Blog - Paws4Change - Paws4Change®

Rescuers at Dog Auctions - Please, Stop

11/15/2016

We hear the phrases all the time: "Adopt! Don’t Shop!" and "Don’t Breed or Buy While Shelter Dogs Die!" In a perfect world more people would adopt animals from shelters and rescue groups and that would be the go-to option for most families. In that same perfect world, the only dog breeding taking place in our country would be done by responsible breeders who are in it not for the money, but to perpetuate breed standards (as compared to modifying breeds to the point where it is abusive and the dogs either cannot walk or cannot breathe).

Ours is not a perfect world. A lot of people get dogs who come from puppy mills or huge dog breeding operations because they are either blinded by the cuteness they see or they don’t want to know where the dog came from or a combination of the two. There are, in fact, responsible breeders out there, none of whom would ever sell a dog in a pet store or in a Walmart parking lot. I know there are those who oppose all dog breeding. I simply do not because I think that’s unrealistic. I oppose irresponsible breeding and breeding with a focus on profit and with little or no regard for the well-being of dogs.

We in rescue and advocacy tell the public one thing all the time: do not buy a dog from a pet store. Do not, do not, do not. We tell them that when they buy that cute puppy in the window, they are only perpetuating an industry which enslaves dogs in conditions that would make us sick if we saw pictures or actually went there. We also tell them to not buy dogs from web sites, newspaper ads or street corners and to engage in due diligence in dealing with local breeders to determine the conditions from which the dog came to make sure they are not inadvertently supporting a mill operation. In essence, we are zero tolerance when it comes to people buying puppy mill dogs. We encourage them to "just say no" and we judge people harshly who cave in to that cute little face in the pet store and who buy the puppy, sometimes for thousands of dollars.

But what about how we behave as rescuers and advocates? Are we really any better than the public we are so quick to judge?

Most of the people I know in rescue are those I would describe as purists. They either pull animals from animal shelters (most of which are kill facilities) to adopt them out to the public or they take animals directly from the public in order to find them new homes. In many cases they are taking the harder-to-place animals as opposed to younger or "cuter" animals and they function based solely on donations and with no taxpayer assistance. These people are surely aware of the concept of a dog auction but they have never attended one and would never even consider going to one.

There is a faction in the rescue community, however, which engages in behavior which is not only as bad as buying a dog from a pet store, but is in some ways much, much worse as far as I'm concerned: I’m talking about rescuers who buy dogs at auction. I first touched on this topic very briefly in a blog I wrote in late July which caused quite a bit of uproar from people who don’t agree with me. I was on the receiving end of some pretty strong hostility and a lot of accusations. I’m okay with that. I will not be bullied. My opinions are my own and while I love dogs, my opinions on the topic of rescuers at dog auctions is based on reason and logic and not on my emotional attachment to dogs.

I want to be perfectly clear on this subject. As much as those in rescue and advocacy circles are zero tolerance for people who buy a puppy from a pet store, I am equally zero tolerance when it comes to rescuers who pay large amounts of money for dogs at auction and call it "rescue." It is not. I’m not sure exactly what to call it other than a purchase, but it is not rescue. For me, it actually borders on a form of either collecting behavior at the worst and "ego rescue" at the least. I know that saying this will not be popular with many in the rescue community. So why bother? I’m saying it because I think it needs to be said, both for the benefit of some in the rescue community who can be reached and for the benefit of those who donate to rescues, thinking they are doing a good thing by helping a rescue group buy dogs at auction.

(click on image to view as a .pdf file)

In order to present my position on this topic more thoroughly, I reached out to some of my subject matter experts on the topic. These are people who have decades of collective experience in dealing with the puppy mill issue. They are rescuers and advocates with ties not only in the Amish community but in the dog breeding and dog auction community. They are active in seeking legislation related to mills and they are working hard to educate the public about how their behavior relates to changing or ending the mill industry. If you are a rescuer who is absolutely convinced that it is a great idea to solicit donations to buy dogs at auction, it is unlikely that reading this blog will change your opinion. So be it. If you are a person who has donated money to a rescue so the rescue can buy dogs at auction, you surely did so with the best of intentions. I just ask you to step away from your behavior long enough to consider what it is you really think you are achieving when you buy dogs at auction.

The highlights of the input I received from my contacts are as follows.

• Rescuers have changed the landscape of dog auctions. As recently as 10 years ago, the presence of rescuers and rescue groups at dog auctions was not the norm in most regions. Most of those present at auction were breeders who were at the auction to buy dogs to add to their businesses. That changed not quite 10 years ago in the Great Lakes region and about 6 years ago in the Midwest. Rescuers had an increasing presence at auction and were often easy to spot from the way they dressed, the way they behaved and the amount of money they were willing to spend on dogs. During this time, it was not uncommon for some in rescue get dogs for free, get "dollar dogs" or to get large numbers of dogs for small amounts of money (i.e., 50 dogs for $3. Yes you read that correctly). The presence of rescuers at auction is now extremely obvious to both the auction companies and to the breeders who are both fascinated by and repelled by the rescuers’ behavior.

• The presence of rescuers at auction has completely changed the auction process itself. The rescuers are often paying more for dogs than the auction houses have ever seen before, and in some regions dogs are now brought to auctions with the sole purpose of being sold to rescues. Rescues have created a niche market of sorts due to their obvious presence at auction. They usually come with large sums of money and often announce their intent to "save" dogs "no matter what," sometimes focusing on specific breeds of dogs they favor.

• The amount of money rescuers are paying for dogs at auction bears no relation to the amounts breeders are willing to pay for dogs at auction. In one auction, a rescuer paid $9,000 dollars for a female dog and her puppies. It is not uncommon for a rescue group to pay $30,000 to $40,000 at auction for 5 to 10 dogs. This willingness of rescuers to pay such large amounts of money truly leaves the auction houses and breeders laughing all the way to the bank. They don’t talk about it while the auction is taking place or while the rescuers are within hearing range. That would be foolish. They absolutely talk about it after the auction ends and transactions are finalized. The behavior or rescuers is also viewed with disdain by many breeders, some of whom are second or third generation "farmers" who are trying to make a living to pay their bills. For them, spending a thousand or more dollars for a single dog at auction is offensive. Breeders have been known to call the big money spent by rescuers at auction "disgusting" even though the economic benefit to them is obvious.

• The types of dogs bought by rescuers at auction may surprise most people. There are some in rescue who have developed relationships with breeders and auction houses which enable them to get dogs who are older or injured for free or for some nominal amounts of money. Most rescuers, however, are buying pregnant dogs, dogs who have just given birth and younger, more appealing dogs, including puppies. They are not buying dogs who are older, injured or sick and who are actually in most need of rescue. Rescuers who pay big money for the "best" dogs are essentially cutting out the middleman in the sales process. They negate the need for a broker to market the dogs to a store or the need for a store to sell the dog since they are getting dogs directly from the source. In the process of doing that, they make the sale more profitable.

• On a scale of 1 to 10, the behavior of rescuers at auction related to advocacy efforts to end puppy mills is a 10. When rescuers buy dogs at auction for large sums (as opposed to seeking relinquishment of dogs to them for no cost), they are paying way more than any breeder would pay and they are simply providing more funding to breeders (and the auction house) to make milling operations larger and more profitable. The argument that buying a dog at auction prevents a breeder from profiting off that dog is one-sided and completely avoids the reality of the business aspects of breeding dogs for profit. When a rescuer pays $2,000 for a dog which would ordinarily sell for $20 or even $200, they may have removed that dog from the breeding operation, but they have put more money in the breeder’s pocket to buy even more dogs and make even more money.

