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Royal Flush Havanese Puppy Mill Education
About Puppy Mills
Puppy Mill Statistics
- An estimated167,388 breeding dogs are currently living in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-licensed commercial facilities for breeding purposes this very moment.*
- There are an estimated 10,000 puppy millsin the United States (this includes both licensed and unlicensed facilities).
- Over 2 million puppies bredin mills each year.
- An estimated2 million dogsare euthanized in shelters every year.
- Thousands of commercially-bred puppies are shipped into pet stores each year.
* These statistics are sourced from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) 2014 Puppy Mill Facts and Figures report and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Pet Statistics.
What is so wrong with puppy mills?**
- Puppy mills are dog breeding operations that put profit over the health and well-being of the dogs.
- Puppy mills may be large or small. They may be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture or unlicensed. In order to sell to a pet store, the breeder must be licensed, though many still sell to pet stores without a proper license.
- Puppy mills can house hundreds or thousands of dogs. Smaller does not necessarily mean better. The conditions in small facilities can be just as cruel as larger ones.
- Puppy mills are everywhere, though there is a large concentration in the Midwest. Missouri has the largest number of puppy mills in the United States. Amish and Mennonite communities (particularly in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania) also have large concentrations of puppy mills.
- Puppy mills breed all types of dogs – everything from Labrador Retrievers, Boxers, and English Bulldogs to teacup Yorkies – you can find nearly every breed.
- Breeding parents spend their lives in 24-hour confinement to cages. It is common to see wire cages stacked on top of each other. They generally do not have protection from heat, cold, or inclement weather.
- Dogs in puppy mills live in dirty, unsanitary conditions.
- Dogs living in puppy mills receive little to no veterinary care (and puppy mill owners often provide veterinary care without anesthesia or veterinary training).
- Mothers are bred every heat cycle and are usually killed when they can no longer produce.
- Many puppy mills do not practice humane euthanasia. Dogs are killed in cruel ways, including shooting or drowning.
- Puppies are taken from their mothers too young and can develop serious health or behavioral issues due to the conditions in which they are bred and shipped. This leads to expensive veterinary bills, heartbreak, and stress for their owners.
- The bottom line is that puppy mills are all about profits. Any money spent on veterinary care, quality food, shelter, or staff to care for the dogs cuts into the profit margin.
Where are puppy mill puppies sold?
- There are two primary sales outlets for puppies bred in puppy mills: (1) pet stores, and (2) the Internet.
- Nearly all puppies sold at pet stores come from puppy mills. Pet stores are the primary sales outlet for puppy mills and are essential for keeping puppy mills in business.
- Both licensed and unlicensed mills sell to pet stores (many mills sell to pet stores without the required license and are not held accountable).
- Puppies are bred in mills and then shipped all over the country. For example, puppies bred in the Midwest may be shipped on trucks to southern California or Florida.
- The shipping conditions are inhumane. They can be forced to go up to 12 hours without food or water, and they are confined in a small space where diseases can be easily transmitted. Many puppies do not survive.
** The information on this page and our Puppy Mill FAQs has been compiled based on first-hand experience with the rescue and rehabilitation of dogs from puppy mills, years of researching USDA inspection reports and regulations, investigation of pet stores and the source of their dogs, and resources provided by national organizations with significant expertise on the puppy mill industry, including the HSUS, the ASPCA, and Best Friends Animal Society. Credit given to the Puppy Mill Project for all their hard work.
Unfortunately, many people have come to view all breeders as Puppy Mills. This is a horrible, derogatory term that should never be used unless the above described conditions are met. Unfortunately there are individuals and groups that will do anything in their power to say terrible things about good breeders because they would like to shut them all down. Freedom of speech allows this even if things they say or write are lies.
At Royal Flush Havanese we ALWAYS put our dogs needs above our own. This is true of every caretaker here. We lose plenty of sleep watching cameras to see if an expecting mom is starting to pant yet, delivering every puppy into our own hands and giving supplemental formula throughout the night whenever necessary. We have cameras on every adult and pup 24 hours a day so we don’t miss a thing and we can stop whatever we’re doing as soon as one pees or poops and clean it right up! We all truly love each and every one of our dogs and pups and look forward to playing, training and loving each of them every day. We think the laws are not stringent enough as far as care, cleanliness, exercise, and socialization goes with regard to dogs and pups and we have always gone far far beyond any legal requirements. We are appropriately licensed to breed in each of our locations. Each of our boys has his harem of girls he lives with and plays with all day and night in very spacious suites. We have evolved and expanded to be completely cage free other than the occasional mom or dad during her/his spay/neuter recovery! Our dogs and pups are under our roof in immaculate conditions at all times. Their environment is temperature controlled, fresh air regulated through Lifebreath Systems, made of antimicrobial materials, steam cleaned AND disinfected at least twice daily, bright, aesthetically pleasing and the air is filled with classical music which I strongly feel aids in their peace and well being. In Florida we even commissioned a famous artist to create amazing murals on the walls showcasing Havanese puppies playing on the beach! All our adults and pups are clean, socialized daily with our caretakers and socialize with each other throughout the day. Our dogs and pups have toys and blankets and plenty of room to run and play (and sleep!) the day away. All our Havanese get the best Veterinary care and all our adults are seen by the vet and receive health clearances prior to breeding. Our boys are all DNA tested. Our adults all have patella OFFA certificates and Heart OFFA certificates. Every adult is seen by the veterinary ophthalmologist and eyes are CAER (used to be called CERF) certified. Adults in RI are all BAER tested (hearing). We’ve gone to extreme lengths to insure that we only breed the healthiest Havanese possible.
