoted to pit bull breeding that can be linked to over 1,800 kennels all over the country.
Currently, the pit bull euthanasia rate in shelters is at approximately 93%. This can be linked to the stigma associated with pit bulls but contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are very loyal, playful and friendly. They just need to be surrounded by owners that have their best interest at heart.
“Breeding is a consumer driven activity,” says McFarland who prefers adopting pets to buying them from a breeder or puppy mills. “If the demand goes down, then the breeders will stop breeding them.”
Pet owners have also had to give their animals away to pet shelters because they cannot afford to keep them or the new place that they are moving to does not accept pets. All of these factors have caused overpopulated animal shelters, says Harrington.
“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of the animals,” said Harrington. “In this circumstance people are being motivated by profit which raises huge concerns.”
More dogs are being stolen from adoption agencies as well as from homes, says Harrington. Pet theft is a crime and the criminal can face up to 5 years in prison in the state of California.