• When asked my contacts what rescuers should be doing instead of buying dogs at auction, I was provided with this input which I have paraphrased:

Rescues should avoid auctions completely. They should contact breeders and ask them to relinquish the dogs that they are done with, including the old dogs, sick dogs, disfigured dogs and puppies that they cannot sell. NO money should change hands. The rescues can then raise funds to provide the medical care these dogs will need. Only then will they truly be saving dogs.

Dog auctions are a tragic embarrassment to our society and to humane-minded citizens. We have been asked if people should "buy" or "rescue" dogs at auction. Buying at auctions simply means that it will be profitable. If it is profitable, it will continue and more dogs will be bred for sale at future dog auctions. We understand compassion for the dogs being sold and know that there will be some who will buy. We understand both sides of the situation. We hope that in the long run, not buying will produce the best outcome to end these auctions altogether.

Rescuers who buy dogs at auction should take a long, hard look at what they hope to accomplish. They should look at the "why" of what they are doing and ask themselves, "what is the grander plan for these dogs?" Anyone who is willing to pay $9,000 for a puppy has an ego problem. They will never be able to recoup the money paid for that dog and they have paid a breeder much, much more money that the dog may be worth to another breeder. As far as people who donate to rescues who buy dogs at auction, they should ask themselves how much good could be done with that same money to help dogs in other ways and while working to educate the public about why they shouldn’t buy mill dogs. They should consider how much good could be done to care for older, more challenged dogs obtained from breeders for free and to give them a good life. There are three kinds of rescuers: rescue as a business, rescue for ego and rescue as purity. Buying dogs at auction is not good business and it is not pure rescue. It is a purchase and it is more about ego than it is about helping dogs. When you rescue for ego, you are putting yourself before the welfare of dogs and you are putting your personal need to feel important in the way of slowing or ending the very industry you say you oppose.

I believe that at the heart of every true rescuer is a desire to save animals and give them a better life. I also believe that those who donate to rescues presume that their money will be used in the best possible way to help the most animals in need. That’s how I view the donations I make. It’s time to stop enabling the puppy millers and the commercial dog breeders who treat dogs as a farm commodity to be bred, sold and bought like equipment, cotton or corn. We do that not only when we persuade the animal-loving public to say "no" to buying mill dogs. We do it when those in rescue walk away from the auction tent and focus on helping other dogs in need, educating the public and promoting legislation which changes our society related to the commercial farming of dogs.

If you are a rescuer and you feel absolutely compelled to save dogs at auction, please don’t go there with your bankroll in hand and a determination that you will outspend anyone who gets in your way. Take the time to develop and foster relationships with the breeders and the auction companies so that you can arrange to have older, injured or challenged dogs relinquished to you for free. By doing that you are helping the dogs who need you most, you are not making the dog breeding industry more profitable and you staying true to the pure form of "rescue" which your donors no doubt expect from you. And then you can go back to the very important business of educating the public and supporting legislation at local, state and federal levels which seeks to make life better for mill dogs until the day that puppy mills become part of our shameful past.

(images courtesy of Hector Parayuelos, Nicole Mays, PetShopPuppies and National Mill Dog Rescue)

59 Comments

Robert Schultz

11/17/2016 03:12:17 pm

I fully support National Mill Dog Rescue, an organization that saves "used up" breeding dogs. Are you saying their work is suspect and/or counterproductive? Frankly, I find that hard to believe, even though I understand your argument. Thanks!

Paws4Change

11/17/2016 04:04:35 pm

Thanks for your inquiry, Robert. I am not saying that at all, in fact. I have done volunteer work for National Mill Dog Rescue for years and consider the Straders and many of the organization leaders to be friends of mine.

I absolutely support organizations which help mill dogs who are relinquished. Depending on the organization, I tend to go one step further and am okay with saving dogs through the payment of some nominal cost which really ends up being next to nothing.

My issue is with rescue groups which either use donated funds or solicit donated funds to go to auctions and pay more money for dogs than the bidding breeders in the tent and call it rescue. Their presence at auctions has completely changed the auction process itself and the prices which are being paid. Well intentioned efforts to save mill dogs from a life of servitude through large payments simple allows the breeder to acquire more dogs to live in servitude. It not only perpetuates the industry but it makes the industry more profitable than it would be were the rescuers not there with huge sums of money. As I wrote in my blog, one group paid $220,00 for 98 dogs. This was from funds obtained in a GoFundMe drive which garnered donations from our country and other countries. The breeder made an incredible amount of money from that one auction.

I told my research sources I would not identify them and I will not. Having said that, I can assure you that I fully support the work of National Mill Dog Rescue and will continue to do so. The value of their work to save dogs and educate the public simply cannot be understated.

Leann

11/20/2016 09:20:35 am

Really? Because NMDR attends and buys dogs at auction. So you're making them your exception?

Betsy

11/18/2016 09:55:08 am

I agree with you too--those "rescuers" paid more per dog for the 98 dogs than I did for my purebred Scottish Terrier puppy from one of the best kennels in the country with championships
bloodline. My big concern as a purebred owner is the apparent unwillingness of a good portion of the rescue community to work with responsibile purebred owners and breeders--we aren't the enemy--we take of our dogs and are as concerned about bad breeders as you are. And adopt don't shop makes us feel unwanted. The majority of the problem is people who don't spay and neuter and discard their animals in shelters like yesterday's garbage--I've never done either of those those things. Indeed when I tried to adopt a Scottie from a shelter I found it hard to find one.

11/18/2016 12:21:10 pm

Thank you for your comment, Betsy. I think there are some in rescue who believe all breeding is wrong and who don't believe in the concept of responsible breeding. I am not one of those people. I have no issue with breeders who are in it for the love of the breed and who may only have a litter a year, if that. My dentist breeds Black Russian Terriers (I believe her female is currently best in breed) and she also has rescue dogs. There is a vast difference between her and the people who mass produce dogs or run mills. They are not the same at all.

Related to the shelter issue, I would say that the infusion of dogs into the market by irresponsible breeders or miller is a problem. I blogged about this in an earlier post. It is no coincidence that millions of dogs are bred each year while we destroy millions in shelters. Spay/neuter is an issue, of course. It is also an issue that many shelters say that we should not treat animals as disposable and then turn around and do just that. My no kill blogs on that are another topic entirely.

Marci Bartelt

11/22/2016 06:35:08 pm

There are approximately 2.5 million perfectly adoptable dogs euthanized, gassed,or shot every year, simply because of overpopulation. Perhaps this overpopulation problem stems from the over 3 million puppies bred for money yearly. Adopt don't shop seems like a no-brainer to me. Unless you or anyone else is breeding ONLY to preserve the bloodlines and integrity of the breed, and not for money which is the vast majority of breeders, it should not be happening. Ever.

Kate

4/12/2018 10:55:07 am

Those numbers aren't really accurate. The number of dogs dying in US shelters annually is fewer than two million, about 1% of all dogs, and the near entirety of those are adolescent dogs, mostly large-breed, that have been through at LEAST one home, not infant puppies. There are more than 17 million people looking to add a pet to their family every year. There's plenty of room in home and hearts; it's less an "overpopulation" problem than it is a distribution and retention problem.
There are many ways to verify this reality, only one of which is the fact that "rescue" groups are buying darling baby puppies to market as "puppy mill rescues" because they aren't finding those types of dogs at shelters anymore.

