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Westminster Is Over—but Its Legacy Is Just Beginning
The
pomp and pageantry of the Westminster
dog show is over. Many of the
dogs have been shipped back to their breeders after living in their
handlers’ crates for years. Now, the females will be forced to bear litter
after litter of puppies, only to have them all taken away to be sold. Every
year following Westminster, there is a rush to buy dogs of the winning breed and other “designer
dogs” who appeared on the
screen. And breeders and pet
stores are happy to oblige,
taking as many orders as they can get and raking in money hand over fist.
In
an industry in which dogs are viewed as commodities, their health and
well-being matter less than the bottom line. To minimize expenses, breeders and
puppy mills commonly warehouse breeder
dogs in tiny, filthy cages; deny them veterinary care; and repeatedly get them pregnant,
until the dogs can no longer produce puppies—at which point, they are often
auctioned off, discarded at shelters, or killed.
Just
this month, in yet another horror story, authorities raided a breeder and dog-show judge’s home
and found 38 dogs
living in small crates that were caked with feces and fur. The cages were piled
on top of one another in the dark basement, and a radio blared to drown out the
sound of barking. Many of the dogs were malnourished and suffering from eye
diseases and severe periodontal disease. They were so sick that 13 of them had
to be euthanized immediately.
People who buy dogs
from breeders or pet stores keep these puppy pimps in business. They also kill a shelter dog’s chance at a
home. Please, urge anyone you
know who is considering buying a dog to adopt instead.
2013-02-28 11:30:27
Source: http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2013/02/28/westminster-over-legacy-just-beginning.aspx
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