The SUV coasts through the dead center of Ohio Amish country. Under a blank June sky, the Holmes County landscape is a picture postcard of country charm: A tight two-lane road lassos around green hills, the acres dotted with barns and the farmland studded with the five o’clock shadow of early crops. Amish men and women pass by on foot or in horsedrawn buggies, each of them waving to the familiar car as it navigates the rolling road.
The woman behind the wheel pulls over alongside a windowless single-story structure, no bigger than a suburban bungalow. The building’s sides are shedding white paint, and a small open vent about half a foot wide runs the length of it. Nearby, cows graze as a young Amish woman goes at a hedge with a weed whacker.
“They’re in there,” the woman behind the wheel says, pointing to the building. “Hundreds of them.”
She rolls down the car windows. Outside, there is only the mechanical whine of the weed whacker and sporadic moos from the lounging cows. Suddenly, the driver tears through the calm with a long blast of her car horn.
The building explodes with barking in reply. Hundreds of tiny voices yelp and croak from inside, a canine pandemonium that rocks the air for a full minute before falling off to an eerie post-storm silence.
“Dogs,” the driver says, pulling the car back onto the road. “A lot of dogs.”
All through the uproar, the Amish woman never even turns around. By now she’s likely accustomed to the outside interest.
The driver, who asked not to be named, is one of about a half-dozen non-Amish who haunt these country roads looking for such buildings. When they find one, they’ll try to peer through windows or doors. If it’s windowless or shuttered, they slam on the horn, expecting to hear an outburst. The point isn’t to cause a scene or to scare the animals, they say, but to make sure the dogs are still there.
These outsiders are a loose band of animal advocates and dog rescuers; the buildings they’re prowling for are dog kennels — or what critics term “puppy mills,” part of a backyard breeding business that’s taken hold in many of the rural counties south of Cleveland.
In particular, assiduous Amish in communities around Holmes, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton counties have embraced the puppy trade. The region has become a highly profitable hotbed for a loosely regulated, untaxed cash business that rakes in millions of dollars each year.
The three counties combined boast 1,200 kennel licenses; Holmes — considered the capital of the trade — has 400 licensed breeders among a total population of around 40,000 people. In comparison, Cuyahoga County has around two dozen licensed breeders.
Although exact figures are hard to drum up, Holmes officials estimate that at any given time there are around 8,000 canines in the county. The breeding trade has been so successful here that locals have become industry innovators; in 2004 a group of Amish businessmen opened the Buckeye Dog Auction, a venue for breeders from all around the country to sell their dogs in a manner similar to a livestock sale.
But while staking a claim in the business, Amish breeders have also drawn fire from animal-rights groups over kennel conditions and the quality of their product. It has set off a long and loud back-and-forth between breeders and activists, and the fight’s been far from clean. Confrontations, protests, inflammatory propaganda, boycotts, and even lawsuits — each side has unloaded an arsenal at the other. But at the heart of the issue is a cultural continental drift between two groups that see dogs in completely different lights.
Every time a member of young Hollywood prances before a barrage of flashbulbs with a fear-frozen chow tucked in her purse, rural puppy mills pump out another batch.
Demand for the cute and cuddly has always been high, but an increased interest in toy breeds took root a decade ago thanks to celebutantes looking to accessorize with a Poodle or Pekingese. The fad was a good fit for backyard breeders: A large number of small dogs can be kept in less space, meaning a small-time operation could compete for a slice of the growing toy dog trade.
Around the time teens began emulating Paris and Nicole en masse, the Amish communities surrounding Holmes were in need of new cash flow, according to Ervin Raber. The man many consider the don of the area’s Amish dog breeders, Raber is equally respected and reviled for his business chops. He was one of the first Amish to jump on the trend, setting up a high-volume breeding business and co-founding the Buckeye Dog Auction. He’s also probably the only Amish in Ohio with a considerable Google footprint: Unlike other Amish, who dodge outside attention, Raber has become a vocal defender of what he sees as an integral part of his community’s life. As a result, he’s often quoted in news reports on the subject and targeted on activist websites. To them, he represents the heart of the problem.
Despite what you might expect, the Amish were not immune to the recession. Many Holmes County Amish make their living with manufacturing jobs in nearby furniture and lumber plants. But as demand slowed to a trickle in the early 2000s and hours were slashed, Raber says, some steered toward breeding as a way to put food on the table.
“It’s a real nice supplemental income,” he explains. “When times were tough, it helped tremendously to keep everybody afloat.”
Not all area Amish signed on. The population is divided into separate communities ruled by bishops who decide what the rest of the flock can and cannot do. But in areas where breeding is allowed, the practice quickly flourished. Breeders found they could sell dogs for at minimum a couple hundred dollars each, meaning high profit for low overhead. By the mid-2000s, kennels were king in Holmes County.
Today, Amish country kennels are ubiquitous, and their sizes vary. Some larger kennels are barn-like structures, with only a few openings for air and light. Many others resemble chicken coops, with wire cages connected along the side. They also range in quality: Some are freshly painted and sturdy; others seem a strong wind away from toppling over.
According to activists, conditions in many Amish facilities are poor. Advocates say they’ve witnessed animals exposed to constant isolation, extreme weather, feces, and cramped living spaces.
“The conditions in Holmes, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton are terrible,” says Martha Leary, a dog rescuer with extensive experience inside the mills. “They live in tiny wire-bottom cages, normally 18 by 18 inches. Most of them have automatic feeders and water dispensers, which is the same that a hamster would have. It’s not the conditions for a companion animal.”