Littleblackdog5

11/18/2016 10:40:29 am

I find it very sad and confusing. What happens to the dogs that do not get purchased at auctions or pet stores. They do not know,And it is not their fault that they are in that circumstance. They are just poor little unloved critters that deserve "rescue" also.

11/18/2016 12:24:23 pm

Dogs who are not purchased at auction are often given away to rescuers. Some are also destroyed. If you are familiar with the story of Harley, the 2015 American Hero Dog, he was left in a bucket to die. I agree these dogs deserve rescue. I also believe that it is important for rescues to develop relationships with breeders and auction houses to get those dogs for free which happens with a lot of rescue groups.

It is very sad and confusing. But if we want it to stop, we must not buy mill dogs at auctions, in stores, from newspaper ads or on street corners. The industry exists because it is profitable.

Randy Willoughby

8/22/2017 08:58:54 pm

If you don't buy that dog from that pet store or on line doggie store. Those puppies will not be reordered from the millers and more than likely you will get it from a shelter for a very reasonable fee.

Barbara

11/19/2016 01:17:36 pm

Years ago when I joined a Bearded Collie email list, I was upset to read that members would not "rescue" available Beardies at auctions for the reasons in the article above. I felt every dog deserved a better life, that we needed to get them out of their horrific situation. But reasonable people in the know convinced me we would be doing the wrong thing by buying these dogs.

Fast forward a few years when we adopted a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier mix from a rescue organization. I joined a SCWT email list to learn more about the breed from those who love it. To my great surprise, this group was soliciting donations constantly to attend auctions to buy dogs. Their attitude was completely different from my Bearded Collie list. Being as large as the SCWT list is, they continually raise thousands of $ in days, then go to the auctions to outbid the breeders. I rejoice knowing a dog(s) is safe, but feel this is not the way to truly rescue Wheatens in need.

11/19/2016 02:25:53 pm

That is the way to liberate those particular dogs. Unfortunately, it simply serves to objectify other dogs and perpetuates the industry. If is simply not rescue. It is a purchase which is as bad or worse as a purchase from a pet store. I say worse because the rescuers should know better than to behave in the exact way they tell the public to not behave. Perhaps you can help persuade them that their actions are simply too short sighted.

Brooke Pope

11/20/2016 02:07:54 am

A while ago I read this article http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/Auctions.html explaining the difference between a dispersal auction and a consignment auction. "In a dispersal auction the kennel is selling out all of the dogs, the equipment, and tools and getting out of the business. In a consignment auction the kennel is selling the dogs that they do not want any longer. The money that the kennel earns from a consignment auction will be used to buy more dogs and perpetuate the misery. Although we are all very sad for the dogs who are sold at consignment auctions, it is wrong to buy them. It is the same thing as buying a dog at a petstore. It is contributing to the industry of misery." My Susie Q was bought at a dispersal auction by our local Humane Society where we adopted her from. Susie Q was sold for $60. So because it wasn't a consignment auction neither the Humane Society nor we were perpetuating a puppy mill in any way even though she was bought at auction. I can't imagine life without her and am beyond grateful she was saved from being purchased by another puppy mill to continue breeding <3

Kim Kavin link

11/20/2016 09:44:19 am

Hi Brooke,

It's nice to "meet" you here online. I wanted to explain a few things that perhaps might be new to you.

The link that you cited includes this statement, talking about what happens at the auction: "The dogs are frequently injured, ill, missing limbs, or even their bottom jaw. They are all terrified."

That is not accurate. I'm not sure if you have been to an auction, but I have been to America's largest legal one, while reporting my book "The Dog Merchants." The vast majority of dogs I saw were not frightened at all. I recall exactly one, out of about 300 that day, who was visibly frightened during an 8-hour auction that I personally witnessed from the bleachers. (And nobody, including the rescuers in the room, would pay so much as $1 for him. Every single person there left him to his fate on his own.)

I also didn't see a single dog who was visibly injured, missing a limb or missing a jaw, though to be accurate, I did hear the auctioneer announce that a number of the dogs were missing teeth. I am sure there are examples of injured dogs coming to the auction, but to suggest that it is the norm among the majority of the dogs at every auction is an outright lie based on the auction that I witnessed.

Splitting hairs about an auction being "consignment" or "dispersal" is just that--splitting hairs about engaging in a business practice that financially supports the industry you claim to want to shut down. I'm sure your dog is fantastic (with a temperament that, possibly at least in part, is a credit to the breeder who produced her). And I wish her, and you, all the very best in life.

But calling the purchase of a dog from any breeder or auctioneer a "rescue" is simply an inaccurate use of that word. Rescue means "to save," not "to buy." What is happening in these auctions is, in fact, a business transaction. It is breeders and rescuers engaging in the same exact business practice, no matter what label anybody tries to slap on it to make it sound different.

Rudi link

11/20/2016 11:29:37 am

There was a time when a dispersal sale truly meant the breeder is going out of business, but now we're seeing many dispersal sales where the breeder is just dispersing of a particular breed/breeds. The term is used to make it appear that the breeder is going out of business. Those dogs are sold, lining the breeders pockets with money so they can invest in a different breed/breeds of dogs for their operation. A complete dispersal sale sounds like a good thing, and sometimes it is, but we've seen breeders sell everything via auction, and go right back into the breeding business again (after all, often the breeding business is all they know). Beware of the "dispersal sale" being used as a marketing technique. Bottom line.... don't perpetuate the cycle!

Brooke, I'm not referring to Susie Q and her situation, I'm just referring to dispersal sales in general. I'm so glad you have Susie Q in your life!

11/21/2016 02:12:30 pm

Thank you for clarifying Rudi. It's crazy how many tactics these millers come up with and what is sometimes being done in the name of rescue :'(

Valerie Hunter-Goss

11/23/2016 06:15:08 pm

To Kim, The greyhound rescue groups hear a similar comment - "(with a temperament that, possibly at least in part, is a credit to the breeder who produced her)" when greyhounds in good mental and physical shape are surrendered to them. I can tell you it makes most of the anti-racing people want to puke! I've seen basket cases (freaks), puppies that have to be euthanized from bad breeding because they're born with a rare arthritic condition and they can barely walk, etc. It's possible some mill dogs are treated better than others but that statement about puppy mill survivors coming from 'good' breeding (or breeders) makes me ill. It sounds unfair to the dogs that have no voice!

I've met Susie Q. I credit Brooke and her husband for helping her overcome many fears due to the confinement and pregnancies which were forced on her by a breeder that only needed to meet the minimum USDA standards of care. A breeder selling his dogs at auction does not = a good breeder. If he cared about Susie he would have placed her in a loving home when he was done with her, not sent her to auction.

11/27/2016 07:47:51 am

Hi Valerie,

It sounds like you are equating all commercial-scale breeders with the term "puppy mill" (and the most horrible conditions imaginable). That is simply not an accurate portrayal of all commercial-scale breeders.

Nobody is arguing that dogs should be treated badly, kept in cages their entire lives, denied socialization with other dogs, or anything of the sort, but to suggest that there are no commercial-scale breeders doing a good job with their dogs is a comment that could only be made by somebody who has never taken the time to go out and spend time on the farms owned by all kinds of commercial-scale breeders. I've seen some commercial kennels that are horror shows, and others whose dogs are far happier than dogs living in suburban homes. As with hobby-scale breeders, rescuers and shelters, commercial-scale breeders represent a range of good and bad practices.

