Maxine's Story

If you see an Ad or Ads by Google on this hub selling puppies the likelihood is the puppies came from puppy mills and their mothers could be subjected to the same fate as Maxine!

The writer suggests you refrain from purchasing a dog from pet shops and/or online sellers of puppies. Instead, if you want an AKC puppy find a reputable breeder in your area. Another good idea is to adopt a dog from your local animal shelter.

Learn more about puppy mills and the puppy store connection at www.thepuppymillproject.org and other similar organizations.

Maxine is fictional. However, her story is based on the true stories of thousands, perhaps tens of thousand of female dogs who are born and live their entire lives at places known as puppy mills. There, unscrupulous breeders use them up in the name of profit while selling their puppies   online and in pet stores. Examples can be any puppies that are advertised by Ads by Google on this hub.

The basic facts about the treatment of these poor dogs is well documented on nationwide articles, on TV, and specifically in documentaries such as the one produced  by Oprah Winfrey, and by the efforts of organizations such as Puppy Mill Project.

Anyone who cares about animals should not stand by while puppy mills continue.

This is about more than the mistreatment of animals. It is about the conscience of a society that allows places such as puppy mills and the pet shops that sell puppy mill products to continue.

Maxine’s life began in a small cage much like the ones shown to the right. There she is kept with her mother and litter-mates for about five or six weeks. Then, her brothers and sisters are separated, the feces and urine is washed from their puppy fur and they are shipped to pet stores like the one that probably has an AD by Google in this hub.

At their destinations Maxine’s litter-mates arrive in not-so-adorable condition. However, a little shampoo and a grooming transforms even the most sickly puppies into seemingly healthy and adorable cuties waiting to be purchased by unsuspecting buyers.

Meanwhile, Maxine is to suffer the same fate as her mother. She is kept as a puppy machine. Her fate is to produce puppies to supply stores like the one that may be in your neighborhood or has an Ad by Google in this hub..

Maxine’s mother and father are purebred dogs and registered with the American Kennel Club. Maxine is also registered. The first time she comes into heat, and every time after she is in heat she is mated with another dog of her breed that is also registered with the American Kennel Club.

Sometimes the dog is bred with is her father or a brother which can create genetic problems in her puppies and potential problems and high vet bills for their owners.

However, that doesn’t matter in the puppy mill trade. The fact that Maxine’s puppies are AKC registered means they can be sold for $1,000 or even $2,000 each at pet stores no matter how inbred they are.

Without the AKC registration papers it is unlikely pet stores such as the ones advertising in this hub could ever charge more than $1000. Without the papers it is unlikely they could charge more than $100. If that were the case there certainly would little incentive to sell their puppy mill puppies at such a low price because there will be no profit.

Meanwhile the pet store owners will make claims that the AKC registration means something more than it does, or the fact that puppy mills are supposed to be inspected by the USDA and means the dogs are healthy.

Despite the fact that reputable breeders never breed their female dogs more than once a year, poor Maxine is bred two or more times a year. Each time she is bred Maxine has a litter of on the average 7 puppies.

Finally, when Maxine is in her seventh year she has a litter of only three sickly puppies. It is obvious the constant breeding had been a strain on her.

By this time Maxine has produced 14 litters totaling 84 dogs whose average retail price is $1200 each at the pet stores. That means her puppies produced over $100,000 in revenue.

As reward for being such a money maker Maxine is kept in a small cage all her life. The cage is not much longer or wider than she is long. The cage has a wire bottom so her urine and feces can drop on the ground under her cage. There is another cage stacked on top of her cage and the waste from that cage’s tenant is dropped on her.

Poor Maxine has never walked on the ground, been petted, groomed, or loved. She has only received minimal vet care, and her hair is matted and filthy. Her body is worn out from producing so many offspring.

The day she has the three sickly puppies the puppy mill owner makes a decision to stop breeding Maxine. He takes her three sickly puppies and throws them in the garbage and rewards Maxine for being such a money maker by shooting her in the head. No more of Maxine’s puppies will be sent to stores like the one that operates near you.

As with countless other brood dogs like her, Maxine is treated like a machine and when she can no longer produce her body is thrown in a landfill like rubbish.

The moral of the story? When you look into the window of a pet store that sells puppies, remember Maxine. The mother of that cute little puppy you see is likely to face a similar fate.

If you care about animals you can do something to join the fight against puppy mills. Join or donate to an organization such as The Puppy Mill Project which is locate in Chicago, IL and put an end to stories such as Maxine's. For information contact info@thepuppymillproject.org.

Or the site Best friends has a directory of anti-puppy mill groups and organizations located throughout the United States.