Many say the worst victims of the puppy mills are the breeding animals who spend the majority of their lives in these kennels. While puppies are eventually sold, their mothers and fathers are confined in pens and bred again and again, until they are physically exhausted.
There is hope for some of them. Once they’ve been bred to the max, some fall into the hands of rescuers like Leary, volunteers who develop sensitive yet trying working relationships with the breeders. When a dog is finished, rescuers get the call. For them, the exchange is a classic catch-22: If they report the conditions they see or berate the Amish directly, they’ll likely lose their access to the kennels. With no one to take the dogs, they believe, many would be killed.
“These dogs are in very horrific conditions when we get them, and not just physically but emotionally,” explains Kristina Lange, a dog rescuer with Mentor-based Marilyn’s Voice. She took up the cause after adopting a mill dog named Marilyn; the animal died as a result of her extensive medical complications, but today Lange and her group help rehabilitate rescued mill dogs.
Breeding dogs coming out of mills face numerous ailments, she says. In many cases they’ve never been groomed; their teeth can be decayed, and eyes and ears infected. Some have worms or other pests; others have splayed paws.
Lange recently retrieved a Shih Tzu from an Amish breeder. When volunteers picked it up, its eye was severely swollen and jutting out like a crimson golf ball. The breeder said he didn’t know what was wrong and that the eye had only swelled up that day. Later, a vet determined it was chronic glaucoma and that the dog had been living with the painful condition for years. The eye had to be removed.
The physical challenges are often nothing compared to the mental issues rescuers encounter. Mill dogs have never been treated as pets but livestock, Lange says.
“Dogs are social animals. They need and crave human interaction, and these dogs are feral; they’ve never been handled by human hands except to be thrown into one cage to breed.” As a result, they exhibit none of the behaviors usually associated with man’s best friend. They hate to be touched, have no idea how to play with other dogs, can’t walk up stairs, and don’t know how to drink from a bowl. It can take up to a year to socialize a former mill dog.
Perhaps even worse than the allegations of abuse are reports of the lengths some breeders will go to get rid of animals that no longer produce. According to Kellie DiFrischia, a Columbus-based dog rescuer, she and other activists have heard reports of animals being killed.
“That is something that is sadly taking place today,” she says. “If breeders have a dog that’s very sick or they have a litter that is born with issues, and the breeder isn’t willing to put money into it, they will kill them. Can you prove it? Not really, because this is some guy in his barn drowning puppies.”
Despite the gulag-like conditions of some kennels, there is little legal standing for regulators. Under Ohio code, as long as a licensed kennel provides food, water, and shelter, the operation is not in violation. Breeders who sell commercially are required to be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture, but the agency has only two inspectors for the entire state. Even when breeders are found in violation, the punishment is little more than a sharply worded suggestion on how to improve. But the majority of breeders don’t even bother with the USDA: There are an estimated 11,000 kennel licenses in Ohio, but only 200 USDA licenses — and that number includes breeders of animals other than dogs.
Reagan Tetreault, the dog warden for Holmes County, gets frequent calls to investigate Amish facilities. She follows up on every complaint, but can’t do much unless there is direct proof of abuse.
“Unless there is explicit cruelty or neglect involving medical conditions, my authority is limited,” she says. Part of her frustration stems from the perception she’s not doing all she could. She often comes under fire from outsiders who want her to pressure breeders into better practices.
“There’s a very large misconception that I don’t care,” she says. “That’s frustrating. I’d love to be able to do more and take care of some of these things, but until it changes at the state level, I can’t.” (Since talking with Scene, Tetreault has left her position as Holmes County dog warden.)
The Buckeye Dog Auction is held in a livestock barn off Route 557 in Baltic, an Amish hamlet in eastern Holmes County. Early one Saturday morning in May, the dirt parking lot is already jammed with cars and buggies well before the 10 a.m. kickoff.
As a sky the color of wet pavement starts yielding rain, Amish teens sell fresh produce from a stand near the barn while a pair of bulky sheriff’s deputies march the perimeter, eyeing incoming vehicles. Indoors, the turnout is nearly 80 percent Amish. Walls throughout the building are plastered with signs prohibiting cell phones and cameras, though most in attendance wouldn’t own them anyway. Before the start, potential buyers are free to examine the products in adjacent semi trailers. Caged puppies are stacked floor to ceiling throughout the humid tunnels, literal wailing walls of barking animals.
The auction takes place in a large room with a raised gallery that descends to the floor. There, the animals are displayed one at a time or in small groups. It all has the feel of a high school sporting event: Amish men and women socialize in groups; a concession stand peddles popcorn and cans of soda. In the seats, boys and men closely follow the sales, marking each final price in their program as if scoring a baseball game. When it’s a new dog’s turn, each one is given a quick once-over by an onsite vet; a young boy then holds the twitching puppy on a table while the auctioneer calls the action in his buzz-saw carnival bark.
In many ways, the auction is the heartbeat of the entire backyard breeding world. Ohio is the only state east of the Mississippi River that allows dogs to be sold at auction, so the events draw breeders and buyers from across the Midwest and Eastern seaboard. At the May gathering, local puppies were sold alongside packs from North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and West Virginia.
Conceptually, the idea of a livestock-style auction for dogs is a logical extension of the breeding business. Breeders sell the majority of their animals to brokers, middlemen who buy in bulk and then sell off the pups to individual buyers or pet stores. The auction centralizes the transaction, allowing for smoother business. The atmosphere of onsite competitive bidding also keeps the sale prices high: At the May auction, most puppies went for around $350, although intense bidding for some choice breeds, such as Yorkshire Terriers or Maltese, drove up a few tickets to more than $600.