It is, in fact, possible that a commercial-scale breeder being unfairly demonized as a "puppy mill" produced the dog in question, and it is, in fact, possible that the breeder's actions helped lead to the dog having a great personality. Understanding that those things are true is not a defense of lousy breeders. It is simply an acknowledgment that commercial-scale breeders come in all shapes and sizes, again, just like every other type of dog merchant out there across the whole of the breeding and rescue industry.

11/20/2016 11:12:38 am

This comment relates to Leann's question.

No. I'm not making an exception. National Mill Dog Rescue is actually unique and I don't compare it to other organizations. I know from talking to the NMDR leadership that it took years to develop relationships with breeders and auction companies to be able to get relinquished dogs. In the early days of the organization, it was possible to get "dollar dogs" or to get dozens of dogs for a few dollars (less than $5). Those times have passed.

When NMDR goes to auctions now, they are not bidding on the dogs in the auction setting. 99% of the the dogs they rescue were relinquished by the breeders.

I simply don't compare that behavior to the behavior of rescue groups which take thousands - or hundreds of thousands - of dollars to auctions, bid on dogs and label it rescue. It is a purchase and a business transaction.

Ohio Voters for Companion Animals - OVCA link

11/20/2016 02:08:53 pm

To Brooke's comment, as a group of advocates who have attended many of the Ohio dog auctions as part of a coordinated effort with rescue, media and local law enforcement to address serious issues involving the breeders and dogs placed on the block for sale, we can attest that a vast majority of dogs we saw were most definitely frightened, injured and/or ill. We recall almost 90%, out of about 450 that day, who were visibly frightened during an 8-hour auction that we personally witnessed from the bleachers.

To that end, we also believe that participating in a dog auction whether it be "consignment" or "dispersal" is engaging in a business practice that financially supports an industry that we believe is fueled by a tremendous amount of animal cruelty, corruption and consumer fraud. Although operating a registered (or as in some states, regulated) animal rescue for dogs does involve a business transaction via an "adoption fee", we believe calling the purchase of a dog from auction a "rescue" is a misleading use of the word.

Brooke if you don't mind sharing as part of this Blog post, what was the quality of health at the time the Humane Society purchased Susie Q from auction? Did she have any medical and/or behavioral issues? If so, what were they? If not, have you experienced any medical and/or behavioral issues with her since she was adopted into your family?

11/20/2016 03:35:26 pm

I, too, would be interested in learning the physical/emotional condition of Suzie Q. For those curious about what a puppy mill dog may look like, and to read a bit about those bought by Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Rescue, click on www.wheatenterrierrescue.org and you will see hundreds of these dogs. As the organizers of Wheaten rescue say, this is a very controversial subject (buying the dogs from the mills) and their purpose may not please all of us. They look at each dog as the opportunity to "rescue" it from a horrible life and live a life of love and care.

11/21/2016 09:22:30 am

Barbara, it sounds as if the Wheaten rescue group is actually participating at auction sometimes and is not getting relinquished dogs. Can you share any information about how much the group pays for dogs at auction? I'm trying to distinguish between a $5 purchase and a $5,000 purchase.

Brooke

11/21/2016 02:46:56 pm

I wasn't there when she was purchased but I do know she was in need of dental surgery at that time. She was spayed before we adopted her. She was very afraid when we adopted her. She needed to learn to be housebroken. It has taken her 2 years, in stages, to come out of her shell and act like a normal dog. The mill she came from was equipped with climate control and walkout porches for defecating and urinating. Which I believed preserved most of her health. She was in the mill for 8 years and 10 months. We have had her for a year and 11 months. She has experienced ongoing ear infections and teeth loss.

11/21/2016 04:47:36 pm

Thank you so much Brooke for sharing this information on Susie Q. So very heartbreaking to read about her history of medical and behavioral issues. Sadly, she serves as a strong example of what we've discovered to be the case for the vast majority of dogs sold at the Ohio dog auctions.

11/21/2016 09:45:06 am

According to the Wheaten website, the group has paid up to $600 per dog at auction. As stated therein, these dogs almost always need extensive medical care for weeks if not months. There is a link on the website discussing how to rehabilitate (emotionally) these puppy mill dogs.

11/21/2016 02:39:26 pm

Thank you. It's terribly unfortunate that they continue to pay that much money for dogs needing the most care. Those are the types of dogs which would ordinarily be relinquished to rescues for free. That takes fostering of relationships, of course. Millers will continue to see the Wheaten organization as a source of revenue greater than the other breeders at auction because of the willingness to pay what is akin to ransom, at least to me. I understand the motivation to help dogs in need. I simply think it has to be balanced with behavior which does not contribute financially to the process, thereby perpetuating it, such as developing ways to get sick or injured dogs for free.

Nancy Heileman

11/22/2016 06:29:13 pm

Thank you for this insightful article. I did not know about this situation, and appreciate the education. I will share this information, and hope that it will continue to spread and help others to understand the implications. My hope is that it will also reach people who can influence rescues that currently buy from auctions. I personally do not have any connection to these types of rescues. I support three animal rescues that fall into the "purist" category. Again, thank you for your efforts to educate and inform about this - it is truly important.

Maggie link

11/22/2016 07:21:25 pm

The first auction I ever went to, Theresa Strader was there and helped me. The landscape has changed drastically since then, about 7 years ago. We are a rescue that does some auction rescue. The vast majority of our dogs are not auction dogs. We walk a fine line, and try never to pay so much that we are enriching breeders. We also have relationships with some who relinquish to us. When we go to auction, we are not bidding on only the babies, but on the rotten mouths, damaged limbs, overbred mamas. Our adoption fees don't go up. It costs us much more to treat auction dogs, and in Italian Greyhounds, way more time, to socialize dogs that have never been socialized. Like NMDR, we are looking for who we can get out of the life. It's brutally hard to let a dog go, especially in the moment, but we cannot become a profit center for breeders. I agree with large parts of this article. There is a new breed of dog flippers out there, and lots of "rescues" making profits. We aren't all the same.

Becky Monroe link

11/24/2016 07:23:07 am

As the author of Bark Until Heard, a book detailing my very personal experience with Amish and Mennonite dog auctions, I find this blog and the many comments extremely interesting. Eight years ago, I found myself at an auction as a reporter to do a story on the protestors. They told me, "If you want to understand what we are protesting, you need to go in the barn and see for yourself." I went in the barn and my life was changed forever. I walked out with the oldest dog there for $60. The protestors also told me, "If you take a dog out of there today, the best thing you can do is share his story. Educate others." That is what I did. I have never been to an English auction, but unlike what Kim K. says above, 90% of the dogs I saw at auctions were broken. Not just in poor physical health, but emotionally they were dead. Their spirit gone. No tails wagged. No one barked for attention. Each dog I have ever fostered or adopted from a mill has been a train wreck. Currently, I have Alice sitting on my lap, who was bought at an auction in September. Her tongue hangs to the ground, she is petrified of every little thing and my vet believe she suffered blunt trauma to the head because of her crooked face. All of that said, I am not a raving fan of rescues who go to auctions with tens of thousands of dollars and come back with puppies. I believe these rescues are acting more like brokers. When we went to auctions, we looked for the old ones, the used up ones - the ones who needed a chance at a loving home. Yes, since those days I am part of a few groups who are able to work with millers (I will NEVER call them breeders because they churn out dogs for profit, not for the love of a specific breed) and get many "retired" breeders for free. However, until you are at an auction and looking into the empty soul of a dog who doesn't even try for human attention, I don't think you can say you wouldn't raise your paddle a hundred times to save that dog. While I do think the increased participation of rescues at auctions does directly contribute the profitability of millers, I do not think that it makes or breaks the business. The only way to end this horrible cruelty, is to legislate and educate it away. In a country where over 1 million healthy, adoptable dogs are KILLED each year, certainly we can agree that mass breeding is NOT NEEDED. I believe some of the best laws are being passed on a local level and prohibiting pet stores from selling mill dogs and requiring them to only "sell" rescued dogs. And while the controversy over rescuing dogs at auctions remains just as prominent as it was a decade ago, for each dog that does get out, his story gets told and I do, strongly, believe that that makes a HUGE difference.

