More on the Amish

It MUST Be Stopped!
More than 400 kennel licenses are issued in Holmes County, OH alone. Puppy sales have turned into big business! Few are legitimate, well-kept kennels where the breeders limit the number of dogs they have, maintain their physical and mental health and, best yet, care for them like the loving pets they are. The rest are puppy mills.


What is unbelievable is there is no limitation on how many dogs a kennel can have. In Holmes County, there are puppy mills with from 75 to more than 100 dogs.
This is outrageous. How can anyone possibly give this many dogs all the care they need both physically and emotionally?


Even if these puppy mills were to give adequate physical care to their animals, what kind of quality of life do these poor dogs have? These animals are certainly lacking in love, nurturing and companionship. Isn't that the reason we have pets?


When their usefulness is gone, these dogs are dumped like garbage into the dog pound where they try to undo all the damage that has been done. Or worse, they are taken behind the barn and shot, or drowned in the family pond. Their puppies are sold as pets, but the parents of these puppies are not treated as pets. They are nothing more than livestock to the perpetrators of this disgraceful act. As 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) said..."We can judge the heart of a man by the way he treats his animals."


It's imperative that we stop this inhumane process. The best way to stop puppy mills from continuing their abuse is for consumers to stop buying the puppies they breed. Many people think they are rescuing a puppy by buying one. Don't be fooled. You're just creating space for another puppy to be sold.


Never buy a dog unless you can see for yourself where it was born, how the parents are kept and what condition all the dogs are in. A reputable kennel owner and breeder will never sell to a pet store, and they will willingly give you the name of their veterinarian as a reference.


Another way is to contact your county dog warden and your commissioners to make sure that they are enforcing what is enforceable. Call or write your state representative. Changes must be made through the law in order to protect God's loving, innocent creatures from this kind of abuse.


All of us here at NJM are passionate when it comes to dogs everywhere. It has become our mission to raise awareness of any issues that affect them, from their health, food and nutrition and training to their welfare. Canine advocacy is something that everyone who cares about dogs needs to be aware of and we all need to share that and raise our voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.


But the cruelty is not limited to Pennsylvania or Ohio. There are also Indiana's Amish Puppy Mills. When people think of the Amish, they tend to think of a people who live according to God's word and religion. But watch the following video and you will see a side of the Amish that you never knew. You will see cruelty, heartlessness and greed.


I warn you, there are some graphic images on the video. But if you care anything about the problem of puppy mills, you will force yourself to watch this. Many things have touched and saddened me through the years, but nothing like this. I pray that as you watch it, your tears of sadness may turn into tears of determination.