A DOG’S LIFE: A pup needs as much care and attention as a human child, if not more

The advertisement in the newspaper caught Tullika Chatterjee’s attention: dogs for sale by “professional breeders,” Rs 3,000 and up. Tulli was anxious to adopt a German Shepherd; she had one as a young girl, and she thought the typically loyal, intelligent breed would be a good fit for her. A week later, Tulli had adopted Gizmo, an eight-week-old male purebred German Shepherd from the kennel which delivered the pup to her home. Six days later, Gizmo had a fever, and mucus running from his nose. The vet diagnosed the dog with “kennel cough,” a common malady among dogs who usually overcome it quickly, but the veterinarian noted Gizmo’s dry coat and his underweight condition, signs that the dog may have come from a mass-breeding facility known as a puppy mill. Apart from his health problem, the dog demonstrated signs of poor socialisation. He became very aggressive toward strangers. Two months later, Tulli noticed a small lump, about the size of a pea on Gizmo’s neck. After a couple of weeks, the lump had increased in size. The vet said, mostly likely, the dog would require surgery. It was a simple procedure, the specialist promised. But that day, Tulli received a call from the specialist saying that there had been “complications” during surgery. Gizmo’s heart had stopped — permanently. The vet couldn’t figure out why such a thing had happened. But the incident made Tulli recall what the vet had said on Gizmo’s first visit: “The dog might have come from a puppy mill.”

What a puppy mill is and why you should be concerned as a consumer...

Plain and simple, a puppy mill is no different than a steel mill or grain mill. It is the starting point of a product, in this case a dog, that is mass-produced and destined for the retail industry. Puppy mills frequently house dogs in shockingly poor conditions, particularly the “breeding stock” animals who are caged and continually bred for years, without human companionship, and then abandoned, or worse, put to sleep, after their fertility wanes. Dogs typically should be bred only three times in their life. But many breeders force them to breed on every cycle and as a result, they often suffer nutrition-related health problems. Any litter from such dogs have physical and psychological defects which may not be visible at first but as time wears on and the pup gets older, they manifest themselves as behavioural or physical problems. To the unwitting consumer, this situation frequently means buying a puppy with an array of veterinary problems or harbouring genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later. Many of these animals are sold by unlicensed breeders through newspaper advertisements and via the Internet, which means the purchaser can’t see the conditions in which the dogs live. Even licensed kennels sometimes operate along the lines of a puppy mill.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that in India, there aren’t too many pre-requisites for anyone wanting to set up a kennel or become a breeder. All that the person has to do is approach the Chennai-based Kennel Club of India, the authority that gives licences to breeders. Ask Tripti Ghosh, an erstwhile breeder who had applied for registration to the Club. “They asked me how many breeds I was planning to have in my kennel and what names I had shortlisted. I had five breeds and out of the three names, they chose Tripti’s Kennel”. After the registration, there were no follow-up visits to see how the dogs were being kept, whether minimum standards for housing and care were being met. “I know of people who have bred dogs from dingy rooms just to earn money,” says Ghosh.

Members of city-based animal rescue organisation, Animal Relief and Care Society can recount the many times that they have stumbled upon such breeders. “Once I had gone to a ‘breeder’ in Howrah to buy a puppy,” recounts vice-president Ramita S. Ghosh. “I was shocked when the breeder nonchalantly opened a cupboard and took a Lhasa Apso out from the dark confines.”

Ironically, it is the consumer demand for purebred pups, more than any other factor, that perpetuates the horrors at the puppy mills. There are other options, however. One way is to cut the flow of consumer rupees to those who sell dogs raised on puppy mills. “Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop buying their dogs,” says Ramita. “We at ARC always urge people to visit their local shelter, where you are likely to find dozens of healthy, well-socialised puppies and adult dogs — including purebreds — just waiting for that special home — yours.”

Point of purchase

Things to keep in mind before you take on man’s best friend:

• It is advisable not to buy a dog if you can’t physically visit the home or breeding facility where the dogs are kept. Know at least approximately how many breeds are raised at the facility, whether or not it is clean, if the dogs run together or are housed separately, whether the dogs have regular preventative and necessary veterinary care.

• Insist on seeing breed registry papers for each puppy. The papers will list the breeder’s and/or wholesaler’s name and address.

• Find out which vet the dog goes to.

• Ask for medical papers, check when, and what, vaccines have been given.

• Also, find out whether the mother dog was given proper treatment during her pregnancy. And how many times she has been bred.

• As far as possible, go to a hobby-breeder like Ghosh — the kind of person who loves animals and breeds them with excellent temperaments and vet-certified good health, and usually keeps his or her animals at home and treats them as pets.