11/25/2016 10:15:47 am

Becky, thank you for your input. I appreciate your perspective. While I will agree with you that legislation is part of ending this industry as we know it, I also strongly believe that how we behave is consumers is key. When we are able to reach more people about this industry, we can help people understand that buying a dog at a store is never a good idea.

I wanted to blog on this topic in the wake of some pretty toxic criticism on my earlier blog ("Your Beloved Pet is Their Marketable Industry"). The backlash I got from some in rescue was shocking and I felt the topic deserved more coverage.

For me, a purchase at auction in what I call the "big money" category is equally bad as a store purchase. It is really no different in terms of the money paid for the dog and simply takes place in a tent and not a store. As I commented above, I fully understand that some rescues get dogs for free or for nominal sums of money as a result of relationships with those who produce and auction dogs. I have no issue with that. But if we are to tell people, "don't buy a dog at a store, ever," I think that we in rescue should listen to our own advice and not pay thousands for dogs.

I understand what you said about looking into the soul of a dog at auction and not wanting to pay whatever it took. To that I would just say that people willing to pay whatever it takes just should not go to the auction at all so they are not put in that position and should focus on pure rescue, legislation and public education.

Again, thank you for your comments.

11/27/2016 08:29:28 am

Hi Becky,

I have a copy of your book on my desk. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I did buy it and it is on my to-do list just as soon as I get a chance.

One of the interesting things you said here is that the auctions you attended were in the Amish and Mennonite communities, nearly a decade ago. I'm curious to know: have you been to the Wheaton auction, run by an "English" person, anytime in the past year or two? Because that is the reality today, the biggest dog auction in America and still growing.

I'm no defender of dog auctions, as anyone knows who has read my book's introduction, and I am well aware that there are responsible and irresponsible breeders in the Amish, Mennonite and "English" communities alike. But the truth is that the vast majority of dogs I saw at the "English"-run auction in Wheaton did not look visibly frightened or injured. Many had tails wagging, were being social with other dogs, had no problem being held by people, and so forth. And when I contacted the auction's owner to ask for an interview, he was welcoming and spent an entire day with me, talking openly about his personal history, his current business practices and even taking me to meet the types of breeders he respects--breeders whose dogs, when I got to their commercial-scale farms, were running and playing in spaces as big as many suburban backyards and even ballfields, dogs who came up to me to say hello and, in most cases, seemed just as happy and normal and healthy as my own two spoiled mutts at home.

Obviously, there is good and bad in everything, and certainly, some breeders who treat their dogs far differently are also participating in that auction. Again, nobody is denying that there are irresponsible breeders out there.

But what's happening in Wheaton today is not the same as what you likely saw at the Amish auctions a decade ago. Even the Amish will tell you this if you ask. The Amish founder of the now-defunct Buckeye Dog Auction in Ohio told me earlier this year that he founded his auction after attending the one in Wheaton, which impressed him--he was essentially trying to be a copycat, and he failed. That Ohio auction was shut down years ago. It is not representative of the current reality.

The "English"-run Wheaton auction continues to thrive--with breeders and rescuers alike in there bidding on dogs and moving them directly into homes all across America. The auctioneer says openly that prices have never been better, that business has never been so brisk. If the dogs were all in such bad condition, then that Wheaton auction would not be going so strong. And rescuers would not be flocking there to buy the dogs. They'd be outside picketing (not a single picketer was in sight on the day that I attended).

My point is that what you saw a decade ago at an Amish auction is likely not the same as what is going on today at the Wheaton auction. Again, there's no denying that some horrible breeders are probably in that mix in Wheaton too, but there is also an entire rescue economy operating in conjunction with the breeding economy at that auction. The rescuers are, in fact, happily in business with those breeders. Both sides keep coming back for more, because the product (at least in the end consumer's eye) is good.

I'd also like to correct a factual error in your comment: that breeding is not needed. That's simply untrue. About 4 million dogs enter American shelters each year. Let's say we give every one of them a home (and I hope we do, just as I personally have done for my two shelter mutts and the nearly two dozen fosters I've welcomed into my home). Those 4 million shelter dogs, if we give them all a home, are still only half the dogs needed to fill the consumer demand for 8 million pet dogs in America each year.

So we can, and should, give a home to every healthy and friendly shelter dog, but even if we do, we're still going to need breeders to fill the rest of the demand for millions more pet dogs each year in America alone--and we're going to continue to need commercial-scale breeders to achieve that sheer quantity of pet dogs.

This is why I regularly write that we all should support the best breeders and rescuers, and why we should focus on improving the commercial-scale kennels instead of banning them and leaving them to become a wholly black market.

And "pet store puppy mill bans"? They don't solve anything back on those commercial-scale farms. Even the Humane Society of the United States can't name a single kennel that has ended because of the nearly 200 of those laws enacted so far. What those laws really do is shift a tiny fraction of total market share for pet dogs at the retail level--away from breeders and over to rescue groups that are usually regulated far less than the breeders (if at all). The breeders remain. They just sell their dogs through different channels, without that extra layer of regulation and inspection that pet stores, however currently flawed, do

11/28/2016 02:51:24 pm

To Kim Kavin- I'd be interested to know how many dogs were at the commercial breeder where they were running and seemed happy. And also if the females and males were separated. I'd also like to know how many care-taking employees per dog there were and how each dogs health needs and bloodlines were monitored. Even in the best possible commercial-scale-breeder-scenario I have my doubts that the operators can supply each dog's needs for attention and affection. That, in my mind, is the bottom line for the entire argument here- ultimately the goal is that every dog deserves the best and nothing less will suffice. How to accomplish that is an ever changing challenge as the problem (commercial scale breeders and puppy mills) change shape and size constantly. It's good to stay on top of things, but the more we focus on single incidents as defining examples, the more we get buried in semantics and lose sight of what is truly the issue- dogs being treated as products.