Besides taking issue with the kennels, advocates question the quality of the dogs on sale. According to Mary O’Connor-Shaver, the woman behind a movement to ban the auctions with a ballot initiative, dogs raised in mills and sold at the auction are not raised to breed standards.
“What we have found is that many of these dogs are unhealthy, and they’re not screened for genetic diseases,” she says. “Sometimes they don’t even look like the breed.”
Others accuse the auction of hosting animals with bigger problems than weak genes. Last October, Pennsylvania-based dog advocate Bill Smith and members of his group, Main Line Animal Rescue, traveled to Holmes County for an auction. The team was on the trail of Pennsylvania breeders who were selling animals in Ohio after their home state passed a round of reforms that put a leash on improper practices. They purchased 12 dogs. Once they were home, a vet examined each one and found some with serious medical problems, including infections. The local SPCA built a case, and eventually six breeders were charged with animal cruelty. Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman, who Smith says has a poor track record of prosecuting crimes related to animals, later dropped the charges. Now the breeders are suing Smith and his group for defamation; local animal activists have launched a campaign to raised awareness about Stedman’s attitude toward animal crimes.
For Northeast Ohio, the biggest problem presented by the auction and puppy mills is one of quantity, not quality. Thanks to the region’s proximity to the business, the Cleveland area sees a large quantity of mill dogs. According to animal officials, the market is far too flush already with needy pups, and the additional surplus puts a stress on the system.
“We have dogs still being euthanized in shelters because there’s too many of them, and there’s not enough space in the shelters and not enough homes,” says Sharon Harvey, executive director of the Cleveland Animal Protective League. As one toy or mixed breed becomes the sudden rage and breeders accommodate with a surge of pups, more dogs end up ownerless.
“Somebody could walk into a shelter any day of the week and find a mixed breed,” she says. “We have plenty of dogs to go around that have already been born.”
On June 1, Senate Bill 95 was voted out of the Senate’s State and Local Government committee by a vote of 7-1. For months, the bipartisan panel had heard testimony about the kennel legislation from breeders and advocates. Opponents had hoped to make the hearings a Waterloo for the bill, but ultimately were successful only in lopping off a major component of it.
The original legislation contained a provision that would have banned dog auctions; due to tag-team pressure from the American Sportsman Alliance and the National Rifle Association, the ban was excluded from the final language. Nonetheless, many expect the bill to become law when the legislature reconvenes after the summer recess.
Under the proposed legislation, the state would establish a Kennel Control Authority to impose stricter regulations on the treatment of the animals and their conditions for all breeders in high-volume situations, including guidelines on cages and mandatory exercise time. The authority will be funded by the current fee structure for licensing, according to supporters.
“Unfortunately, Ohio is known as one of the worst states in terms of puppy mills,” says state Senator Jim Hughes, the bill’s sponsor. “With this, the good breeders are not going to feel anything. The bad breeders, we’re going to say you’ve either got to clean your act up or we don’t want you in Ohio.”
But according to Ervin Raber, the layers of new regulation would only smother the industry, Amish and otherwise. “If the bill was to pass, we wouldn’t last six months and then we’d have no breeders in Ohio,” he says.
Raber stands by the current USDA regulations that he says Holmes County breeders follow. Dog rescuers, he adds, are asking for the impossible. He admits there are some instances of noncompliance, but explains that the Amish community is quick to educate and correct breeders who fail to match up. Breeding is meant as a business, he says, and if Holmes County kennels were as systemically squalid as animal groups say, commerce would suffer.
“The way the American public is right now, you cannot sell an inferior product to them,” he says. “These animals have to be healthy, they have to be vaccinated, they have to be fit. If they were what they tell you we are, we’d be out of business.”
Raber and other breeders say reports of abuse are embellished and circulated by individuals driven more by political agendas than actual concern for animals. They characterize many advocates as city- and suburb-dwellers on the offensive against a way of life they don’t understand.
And while the rhetoric heats up as a final vote on the bill draws near, some animal rescuers echo Raber, worried that finger-pointing and politics have distracted from the real issue: saving dogs.
One group has taken a more visible role and drawn fire for some of its tactics. Since the auction ban was left out of the current bill, Mary O’Connor-Shaver and her Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions have organized a petition drive to collect a minimum of 120,700 signatures by the end of 2010.
At the auction in May, O’Connor-Shaver’s group staged a protest outside the Holmes County Fairgrounds, 12 miles away in Millersburg. Throughout the morning, dozens of volunteers lined a major thoroughfare, hoisting signs demanding an end to Amish puppy mills and auctions. The group has also called for a boycott of businesses in Holmes County until the commissioners move to end the auctions; a similar but unaffiliated ban has been taken up by many in the rescue community who refuse to buy Amish products.
But some believe such energy could go to better uses. Donna Norfolk, president of the Holmes County Humane Society, says outsiders looking to further the cause could help more by participating in rescue than by organizing protests.
“Help me find [bad breeders], help me educate them, help me let them learn this is like any other business, and that in order to turn a good profit, you have to take care of your product,” she says.
To O’Connor-Shaver, the time for negotiations has ended. She says rescuers and advocates have long tried to work with Amish breeders, but that they are intractable on the issues because they view animals as a commodity. “They have a competing philosophy, and we say that’s not a philosophy we adopt, and it’s not one embraced by the majority of Ohioans.”