We NEVER ship a puppy to a puppy buyer. We will meet with you at our place 7 days a week and we are also happy to deliver your puppy right to your door but we will NEVER sell a puppy to a 3rd party, a pet store, a dealer or sight unseen through the internet. We require an application process and you will meet your puppy in person before you purchase your puppy. We guarantee health for 6 years which is the longest guarantee I’ve ever heard of for a pup. We are available 365 days a year to help guide our puppy parents to be the best they can be for our pups. We publish articles, write blogs and continue educating ourselves so that we can help educate you.
When we retire our Moms and Dads they are spayed and neutered and we require an application for our review before we even consider letting you adopt one of our retired dogs. They have been with us usually since birth like members of our family so we will do everything in our power to make sure they go to the best home for them.
We are and our beliefs are the OPPOSITE of anything you will ever read about a puppy mill.
How high can a Havanese jump? This little puppy looks like she would excel in agility! She is in the Greeting Room in Florida running around waiting for her new parents to come pick her up! The second and third pictures are the Greeting Room in Rhode Island. The exercise pen in the background is always in front of the door so pups can’t accidentally run outside when the door opens. Floors are impermeable tile and grout so they are always sanitary. Walls are antimicrobial FRP. There are always plenty of beds and toys! All pictures were randomly taken, none staged. This is us all the time.
Moms like Magic, Buffy, Zazi and Holland are always clean, always have plenty of fresh water, fresh food, a clean bed to lay on away from their pups if they’d like to take a break and clean newspaper when they need to do their business. There is always classical music playing. There is a clean, comfortable mat fitted with a hand sewn microfiber blanket inside each baby bassinet so moms and babies are always cozy and content. The bassinet keeps puppies close to mom so they can’t get far away from Mom’s warmth and nursing. You can see that Mom is able to take a break away from her pups and take a nap on her bed, do her business on her newspaper which is immediately changed and eat and drink at will. Several times a day moms play together in a huge room and can forget about their responsibilities for a little while! (Lucky Moms!) The radiant floor (in RI) insures that no pup ever catches a chill since pups cannot regulate their body temperature when they are little. The air temperature is always 82 degrees in the nursery and fresh air circulates around the clock. All pictures were randomly taken, none staged. This is our moms when they are with nursing puppies.
Our adults are ALWAYS clean and of course get the best nutrition and Vet care available! They are always in good weight except for the occasional fatty! They are played with and loved by every caretaker throughout the day getting more attention than most people’s pets at home! They are treated like members of the family. They always have companionship and are never isolated! Air temperature and air quality is always regulated. Every surface is steamed twice daily and disinfected several times a day. Poop and pee is picked up the minute it lands. All pictures were randomly taken, none staged. These are our dogs all the time! Happy, content, clean.
Well, ok, our dogs are ALMOST never isolated. Rizzo, one of our favorite moms wasn’t on her best behavior this day! She got a short time out. We take time every day to train our adults and puppies, so you take home your new pup with a few manners!
******* DON’T SCROLL DOWN if you don’t want to see what puppy mills are like. *******
To the groups and people out there who would like to shut down every good, ethical breeder because puppy mill owners have no soul, put your focus and energy into more stringent rules and fish out the people who should rot in Hell for eternity for allowing an animal to suffer in these deplorable conditions.
Sickening and unbelievable yet true.
These pictures are all absolutely disgusting, appalling, sickening and this needs to stop NOW! However, all breeders are NOT puppy mills. If there were no good breeders there would be no dogs! Good breeders go to the ends of the earth to make sure they give their dogs and pups the best of everything. Unfortunately there will always be people out there who will go too far and try to close down every breeder, good or bad. These activists don’t distinguish between the good and horrible they just send hate mail, make threats and write lies anywhere they can write. No good breeder sells their pup through a dealer of any sort nor would they ever let their puppies end up in a pet store. Good breeders insist on face to face interactions and make sure as best they can that their pups go to the best homes possible. Support good breeders. End puppy mills.
Royal Flush Havanese BBB A+ for very good reason.
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