12/1/2016 08:26:08 am

Hi Kim, Funny enough I have a copy of your book, but have not read it. Definitely on my to do list! I have never personally been to an English auction, but sitting next to me right now is Alice, a 5 year old Shih Tzu who was bought at one in September by a rescue who begged me to foster her. Alice is deathly afraid of anything and anyone. Her tongue hangs out of her mouth for two reasons: she has no teeth left (at only 5 years old) and my vet believes she suffered blunt trauma at some point that left her whole face crooked and perhaps a bit paralyzed. She will likely go blind because no one ever treated her dry eye (common in the breed but with proper medical care treatable) Too bad she never got that care. So, while I have never been to one, it is more than obvious to me, that some dogs are in just as bad as shape as the ones I saw a decade ago. Alice reminds me of Thorp - the dog I wrote so vividly about in my book.
I will be totally blunt. If I were President for a day I would sign an executive order banning breeding that is how strongly I feel about it. I realize there are stats out there that "say" there is a demand, but I spent years holding the heads of good, adoptable dogs as we killed them for space, and my heart can't seem to find those stats believable. At the very least, I do not believe in any degree that commercial breeding can be humane. No one should have 100's of breeding dogs to care for. No one.
Even the good breeders make my stomach turn as they talk about breeding for color or size. I live, breathe and preach the world of rescue. I spend much of my time working with "the rejects" and have zero tolerance for people who believe that they need a silver lab or a peach poodle to make them happy. Dogs of all colors, all breeds are amazing and if more people would open their eyes and hearts to the imperfect ones, they would see just how special they are. I think you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on that. Our backgrounds are very different and because of that we see dogs differently. I don't think another dog should be bred until all the dogs in shelters have homes and I am certain that is not how you feel. I can't change you and I promise you, you won't change me :) One thing I do agree with is that rescues are becoming the consumers of dogs at auctions. I struggle with that all of the time. It is a very serious concern of mine. My heart understands their intentions (well, most of their intentions) but my mind knows they are just feeding the system. I will argue that passing ordinances to prevent pet stores from selling mass bred dogs is a good thing. I would think the good breeders would support it as well. It forces people to look at shelter dogs as well as dig a little deeper and research a good breeder instead of buying a puppy mill puppy. I do appreciate your perspective - it just won't ever be mine.

12/2/2016 02:39:54 pm

To Kim - I'd like to know how many employees are at these "commercial-scale breeders" that you're referring to? How many employees per number of dogs? I know at our local 3 shelters there are over 20 employees AND many volunteers coming and going all day long, 7 days a week. Whenever I go in they're running their tails off trying to keep up with all the care (feeding, cleaning, dishes, laundry). I don't believe the dogs stuck in commercial-scale breeding facilities are receiving the kind of care necessary to be happy & healthy. If they did it wouldn't be profitable. BTW: All 3 shelters employ an ON SITE staff veterinarian. Do the commercial breeders that you visited? If not, IMO they are 'puppy mills'!

Penny Reames link

12/6/2016 05:57:50 am

I need to disagree with one situation you describe, Kim. The dogs at the Wheaton auction may not look frightened to you, but they are not happy, and their tails are not wagging with joy. Most of those dogs are emotionally shut down and show very little emotion. Those kids holding on to the dogs in the ring have a firm grip on them so they do not jump out of their arms. They are generally not comfortable being held by people. Happy dogs do not deficate or urinate when they are picked up and held. If you ever took one of those dogs home and see how they act when not being held tight, or take one to the vet and find out the neglect they have endured, I think you might change your opinion on that point of view.

12/13/2016 08:17:45 am

For some reason this website won't let me reply to comments individually (sorry!) so I'm going to just post one general response here to the comments below from multiple people:

In terms of whether breeding "should" be allowed, we could literally give a home to every dog in the shelters, and we'd still need millions more dogs a year to satisfy consumer demand. The question is not whether breeding "should" exist, or whether I even personally think it should exist. (As followers of my Facebook pages know, I have two adopted mutts, including one very hard case who had multiple failed adoption attempts.) The fact is that breeding, including commercial-scale breeding, is going to exist in a nation with more demand for pet dogs than any other in human history. The focus must be on how to modernize the industry, not on trying to ban it, which would only create an underground black market to fill the continuing consumer demand -- an even worse scenario for the dogs than they have now.

In terms of how the dogs seem at the current-day "English" auction in Wheaton, most of the handlers were not gripping those dogs tightly. I saw countless dogs either quietly sitting on the handlers' laps or walking about on leashes. The 300 or so dogs, overall, appeared no more or less frightened, troubled or fearful of people than the countless dogs I've met at large-scale rescue and shelter events. Quite honestly, many of them seemed far calmer than my own "hard case" adopted mutt does on a daily basis.

Also, to those who would like to know more about how commercial-scale kennels operate, I would encourage you to go introduce yourselves -- respectfully -- to some commercial-scale breeders. Spend some honest time with them asking questions, acknowledge that you have no idea how to breed a dog yourselves (if that's true), acknowledge that there is minimal actual research on how such kennels should be physically built and operated, and have an open mind about the fact that real life may be at least slightly different from the one-sided propaganda that currently dominates our media coverage of dog breeding.

If you take the time to go into the real world and talk to actual breeders, hobby and commercial scale alike, then you will find, as I have, that they are just like small- and large-scale rescuers and shelters. Some treat the dogs in ways that seem just fine, and others treat the dogs in ways that will give you nightmares. Some get the job done with more staff, and some get it done with less. Some do things one way, and others do things differently, and sometimes, both ways are totally fine. That is how real life works, on the breeding and rescue sides of the industry alike.

Mike Fry link

11/27/2016 09:02:43 pm

This is a powerful and well-done piece. Thank you for writing and publishing it. I have been involved in shutting down puppy mills and passing legislation to regulate them. And, I have been boots on the ground at some of the largest and most deplorable puppy mills in the nation. I agree with everything said here.

But, Paws4Change asked a question, and I will provide my answer.

To quote the article: "I am equally zero tolerance when it comes to rescuers who pay large amounts of money for dogs at auction and call it "rescue." It is not."

I do know what to call it. From a practical and functional perspective, a person who buys from a mill and resells is a broker. "Rescues" who engage in this behavior are not "rescues" they are brokers. And, I have zero time for them. Zero.

12/1/2016 10:04:14 am

I would like to comment on the 4 million dogs in shelters, most of whom will never know the comforts of a loving home. The majority of these dogs are breeds which backyard breeders (BYB's) are producing, not puppy mills. Here in California, our shelters are awash with Chihuahuas, Pit mixes, Pugs, and now German Shepherds. People do not want these dogs, period. That is one reason they lean toward buying from pet stores, online, or from private breeders. I have found the general public to be ignorant, even in today's media attempts to educate about puppy mills, irresponsible breeders, and newspaper ads. They see a cute puppy advertised and all that "knowledge" goes out the door.

As with several of you here, I detest puppy mills and wish we could shut them down wherever they exist. Due to this blog and Kim's book, I saw myself as a "Purist" regarding the breeding of any dogs. I now realize the importance of allowing the breeding of good temperament/health of certain breeds, but I still think no one should be breeding MOST breeds (or mixed breeds) until our shelters are cleared of those needing homes. It is indeed an emotional issue, but one I feel strongly about.

12/1/2016 10:19:48 am

I agree with you, Barbara. I am actually more in the trenches of the No Kill sheltering movement than I am involved with the puppy mill issue. I blogged on the correlation between mills and our tax funded animal shelters a couple of months ago.

http://www.paws4change.com/blog/puppy-mills-and-your-money-yes-they-are-related

Some people say these issues are not related and I just don't understand that at all. They are absolutely related as a result of public perceptions about cost = value or worth and as it relates to the number and types of dogs available to bring into a new home.

It is entirely hypocritical for us as a society to allow the mass production of dogs to happen while we spend our tax dollars to kill millions of dogs in places we have the audacity to call shelters. We tend to hold our values over the values of other cultures in which dogs and cats are consumed. Yet here we sit patting each other on the back for being an animal friendly society. Shame on us.