At an Amish breeding farm in Coshocton, a line of cages is shaking. Six enclosures, obscured by the late-afternoon shadow of a nearby barn, have been rigged up one atop the other and mounted into a wobbling wooden housing. Inside each cage, a puppy bounces up and down, pawing at the wire. They all bark as a group of Amish breeders and rescuers arrange an animal pickup.
Senate Bill 95 would nix kennel arrangements such as these. Wire cages would need to be coated in plastic; the openings cannot be large enough to allow paws to get caught, and half of each cage must be a solid surface, allowing the animals a comfortable place to lie down.
The activists who wrote the legislation say the new regulations are merely a compromise with breeders. The point, they insist, is not to put all breeders out of business — only those who raise animals improperly.
The safe money seems to be on the new regulations. In early July, Governor Ted Strickland brought together members of Ohio’s agricultural leadership and the state’s humane society, two groups previously at each other’s throats over regulation. Both sides gave a stamp of approval to a litany of changes to livestock rules, including Bill 95.
But supporters on both sides point out serious issues awaiting in the aftermath of reform. Breeders say the restrictions will create a cost-prohibitive situation; animal groups counter that the Amish will pull out of the business when they lose the opportunity for quick and easy cash.
The toll on Amish communities will be significant, according to Ervin Raber. He estimates that around 60 to 70 percent of the families in his area stake their survival on income from breeding. “It’s going to make a difference,” he says. “There are house payments that are going to be missed.”
Upheaval in the business could give rise to a new round of woes, rescuers say. If a number of breeders quit, countless kennel dogs will suddenly be homeless. One of the first actions by the proposed Kennel Authority would be the establishment of a rescue program. The fear, according to Kellie DiFrischia, is that without a clear outlet for mill dogs, breeders may simply let animals go or put them down.
She hopes to see the Kennel Authority work with Amish breeders to bring their operations up to the new guidelines. “Ohio has this black eye as being one of the worst states for conditions, so if you are a breeder in Ohio, you are going to want these standards set in place.”
She knows, however, that the key to accomplishing that lies in opening communication and trust between groups that inhabit very different worlds.
Send feedback to kswenson@clevescene.com.
This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2010.
An internal government report has confirmed dogs are dying and living in horrific conditions due to lax government enforcement of large kennels known as puppy mills.
Investigators say the Department of Agriculture agency in charge of enforcing the Animal Welfare Act often ignores repeat violations, waives penalties and doesn’t adequately document inhumane treatment of dogs. In one case cited by the department’s inspector general, 27 dogs died at an Oklahoma breeding facility after inspectors had visited the facility several times and cited it for violations.
The review, conducted between 2006 and 2008, found that more than half of those who had already been cited for violations flouted the law again. It details grisly conditions at several facilities and includes photos of dogs with gaping wounds, covered in ticks and living among pools of feces.
The investigators visited 68 dog breeders and dog brokers in eight states that had been cited for at least one violation in the previous three years. On those visits, they found that first-time violators were rarely penalized, even for more serious violations, and repeat offenders were often let off the hook as well. The agency also gave some breeders a second chance to correct their actions even when they found animals dying or suffering, delaying confiscation of the animals.
“(Animal care) generally took little or no enforcement actions against these facilities during the period,” the investigators wrote, adding that the agency placed too much emphasis on educating the violators instead of penalizing them.
Within the APHIS Eastern Regional Office, the following *dealer facilities listed below were included as part of this audit:
12 – Sugarcreek, OH
13 – Sugarcreek, OH
14 – Fresno, OH
15 – Dundee, OH
16 – Millersburg, OH
17 – Millersburg, OH
18 – Millersburg, OH
19 – Millersburg, OH
20 – Millersburg, OH
21 – Mt. Sterling, OH
22 – Columbus, OH
23 – Fredericktown, OH
Section 1: Enforcement; Finding 1: AC’s Enforcement Process Was Ineffective Against Problematic Dealers
Example 3 (pages 12-13; includes Figure 4 – Deep Pool of Feces and Urine Under Occupied Kennel):
At a facility in Ohio with 88 adult dogs, AC cited the breeder for 23 violations (including 7 repeats) during 3 inspections from August 2005 to January 2008. In July 2007, AC sent an official warning to correct the identified care and cleanliness violations or face a “more severe penalty.” In January 2008, AC found the same violations but, instead of imposing a more severe penalty, sent another official warning.
National instructions state that an official warning can be sent if no other enforcement action was taken against the violator in the previous 3 years. In this case, the violator had received an official warning 7 months before so a more serious action was warranted. When we asked AC why a more serious action was not taken, regional management told us that the breeder was making progress. Consequently, national instructions were not followed in order to give the breeder “a reasonable opportunity” to comply with AWA.
Four months later, during our visit to the facility in June 2008, AC cited the breeder for another 9 violations (including 4 repeats). For example, a large amount of feces and urine was pooled under the kennels producing an overpowering odor (see figure 4). The inspector recommended no enforcement action.
Four months later, the breeder was re-inspected and cited for 4 more violations (including 3 repeats). Again, AC took no enforcement action because the violator was “making credible progress,” as noted in AC’s “Enforcement Action Option Worksheet.”
