2/4/12 ** PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS UPDATE: What you can do about animal cruelty in your community (whether you live in Gorham or not)

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When I posted this week about the plans for a large scale wholesale dog breeding facility in Gorham, NY, I had no idea it would spark the flame it has. I’m sure there are lots of other bloggers covering the story, but readers here at Heavenly Creatures have brought up some interesting points:

The term “puppy mill” is a super charged phrase. A reader named Doug Williams wrote:

 “u have already slandered these people in your article by calling their other facility a ‘puppy mill’. Do you have proof of that assertion. What is a ‘puppy mill’?”

Being the idiot that I am – something readers have reminded me of many times – I didn’t realize that a puppy mill isn’t always a puppy mill. In fact, there’s not really a definition of puppy mill that can be used unilateraly. So I asked a few experts for their thoughts on whether a facility like the one proposed in Gorham would still be considered a puppy mill, even if conditions were state of the art:

Melanie Kahn, who is the Senior Director for the Puppy Mills Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States, tells me:

“The HSUS puppy mills campaign defines a puppy mill as an inhumane, commercial breeding facility.  So in answer to your question, I would say that even if the dogs are being housed in a beautiful facility, if they are being treated inhumanely (e.g. not receiving veterinary care, not being able to run, are forced to breed until their fertility wanes) then yes, I would still call this facility a puppy mill.”

Mary Anne Kowalski, with the Seneca County SPCA, hates the term “puppy mill”. “There is no generally accepted definition – although everyone thinks they know one when they see one,” she says, adding:

“Use of this term allows the breeders and the pet industry to argue over that rather than deal with the issues.  And because there is no definition, it makes many of the suggested solutions in the legislature meaningless.  You can’t ban ‘puppy mills’ if everyone has a different definition of them.”

She would “prefer a law includes the entire companion animal industry and clear definitions based on activities performed, not on our judgments of them.”

So from now on, when I refer specifically to the Martin’s facility, I’ll call it a wholesale commerical dog breeding facility. It’s actually what it was called by Mr. Martin in the board meeting minutes. (Although, if I can be honest, a “wholesale commercial dog breeding facility” sounds a lot more horrific to me than “puppy mill.”)

Not everyone regards animals the same way. One reader named Debbie asked:

“If the board had denied the application based simply on emotions, then what’s to stop a horse farm, dairy farm, beef cattle operation from being denied as well?” (more…)