12/1/2016 10:37:26 am

As one who jumped on the band wagon years ago when Nathan Winograd created his No Kill movement, I find myself questioning some of the methods used by the shelters. What I have observed is that some shelters can deem a dog "unadoptable" by their own standards, not what Nathan indicated in his work. I refer to dogs too old, with kennel cough (yes, they still kill for that reason here in CA), pregnant or too young to be adopted puppies. Thank goodness for local rescue groups that take as many of these dogs as possible.

12/1/2016 12:20:08 pm

There is a lot of good conversation taking place here, and I thank Paws4Change for bringing it up. I also find it interesting that people are linking fighting puppy mills and the No Kill movement. They are right. I think there are logical links and connections, but, perhaps not the ones they are talking about.

Before I go on, I will say that there is absolutely no connection to any form of dog breeding and killing in shelters. None. Shelters are killing not because dogs are being bred. They are killing because they are regressive and have failed to implement programs that embrace the public and get the animals out of the shelters alive. That is completely separate from and a different issue than puppy mills.

I will also say that not all breeding is the same. I personally know, for example, a breeder of Boston Terriers. She loves the breed, produced adorable, healthy and behaviorally sound puppies who she dotes on as if they were her own personal children. She does not produced puppies every year. When she does, they are all spoken for in advance. They are genetically tested, microchipped and she guarantees she will take them back if the adoption of her puppies does not work out. She also runs the state-wide Boston Terrier rescue club and, as a result, very few Boston's end up in shelters around here. And, when they do, she will usually take them and find them homes. She makes absolutely no money from any of that and does it entirely because she loves the breed and wants to ensure there are healthy, genetically sound Boston Terriers for future generations. And, because that is her goal and her passion, she hates puppy mills. She also ultimately became instrumental in helping to get a law passed in my state to regulate puppy mills, because she was also on the Board of a state-wide hobby breeder's club.

When I connected with them, all of their experience with non breed-specific rescues was negative, who typically painted them with the same broad brush as puppy mill operators. And, truthfully, many No Kill advocates were (and are) downright hostile toward her and her group. Our coming together, her and I, required we set false assumptions aside to work on our common goal. And, doing that was good for us and animals across our state, because having breeders at the table supporting our puppy mill legislation was the key factor that got the bill passed into law here. Had I painted her with the same brush as puppy mills, without understanding the differences; had I blamed her for the killing being done by animal shelters, when she abhors that and works to stop it, puppy mills would still be unregulated in my state.

So, this gets me back to the link between the No Kill movement and puppy mills that I believe really does exist: No Kill advocates complain (and rightly so) when animal shelters push the general public away with aggressive, nasty policies and practices. Such behavior pushes away important stakeholders they need to help adopt more animals. No Kill advocates who categorize all breeding as equivalent to mass puppy mills are doing the same thing. They alienate people who are aligned with them in their desire to end shelter killing. As a result, they are making the work harder.

12/1/2016 12:53:28 pm

Mike, thanks for your input as always. I've allowed a lot of exchange on this one blog because I think it helps people consider opinions other than their own. I am firm on some subjects like my belief that rescues are essentially brokering dogs. I am also very much open to learning from others to help expand my knowledge base.

As a fellow no kill advocate, you know that we have shared values, ideals and philosophies. As far as the connection between breeding and shelter killing, I think there is a correlation as far as public behavior is concerned and separate from the manner in which shelters are operated for the bad or for the good. I blogged about this separately a while back and would be interested in your take on that earlier blog.

I am not disagreeing with you at all. I think that my connection had to do with marketing of dogs, how the public perceives dogs, the choices they make related to where to get a dog and how we all end up paying for the killing that takes place in our shelters. It is our money.

http://www.paws4change.com/blog/puppy-mills-and-your-money-yes-they-are-related

12/1/2016 01:20:10 pm

To be clear: My comment was not directed at you at all. I believe you and I are in 100% agreement about everything YOU said. I have not seen you bashing *all breeding* or lumping responsible hobby breeders with puppy mills. Others here have, though. So, just wanted to draw that distinction and, hopefully, articulate the damage that does.

12/13/2016 08:44:56 am

Right on, Mike Fry. Well said.

Mary Roemhildt

4/21/2017 09:46:11 pm

Hello Mike Fry. Huge fan of yours. I met you at the screening of Nathan Winograd's Redemption No Kill Revolution film in 2014.
I have to admit, reading this blog has opened my eyes. I wouldn't have thought that rescues purchasing "retiring" breeding dogs from millers would be a bad thing. But I can certainly see now and agree that they shouldn't pay for the dogs, but instead rescue them if the millers are willing to donate them to the rescue. How does a person find out which rescue(s) are legit?

4/23/2017 04:11:25 pm

Thanks for your kind words. There is no simple answer for weeding out those organizations that fit with your rescue philosophy. I can only suggest that you look past the horrific pictures usually posted by those rescuing puppy mill dogs, which can bring in significant donations, due to their emotional appeal, and then ask a lot of questions. Turn off emotions, turn on the rational part of your brain and decide who to support with that rational part.

12/1/2016 01:02:59 pm

Since I published this blog a few days ago, I have learned more disturbing information about the topic of rescue groups who buy dogs at auction.

I'm always amazed at the capacity of those who claim to advocate for animals to mislead the public about what is actually taking place. I am fairly outspoken about large national animal welfare organizations in this regard, most of whom market off of the hearts of the public while spending donated funds for expenses other than helping animals. Some organizations with multi-million dollar revenues annually spend the vast majority of that money paying salaries and on marketing.

On the rescuer topic, I think the problems are more pervasive than I imagined just a few days ago. There are those in the rescue community who get animals not from shelters or from people who need help and adopt them out. They get animals either exclusively from auctions or they buy them directly from breeders and then call it rescue. Let me be very clear. This is nothing more than brokering the sale of animals without a license to do so. It is a form of fraud committed against the people who donate to the rescue group thinking they are helping to "save" or "rescue" an animal in need. I wish I had the information to expose these organizations. I think there are others will be able to do just that in time.

I absolutely support rescue groups engaged in pure rescue.

I absolutely oppose rescue groups which buy dogs and then turn around and essentially sell them, calling the price an "adoption fee." This is a betrayal of the public trust.

If you adopt from a rescue group, ask where the animals come from and ask how they were acquired (as in, did money change hands). It will tell you a lot about how donated funds are being used and about how the adoption fee you pay will be used. You will be able to differentiate between an actual rescue group and a broker.

12/1/2016 01:52:35 pm

Well stated. Thank you. I support several rescue organizations from senior dog rescue to across the border rescue to Thailand rescue. I have never donated a cent to a group that buys dogs from mills, breeders, or auctions. In fact, a few years ago when my husband and I were looking for a Bearded Collie to adopt, I refused to accept a "rehome" because I felt I was not helping a dog in real need. Rehomes are not rescues, IMO. True rescue dogs come from deceased owners, neglect cases, hardship and shelters where they have been taken in to do what they are intended to do--offer shelter and hope.

12/13/2016 08:48:31 am

For consumers, in terms of figuring out what type of rescue or breeder you're dealing with, I've found one simple tactic works wonders. Ask "how."

As an example based on this thread's topic, if a rescuer says, "We saved this dog from a puppy mill," simply ask, "How?"