Section 2: Stipulations; Finding 4: APHIS Misused Guidelines to Lower Penalties for AWA Violators
Good Faith Penalty Reduction (page 33):
Good faith is defined in the guidelines as “a person who shows good faith may be willing to comply and correct violations; have animals that are in good health that do not suffer as a result of the violations. . . . In contrast, [a person who] lacks good faith may: have repeat violations . . . engage in regulated activity after having surrendered their license or after being notified of the Act’s licensing requirements.”
If the violator demonstrates good faith, APHIS reduces the statutory maximum on the penalty worksheet by 50 percent. If the violator demonstrates a lack of good faith, a penalty reduction is not applied. However, APHIS established a third penalty reduction—25 percent—which it gives to the majority of violators that are unable to show either evidence of good faith or a lack of it—no evidence either way.
We found 13 cases where the agency applied a 50-percent or 25-percent good faith penalty reduction without merit. This included:
One licensed breeder in Ohio, with no veterinary qualifications, operated on a pregnant dog without anesthesia; the breeder delayed calling a veterinarian and the dog bled to death. The inspector also found that 40 percent of the dogs in the kennel were blind due to an outbreak of Leptospirosis. The inspector determined that the facility’s water was contaminated and had caused the outbreak.
Guidelines state that “a person who shows ‘good faith’ . . . [has] animals that are in good health that do not suffer as a result of the violations . . .” Despite the lack of good faith demonstrated by the breeder, APHIS applied a 25-percent good faith penalty reduction to lower the penalty. Four months later, a subsequent inspection continued to document violations at the facility. The inspector reported that “this is a veterinary care issue that continues to be a serious problem—failure to provide adequate veterinary care for over 200 adult dogs.”
History of Violations (page 33):
We found that in 22 cases, APHIS allowed a 25-percent reduction of the maximum penalty amounts for “no prior history of violations,” even though the violators had a prior history of violations, as shown in the IES tracking system or through our review of the case files:
A breeder in Ohio with about 62 adult dogs was cited for 1 minor, 16 significant, and 12 serious violations during 5 inspections between 2005 and 2006. The violations included the breeder’s failure to inform his attending veterinarian that some of his dogs delivered dead puppies, which is important if the puppies died of a disease like Brucellosis. The breeder was also cited for administering medications to his dogs without his attending veterinarian’s knowledge. Although the breeder was issued an official warning in 2005 for numerous violations including inadequate veterinary care, APHIS gave him a 25-percent penalty reduction in 2007 for “no prior history of violations.”
Not only are you not allowed to take photos at the dog auctions, but you are not even allowed to use a cell phone within the confines of the auction barn. If you need to make a phone call, you must go outside into the parking lot in order to make a call. There are signs all around the barns, stating that if you are caught with a cell phone, it will be confiscated. If they have nothing to hide, why are they so paranoid about someone using a phone to make a phone call?
I personally attended a couple of this auctions, one about 4 years ago, and one this past fall. This past fall, we ended up taking in 3 poodles that were ‘cast aways’. They were all males, and face it…most breeders don’t have very many males on their property. When the dogs went into the vet, the vet thought we needed age guesses on them, and came out and told us that the one dog was 10+ years old, judging by his teeth. We were speachless and informed them that we had his paper work and registration papers, and that he was only five years old. Needless to say, they were speachless at the vets office as well.
The comments about needing to be able to breed in order to support their families… I have a family as well. My husband and I both work jobs outside the home in order to support our children and our animals. What is wrong with an honest days worth or work?
I am far from being ‘Anti-Amish’ and was raised to respect the Amish. Growing up, we had several Amish friends, and use to go to their houses and visit them on a regular basis. The Amish that I grew up with thou, took pride in themselves, and their way of life. The men were proud that they could go to work and support their families from the sweat off their brows. Their animals were always well cared for…because without their horses, etc., they were not able to travel and farm their land.
The Amish are very religious people. I was raised that way too. The Bible plainly states…Money is the root of all evil. The Bible also has several passages on the care and treatment of animals. In Proverbs, it plainly states…’Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.’ Several other passages from the Bible can be found at the following link..
http://www.showdog-magazine.com/Articles/B…
Not only do our morals tell us it is wrong to treat animals as ATM machines, but the Bible does as well. These poor animals shouldn’t have to suffer any longer.
One Amish breeder from Millersburg shared that he had 245 adult dogs and one son taking care of all those dogs. How in the world can any one child take care of that many dogs propperly? I have a 14 yr. old son who is home schooled and helps me with the animals. There is no way in the world I could even expect him to care for that many dogs propperly. I can’t even imagine any one adult trying to do that. Even pounds and humane societies with 30+ dogs require an entire staff to keep up with the demands of so many. But out of the 245 dogs…if 200 are breeding females…at one litter each of 5 babies, that is 1000 babies each year. If those babies sold for $350 each…That is a meer $350,000 a year! And he still needs to work to pay off his morgage?????
I personally know someone who stopped at one of these auctions a few years ago, out of pure curiosity. This person told me that quite a few of the dogs looked ill, with runny eyes and dry, hot noses, had sores on their hindquarters, patches of fur missing, etc. And for reference, this person had absolutely no agenda and was not lobbying on either side of the issue.
Additionally, where do all of the photo documentations, eyewitness accounts, and the ill animals themselves fall? Are we to believe that all of these are fictional accounts, a vast conspiracy created to destroy the businesses of what factually amounts to a very small amount of people?
Not all breeders are bad. Many are very responsible and care a great deal for their animals, breeding for the love of the breed and not the dollar. However, there is undeniably a problem with many unscrupulous breeders looking to make a quick buck with as little investment (in proper care and housing of the animals) as possible. Unfortunately, an auction is the quickest and most effective way for these breeders to dispose of the unwanted animals that they accumulate, with as little time and paperwork as possible. After all, the premise of an auction is, you buy as is, where is…
This article gave me great insight into my rescue from the APL – thank you so much.
