Arguments Against Puppy Mills, Outline Example

Introduction

• Thesis – Puppy Mills should not be allowed to continue to function because they provide immoral and unethical treatment of dogs, they base their operations solely on profit-seeking behaviors, and they are essentially illegal under the true nature of the law.

Treatment of Dogs

• Cages
• “Puppy mill kennels can consist of anything from small cages made of wood and wire mesh to tractor-trailer cabs or simple tethers attached to trees” (PETA.org, n.d.).
• One Arkansas facility had “cages hanging from the ceiling of an unheated cinder-block building …” (PETA.org, n.d.)
• Filth
• Unclean Confinement
• “Two men faced charges after 38 puppies were found to be confined to a feces-filled van without food, water, or space to exercise. The men were transporting the animals from Oklahoma to Florida when a passerby noticed the dogs’ distressed barking and the foul stench emanating from the van, which was parked at a Daytona Beach motel” (PETA.org, n.d.).
• Neglect
• Dogs are provided no toys (HumaneSociety.org, n.d.)
• Most Puppy Mills do not allow exercise (HumaneSociety.org, n.d.)

Profit-Seeking Companies

• Puppy Mills Controlled by For-Profit Companies
• Companies seek to cut costs
• Provide inadequate food, shelter and cleanliness because not cost-efficient
• Dogs that become infertile are destroyed (HumaneSociety.org, n.d.; PETA.org, n.d.)
• Infertile dogs can no longer breed profits
• Many Puppy Mills do not provide adequate shelter
• No bedding
• Inadequate Shelter
• Examples: Cages, Motor Vehicles, Dirt, Cement, Unclean

Mills are Unlawful

• Animal Welfare Act
• “The USDA is supposed to monitor and inspect kennels to ensure that they are not violating the housing standards of the Animal Welfare Act, but kennel inspections are a low priority. In the U.S., there are more than 1,000 research facilities, more than 2,800 exhibitors, and 4,500 dealers that are supposed to be inspected each year” (PETA.org, n.d.; ASPCA.org, n.d.).
• 2008 Farm Bill
• “prohibits the importation of puppies under six months of age for the purpose of resale” (ASPCA.org.org, n.d.)

Conclusion

References

ASPCA.org. (n.d.). Laws that protect dogs in puppy mills. Retrieved from http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/laws-that-protect-dogs.html

HumaneSociety.org . (n.d.). Puppy mills: the human society of the United States. Retrieved from http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/

PETA.org. (n.d.). Puppy mills: dogs abused for the pet trade. Retrieved from http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=45