Most people never ask that one-word question, which is why the truth about auction buying (and other controversial practices in breeding and rescue) never comes to light.

Mary O'Connor-Shaver

1/6/2017 10:09:13 am

Most everyone has probably viewed the recent Rolling Stones article, The Dog Factor: Inside the Sickening World of Puppy Mills." It's important to note a section relating to the Missouri auction and Bob Hughes:

The auction was held in a hangar-size warehouse in the blink-and-you've-missed-it town of Wheaton, Missouri. HSUS's Goodwin and I had flown in that weekend to watch several hundred people buy and sell breed stock to one another. Everyone was white, and almost everyone middle-aged. The mood in the room was church-fair festive; the breeders chatted convivially when not engaged in the bidding. One by one, some 300 dogs were placed on a table and sold. Their crates were stacked in an uncooled space in the walled-off half of the warehouse. It was stifling back there, and the air unbreathable from the waste of unwell dogs. "I saw dogs with stomach hernias and bleeding rectums and ears rotted off from hematomas," says Eden. Each time the door opened and a dog was brought in, the stench would funnel in with her. It mixed with the aroma of pork-belly tacos that were sold in heaping bowls at the concession stand behind us and were lapped up hungrily by the crowd. From a dais, two auctioneers called out bids while touting the dogs' untapped value. "She's a 2012 model and showin' a belly; she'll work hard for you!" (One of those auctioneers – Southwest's owner, Bob Hughes – defended the dogs' health over the phone to me, saying they had "imperfections like all of us do," but had been cross-checked by Hughes' vet before he sold them. "If [the vet] thinks they're at risk of suffering, we return them to their breeder or give them to rescue groups, free of charge," he said. But neither Eden nor any of his rescue group peers have ever seen or heard of Hughes adopting out dogs. "He's certainly never offered one to me," says Eden.)

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-dog-factory-inside-the-sickening-world-of-puppy-mills-w457673

1/6/2017 10:40:47 am

Mary, thank you for mentioning the Rolling Stone article here. It has been widely viewed and I certainly hope it helps reach a wider audience on this very important topic in our society. We all pay for the consequences of the commercial dog breeding industry whether we are aware of that or not.

Your comment related to the Missouri auction was of particular interest to me related to the reason I wrote this blog. Wes Eden may feel as though he is doing good work by paying essentially any price for dogs at auction. We have both heard the rationale for this before from others. It still doesn't change the fact that he is allowing breeders to make profits unheard of just a few short years ago. Eden's comment about Bob Hughes never offering him a dog for free is telling. Why would Bob or Chad Hughes offer dogs for free to an organization willing to pay top dollar? This is a business, plain and simple.

When we go to auction under the label of rescue and we are willing to spend whatever it takes for dogs, we have accomplished two things. We have removed those particular dogs from a life of breeding and misery. But by funding the very business industry we claim to oppose, we have simply set the stage for even more dogs to be imprisoned by that same industry, thereby assuring their suffering and objectification.

It has to stop and it is up to those in rescue to find ways to help mill dogs and bring and end to the abuse and neglect in ways other than lining the pockets of those producing and auctioning off dogs like so many things.

1/6/2017 10:55:59 am

Absolutely agree with you 100%. That $60,000 the rescuer spent will certainly purchase more new breed stock. Sadly, for every dog he "saved", dozens will suffer in silence.

1/6/2017 12:18:53 pm

For the future since I'm not ready to adopt now: How will I know what 'rescue' groups are not spending large sums at auctions? Is there a list or do I have to rely on word of mouth?

I'm glad this was covered in the Rolling Stone article but find myself disliking (not the word I'd like to use) The Lone Star Dog Ranch!

1/6/2017 03:39:15 pm

Good question. You can learn a lot from a simple Google search for media coverage of the group. Also look at the social media page. Most rescues which buy dogs at auction see nothing wrong with it and are proud of their behavior. When in doubt, email a few board members and just ask. If they are anything less than forthcoming with how they get dogs, they are engaged in fraud and misrepresentation regarding how donations are used. If you later are considering a specific rescue group, feel free to contact me and I will do some checking with my sources.

People have been sucked in to the practice of rescuers buying dogs at auction and are quick to donate and adopt, with no awareness that they are making matters much worse by doing so. They are ensuring the suffering of even more dogs. It is simply tragic.

Kathleen Triplett

7/23/2017 02:58:07 pm

This has to stop dogs and cats have rights too .It is cruel the way puppy mills dog suffer , no exercise no love and basic food and water #Harleysdream

Shayla

9/17/2017 10:28:45 am

Great comments. I've attended Missouri auctions out of interest, never bought. I also move dogs off farms into rescue in Wisconsin. I know breeders with 20 to 500 dogs. I never pay for them. In addition to what's already been posted I get many younger dogs that simply are not producing puppies. Breeders just like each of us have different values, beliefs. Not one breeder is the same. Creating these relationships & doing this work has taught me more than any one thing ever has. My biggest struggle has been bringing purebred dogs into rescue & realizing that may mean another dog won't get adopted. Where does it end? All of you make valid points! Thank you.

jane

4/17/2018 06:49:15 pm

I understand the desire to rescue as many animals as possible - but if I were a donor, I would be very upset at the way my hard-earned money is used. Perhaps the rescuers have forgotten that they have a responsibility to spend that money wisely ? It sounds like the very fact that so many people donate is making this possible, which would be a terrible unintended consequence.
The prices paid alone should make it obvious that it should not be done (then again, large sums have been spent flying pets from disaster areas, so maybe that explains the disconnect as to what constitutes reasonable expenses?)
Please spend the money on the many abandoned animals already in need. Unless breeders are giving their animals away, or there were no other animals in need (never the case), rescuers should absolutely not be handling those animals.

Barb

4/18/2018 09:48:45 am

Who can I contact if I know of a rescue that is purchasing puppies from the mills in Ohio and then bringing them up here in Michigan and selling them using the "rescue the poor puppy" as a means to do so?

caryl freeman link

10/23/2019 10:17:12 am

Im a dog breeder, with 16 dogs im considered a commercial breeder. Vistors are welcomed at my kennel it helps socialize my dogs. I agree with this article. When i first attended a dog auction, i had mixed feelings seemed a good way for breeders to sell the dogs that they didnt feel fit into thier breeding plan and puppies they didnt sell to others, at the same time i could also see breeders that used it as a dumping ground for old and sick dogs that should have been cared for and rehomed or ones that simply weren't good breeders and again should be placed in a pet home. I also saw dogs that had spent thier entire lives in a small cage suddlenly paraded in front of a 100 or so people scared to death, sad. I no longer attend these auctions, because the above article is true. I cant afford to buy a dog at the prices the rescues can and i see many many large commercial breeders, bringing 20 even 30 puppies to be sold to rescue at double the price they would otherwise get. Even though ive been accused of being one i dont like puppymills anymore than the next. i dont like back yard or uneducated breeders either. I also dont see the end of this untill money hungry and as the author called them ego driven rescues and breeders are eliminated and both caring breeders and rescues find a way to dissolve the wall of name calling and work together to change laws to make a truly better world for our canine family. I dont expect my opinion or experience to be posted after all Im the enemy.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Rescuers at Dog Auctions - Please, Stop

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories

Rescuers at Dog Auctions - Please, Stop

Leave a Reply.

Author

Subscribe to the Paws4Change E-list

Archives

Categories