I never knew the Amish were involved in this kind of mistreatment until last year.It pretty much strikes down all the good will they’ve built up over the years.It’s a shameful way to make a living.
One of the ways to deal with this is to involve the IRS–(a cash business) and to use local code enforcement to shut down operations–with strict enforcement of the code it can become too expensive and too much of a hassle to stay in business–code enforcement can enlist the health dept and the fire dept
to weigh in with their respective inspections.
The scary Amish are sadly moving into many parts of rural Upstate NY & bringing their evil puppy mills with them. NYS needs to pass legislation which would greatly limit the number of intact dogs at commercial breeding facilities. I witnessed an Amish family selling puppies at a village Farmer’s Market which is not allowed under Ag & Markets. The Amish community has absolutely NO RESPECT and NO compassion for animals…please boycott the Amish in your community!
So the gun people got involved with a dog issue and effectively removed the dog auction piece out of the legislation? Why would they make such a deal? Do they support an industry of animal cruelty? Removing a major marketing channel for bad breeders sounds counter to what SB 95 is trying to achieve – reduction of puppy mills. I’ve heard the owner of this auction mention in another article these auctions are attended by breeders from 15 states. If the auctions continue, what will stop out of state breeders from pouring more mill dogs into Ohio? Now I see why the Ohio Farm Bureau and Strickland agreed to passing this bill in that agreement passed last month. They want dogs from puppy mills to be treated like livestock. Absolutely disgusting. You can bet I will be joining that group wanting to ban dog auctions at their next protest!
I’m a show breeder and I would NEVER buy or sell at a dog auction! When purchasing dogs, many of the trainers I know will only use trusted breeders or have their own breeding program to avoid the problems often associated with these mills where the motive is profit rather than improvement of the breed.
I think it should be mentioned that the American Kennel Club (which opposes dog auctions) has some concerns regarding SB 95 in its current form. The include Unclear definition of “kennel”. As currently written, a “kennel” is defined as any establishment that keeps, houses, and maintains adult dogs (1+ years old) for the purpose of breeding the dogs for a fee. “High volume breeders” are exempt from this definition. This vague definition of kennel could potentially allow counties to require a license for anyone who owns intact dogs, as it is very difficult to prove whether or not a dog is being kept for breeding, and there is no threshold on the number of dogs sold. The second is Problematic standards of care. High volume breeders must ensure their enclosures meet a size requirement that is based on the weight of the dog, rather than height. As a result, a dog could be required by law to be kept in a cage that is too small. High volume breeders must also keep their kennels between 50 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with no consideration for the needs of different breeds and ages of dogs. In addition, the bill creates a new board to oversee implementation and inspections, which the Ohio Legislative Service Commission reports will likely cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the amount the state receives in licensing fees. The bill’s fiscal note bases its estimation of licensing revenue on inaccurate definitions and assumptions, and may not accurately project the number of people who will be licensed under this bill. As a result, this bill could result in significant costs to Ohio taxpayers.
I’ve been to the auction on Rt. 557 to view things first hand. I, like Double R Farms friend, went out of curiosity. I have met Irven Raber and seen Michael Glass at this auction…all in one visit. I’ve seen the vet inspection prior to being placed on the auction block and I can tell you this, anyone of you could do that vet examination and personally before any animal is allowed out of a vehicle there should be a health certificate and an attending veterinarian to look over the said animal. The auction itself is part responsible for not setting guidelines and mandatory health clearances. Animals were under weight, runny eyes, matted fur and many other issues.
I also had a cell phone present along with my husband. I witnessed many rescuers bidding and buying these animals and several times pulled my cell phone out and not once did anyone say anything.
The young men that handled the auctioned dogs need to learn some compassion and be alittle more understanding as well.
This auction brings many from out of state. I witnessed an individual from PA pull in with a vehicle and the trunk was full of puppies. Though they looked much healthier then what was already there but transporting puppies crammed in your trunk from PA and in the back seat??!! The dog warden took the pups and the man was cited.
There are some Amish who really do want to do the right thing but they need to stand up for what they feel is right and report who is causing these issues. Irven Rabar is part of the Ohio Professional Breeders Association which the member list is mostly made up of Amish. What kind of Professional Association is this??? They have no guidelines or requirements to join. How can all members be Professional??
In the end the dog is what suffers and families who want to love and protect these animals get heart broken with children crying themselves to sleep because the puppy they thought they could save ends up fatally ill or short lived because it did not get the care it needed at a young age.
As a breeder, you owe it to your dogs to properly care and provide for them. It isn’t much but the rewards are unlimited.
My God I’ve been waiting for this information to be published in a mass publication! I will never forget the horrers I’ve seen at dog auctions or in countless backyards of Amish. I encourage everyone to educate themselves and relay the facts to others. Thank you Kyle and Scene!!!!!
Missy Ickes
Paws & Prayers Pet Rescue
WolfSpirit’s Small Dog and Puppy Mill Rescue
A little history taken from Jenn Diamond’s article at: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/puppy_…
The puppy mill was introduced in 1954, following the end of World War II, when the U.S. Government commissioned a 10-year irradiation study that would require the use of hundreds of thousands of dogs. Who was better suited to raise them than America’s farmers, just beginning to recover from the Great Depression?
