Puppy Mills, Dog Auctions

Western Wisconsin, well even lots of areas of Wisconsin seem to have an abundance of puppy mills. This totally disgusts me, and actually breaks my heart. After that low-life Michael Vick got sentanced, I think there was more social attention to the issue of people using innocent animals for profit. Today's Chippewa Herald posted an article about a dog auction in Thorp (which is a little town near here). And, a couple of weeks ago, there was another story about a place near Madison called Puppy Haven, where this 70+ year old guy has 1,000 dogs he raises for sale. What I do know about dogs is this: They are totally social animals that literally live to please their humans. I wanted to attend this dog auction today. There was a meeting of the protesters at 10:30 this morning. This bothered me all day long. If you have a dog...just look at him or her. Can you imagine her being in a small cage, no water, no food, nothing more than a breeding machine, thrown to auction after being used up and no longer productive? This sickens me beyond belief. What I do know is if I had gone to this auction today, I would have compromised my health and would probably have been thrown into jail. Why is it that so many people have lost their inhumanity for people and animals?
So how does this happen? Turns out, Wisconsin is one of the least regulated puppy breeding states in the nation. That means more puppy mills and more problem puppies. In 2003, the law could have changed. A tough puppy mill bill was passed. But then-acting governor Scott McCallum gutted the bill, vetoing out funding and penalties. Eventually, Gov. Jim Doyle eliminated the bill altogether. There is no pending legislation in Wisconsin to regulate puppy mills. The only statutes that exist are vague and apply to all animals. They don't target puppy mill operations. Want to help? To find out who your state legislator is to complain, call 608-266-9960. or toll free 800-362-WISC.To complain to the Governor's Office, call 608-266-1212.