When the farms outlived the study and found themselves with puppies and no more government program to sell them to, they turned to laboratories and pet stores. The new industry of breeding dogs in mass quantity ran grossly unregulated until 1970, when the Animal Welfare Act was passed.
Today, in the pet retail business, “puppy mill” is a four-letter word. Thanks to the efforts of activists, the public knows that a puppy mill is a place where dogs are bred in mass quantities, in unsanitary and inhumane conditions for the sole purpose of making a profit. These dogs often carry genetic defects and communicable diseases and some even die days or weeks after they are purchased.
Most puppy mills call themselves “commercial breeders,” and continue to fight for their right to mass produce puppies (and other animals) for retail. Though registered businesses are regulated by the USDA, the fines and punishments for cutting corners on the care of these dogs are inconsequential compared to the profits.
from Jenn Diamond’s article at: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/puppy_…
Interesting and enlightening article! What a vivid image the writer paints of Amish country! I could just piCture driving along rt. 10 as I read the article.
I’d like to echo Missy Ickes and THANK Kyle Swenson and Scene for publishing this excellent summary of Ohio puppy mill activities and the current status of legislation. I’ve personally read ever single word of SB 95 and in my opinion, a respectable breeder would have absolutely no concerns. I see this bill frequently quoted out of context with concerns for reputable breeders. I know reputable breeders and none of them would be affected by this bill. It’s only those that not providing properly that should be of concern.
On another note, to Ervin Raber. I’ve been a single mother for 17 years and have worked extremely hard to further a respectable career to provide food and shelter for myself and my children AND allow funds and time to rehabilitate the dogs you insist on creating. I, therefore, disgustingly shutter at your audacity to solicit sympathy for the possible diminishing of your inhumane, non-taxed cash crop whereas your families may struggle to pay a mortgage? How dare you! You make 10 times more than I do (and most of us do!!), don’t pay taxes and emotionally harm innocent, God-fearing, tax-paying, honest people with ill-fated puppies!
Do me a favor, Mr. Raber, just for one mini-moment.. one micro-second..one flash of thought… look at one of your mill dogs in her disgustingly dirty cage, being trampled upon by her cage-mates, with her feet all blistered, her ears full of mites, her hair tangled with her own feces, her teeth about to fall out and stop.!!!.. consider her , just for that one, single micro-second, consider her to have feelings! Consider that she knows YOU, she is actually and disgustingly anxious to see YOU. ..in hopes that you will acknowledge her and smile, or simply acknowledge that she’s alive and maybe throw her some food the rest of us wouldn’t even feed to dead fish. That little, tired girl you are looking at is NOT livestock..she is NOT as dumb as you think. She is smart, she has feelings, she yearns to be petted and loved. She has done nothing to deserve your distaste or your uncompassionate treatment and as a God-fearing person, you should never possess the morality to allow her life to be that shallow and painful. May God have mercy upon your soul Mr. Raber!!!
To all the rescuers.. THANK YOU.. for opening up your hearts, homes and pocket books to these innocent furbabies. You are all true heroes with hearts of gold!!! May your goodwill spread like wildfire throughout the world!!
Bravo, Voice of Reason. I too have been a single mom for over 10 years and I love all my babies, both two and four legged ones with fur and no fur. I applaud these advocates who are standing up against Mr. Raber. The man can’t possibly pray to the same loving God as me and my family because my God commands me to respect all living creatures.
I have read SB 95 inside and out and I’m not completely convinced that this is a good bill. I also read the article from the Animal Law Coalition, “Ohio Bill Targets “High Volume” Breeders” and I feel the author made some good remarks about this bill and a new puppy mill bill which is expected to be introduced called McKenzie’s Law. Here is the link for your readers – http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companio…. I would like to see a follow-up article done on that piece of legislation.
I think everyone who is helping these dogs should be given a standing ovation, especially the group who is encouraging a boycott against businesses in Holmes county. It reminds me of the saying, “Evil thrives when good men do nothing.” Perhaps when the commissioners and merchants feel the threat to their local economy, then maybe they will get the message!
THIS TRULY MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH. I LOOKED AT THE ENLARGED PHOTO OF THE TRICOLOR CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL AND WAS HORRIFIED AND SHOCKED AND SO SADDENED.
I HAVE THREE OF THESE WONDERFUL DOGS AND THEY ARE MY “KIDS”. THESE DOGS ARE SO GENTLE AND SWEET AND TRUSTING; THEY WOULD NEVER HURT A FLEA, AND LOOK AT WHAT SOME SCUM (NOT WORTH CALLING A HUMAN) DID TO THIS POOR POOR ANIMAL. I HOPE THEY ROT IN HELL AND IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THEY WILL.
The author here goes to great lengths to repeatedly bring up the killing of dogs and puppies. For the record culling or “killing puppies with obvious defects” has been done in every breed known to man, and should be done more often. If more breeders took to heart the issues faced by shelters, and caused by BYB’s, they would feel not only responsible but obligated to cull puppies. And any “pet” dog should be spayed/neutered before leaving the breeders yard.
I both breed and rescue (to try to offset the obvious impact breeding has on shelters, regardless of my efforts not to). And I will cull an entire litter, before I will place puppies with issues into homes that could be taking in shelter dogs. “Pet” quality dogs will be in every litter, but if anyone is makking more pets than show/working dogs, you need to look for what you are doing wrong.
I just bought a puppy that turns out to be from Fresno Ohio. I was a duped buyer because of my lack of knowledge of the puppy mill trade. I do not regret the purchase but wish that I had paid more attention to the news media regarding this issue. I was not allowed to have the pups paper work until 4 days after the purchase. That is what set me to investigate where my puppy came from and what I can do in the future to educate others before purchasing from a pet store that buys from puppy mills. My Italian Greyhound pup was taken from it’s mother at 4 weeks. It has the tell tale signs of malnutrition, white stripes on the toe nails. He has kennel cough and a nasal virus that the vet I’m contracted to use says will go away on it’s own. He has developed a skin condition that resembles a chemical burn all over his underside, being treated with SSD creme. I’m praying it will help. Yes, I said I am contracted by the pet store to use a specific vet otherwise the free one year vet service including neutering and vaccines will be cancelled. This is another problem that is not discussed regarding puppy mills. The stores that support the mills and the vets that turn a blind eye to make a profit. How can I trust this vet? He is not going to tell me that these ilnesses are due to where my puppywas born and the store I bought him from. I am saddened and frustrated by the whole ordeal. All I can do is love my new family member and provide him the best care that I can.
I am from Ohio, but now live in Florida, and I purchased a dog from a backyard breeder, not quite as bad as a puppy mill, but close. My cute little Maltese cost me $600 and turned out to have a liver shunt. This little dog has cost me over $10,000 in medical bills so far in her short six years of life. She has to eat special food every 3-4 hours, gets medicine and supplements at 4 of those meals and although I told the breeder about the medical problems, I did not get a refund. The Amish puppy mills are creating puppys with medical problems that will be similar to my Maltese by breeding ill dogs, not running blood tests on their breeding pairs, and over-breeding. Families will purchase these puppies, unknowingly and be devastated over the loss of their beloved pet or financially wiped out trying to save their little fur-baby. We have been fighting for our dog’s life for 4 of her 6 years and the fight goes on. We never know how much time we will have with her as she is in liver failure, but she is stable for now. Anyone who runs a puppy mill should be punished by Federal laws, not just by state laws that are not even in effect in Ohio at this time. I am ashamed to say I am from Ohio after reading this article.
This is inhumane to the dogs and criminal to the people whom they rob by taking money for sick puppies. If they cannot prosecute for cruelty to animals, then why not for tax evasion, misrepresentation of their product they are selling, health code violations, (check every dog for worms and diseases and fine the owners), and larceny. Why should a group be allowed the “religious freedom” to torture animals because they “view them as livestock”? What if the Amish decided next year that they were going to start viewing their women and children as livestock? Would the Ohio State Legislature stand by and let that happen as well? This is the USA and we view dogs and cats as domestic animals and there are laws protecting them. We do not let Chinese restaurants serve Cat, why should Amish be able to torture Dogs to make money?
Yes watch their money but they are clever enough to do a cash business. It is pitiful that Raber can cry they are putting his great breeders out of business, communitees would go starving, what a pathetic excuse for a man. All people want is fair breeding and care for each animal, clean comfortable surroundings, These animals are your employees, are they not deserving of better care. How can such a supposed to be religous group be so hypocrytical and expect sympathy that someone is taking the food from their table. Ohioans wake up. Put this creature out of busines once and for all. We cannot educate people who do not care.
Words cannot express the disgust I feel for these people. These Amish monster will die the same horrible death they causes these dogs to die. Shame and disgust. Someone needs to get in there and stop this it is animal abuse and it is illegal. Are they looking the other way because they are Amish?
Sorry but I disagree or I am more honest but I literally have come to hate these people who hide behind their Bibles while mistreating their animals. Guess their Bible excludes Proverbs 12:10.
Here in Pennsylvania it is rumored that since the Amish don’t use electricity to watch TV that some dog wardens have given them pictures of Bill Smith from MLAR who appeared on the Oprah show regarding PA puppymills. The Amish were cropping, docking ears, tails and dewclaws, performing C sections and DEBARKING without a vet. What most don’t understand is that it is the woman and children looking after these animals NOT the men. How sterile can it be when the average child doesn’t wash their hands? This is being allowed by officials and they should NOT be allowed to hide behind their religon when we have discriminated against Moslem citizens ever since 9-11 not to mention many others over history. Pathetic. People need to wise the F up and stop supporting this business by buying dogs from them. When demand goes down no need for supply and YES I agree 100% with the person who made the comment about forcing their costs to go up and they will see it is not a lucrative business to stay in just like the fall of tobacco crops when government decided not to side with them because of the cost of health care in the country. GREED is the ONLY reason. Dirty, nasty, God fearing my ass people.
The Amish SUCK!
9/6/14
I just visited a puppy mill in Eldorado. OH. So sad!!! Hiding behind Christian values is inexcusable! A 12 week old puppy, whose lineage was disputable at best, was fearful of human contact – even it’s “owners”. She played with her litter sister, but showed no affection for humans. Her parents were filthy messes – obviously inbred and overbred and uncared for as pets. At 12 weeks, no potty training has been introduced. No socialization has been introduced. Beware – Landes offers “family” bred pets, but they live lonely lives in a pole building attached to the house. And you won’t be invited to see the condition these “loved family pets” are raised in. God definitely works in mysterious ways and the mystery of this puppy has to have Him boggled!
I bought my Yorke from a breeder in Baltic, OH about 5 years ago. I’ve already put WELL OVER $10,000 in her and taking her to vet again today for another $300!
They brought the puppies, out of a shed, one by one. I wish I remembered who I got her from because I can’t afford to keep her alive and its killing me!