It was about this time of year when a former resident of Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was on the way to visit her brother in Kirkwood. She hadn’t lived there in 30 years, but grew up in this Amish Country and worked on her family’s dairy farm until leaving for college. As she turned on to a familiar road on the way to her destination, she noticed an Amish buggy
stopped alongside the road. The horse drawing it was on the ground obviously suffering.
The poor animal was bleeding from both its front and rear legs and from its mouth. And it was terrified, still being attached to the buggy in a painful position. A pre-teen Amish boy said the horse was just a “balker,” but it was clear that it was injured and in distress. For our traveler, this would turn out to be a most terrifying incident that appears to contradict everything the Amish profess to believe in.
The lady asked about the horse’s condition but the Amishman replied that it was just a “stubborn” horse. He then began to kick the animal viciously in the head. When finally removed from the buggy, the horse attempted to get up unsuccessfully, after which it was brutally kicked again in the head and hindquarters. It was then that the Amishman suggested the woman should be on her way, and having no choice, she left while still observing another round of blows to the horse’s head from her rearview mirror.
Now this true story has nothing to do with puppy mills, but it does point out eloquently how the act of cruelty resides in a group of people who supposedly live their lives protected by deeply religious beliefs. For those who refuse to believe the accounts of Amish cruelty toward animals, specifically in their puppy mills, this woman’s testament of an actual animal abuse she witnessed should make you think twice before going to a Phoenix pet store for your next puppy. Remember, 98 percent of their dogs come from puppy mills.
But Pennsylvania and Missouri aren’t the only states known for being so prolific in their abundance of 
puppy mills. Iowa has its share, and my wife, Barbara, fostered a cat from Des Moines that came from one of these kennels. When she traveled there to bring Apollo home, we had no inkling of the hostility he harbored, until he finally took it out on my wife. Later we found out the little guy had been raised with all kinds of animals, some even wild, including a monkey. Not until Barbara worked her miracles using the Tellington TTouch method did Apollo settle down into a normal life.
Phoenix does have its Amish community, mostly in Sunnyslope. And my sources tell me that they do not operate puppy mills; word is they are snowbirds. But this could change, and it already has for our Four-Corners neighbor to the northeast. The Amish have decided they want to get away from the crowds and high land prices of the East, and they are already settling in Southern Colorado. Arizona is just a stones-throw away, and, like Colorado, we have no puppy mill laws, according to Laura Petersen of Paws Across America.
Iowa, at least, is trying to pass a law to control puppy mills. That’s much too charitable. What we need is a grassroots movement to outlaw all puppy mills and backyard breeders, as well as others who share in this abuse and cruelty in the raising of animals. Check the groups below under “More Info.”
Please leave your comments or e-mail me: jack.dundiv@cox.net
For more info:
Petential Paths/Tellington TTouch
Comments
I was saddened to read of this incident of animal cruelty towards the horse but angered that the woman did nothing to help it. Why did she "have no choice" but to leave when asked by a younger person? Did she notify the Amish authorities, or the police? What happened to this animal? Why could she not defend the horse from this torture but leave like a coward, observing the contnued brutalization from the safety of her car? What a gutless bitch. There's not much point complaining about the boy's treatment of the horse when hers was hers just as bad.
I appreciate your report in these two articles, Jack, and I agree totally with "baisue." The woman could have reported the incident to the authorities. What they did after that would be on their conscience.
Report of animal abuse in the closed Amish community doesn't surprise me. A few years ago, I saw a TV news report of child abuse equally protected within that group. Though abuses occur in all communities, they're harder to root out where the group is either closed to the outside world or extremely authoratian, as with child abuse in the Catholic Church, and others that are just as strict. But authority or not, each individual has a responsibility to protect the victim, whether human or animal, by reporting it! Thank you for protecting animals by reporting this story.
You write, "the act of cruelty resides in a group of people who supposedly live their lives protected by deeply religious beliefs."
So, I am to base my opinion on how cruel a group of people is by these stories? These are terrible things you point out, but so are the stories of abuse in the Catholic church. Does that mean all Catholics are pedophiles? Absolutely not. I know Amish people who are not like this story at all. You paint with a very broad brush.
Jack again thx my friend for educating us on all aspects of puppy mills, you are a true advocate for animals these "houses of horror" in the Amish communities in Lancaster Co. Pa and elsewhere have been investigated by many reputible animal rights groups and they have deemed them the most brutal. You have to realize that horses and puppy mill dogs are considered livestock and dont fall under local animal cruelty laws, they fall under the AWA Animal Welfare Act and this is goverened by the USDA which has only 100 inspectors last count nationwide, so how confident are you that this incident would be investigated, this is why puppy mills continue their legal cruelty, the only way for this to change is for EVERY person to stop only making comments on blogs and such and let their outrage be heard with local/state/federal elected officials
What is your definition of a "puppy mill"? Is that term intended to apply to all large-scale dog breeding operations, or just those in which mistreatment occurs? And if virtually all dog breeding is banned ("all puppy mills and backyard breeders"), where will people purchase dogs? Do you have any concern for the livelihoods of the human beings whose income is based on breeding dogs, rather than concerns about the dogs themselves? Why do dogs deserve this special treatment, as opposed to say, pigs, or cows, or chickens, which are raised in far more appalling conditions purely for the purpose of slaughter? Is there a cultural bias in our society, not shared by the Amish, which elevates select "companion" animals above others?
I can understand setting out some minimal standards for care and feeding, but it's unclear to me what this rallying cry of "Ban Puppy Mills" actually means. Eagerly awaiting your reply.
Dave, a puppy mill is a large scale breeding facility that supplies puppies to the retail market ie:pet stores, and the intent of animal advocates like myself and animal welfare organization too is NOT to ban responsible BREEDING, just the irresponsible ones, the ones that DONT care for the animals especially the mommies that are forced to breed every cycle for years, and then discarded when their fertility wanes,and the ones that DONT breed to standards. The cruel breeders that run puppy mill that are "houses of horror" I could care less about their income, because it is at the expense of the health/safety and well being of wonderful breathing beings...hence BREEDING FOR PROFIT. Where will people purchase dogs? if they choose the PURCHASE route go to a reputable breeder locally DO NOT purchase on the internet from out of state, NEVER buy from a pet store, those puppies come from puppy mills. but choose adoption from a shelter of rescue org first.
CONT....puppy mill dogs are not getting special treatment, alot of advances in the humane care of animals (farm animals-livestock) is happening as we speak in many states,and as for the Amish, most DO not view animals as we do, dogs in puppy mills are considered livestock, they are a cash crop that is very lucrative because of the demand for purebred/hybrid dogs that sell for thousands in pet stores, and as a puppy miller you want to put "0" into overhead ie" vet care-quality food-socialization so you get maximum return with your crop, but dogs are NOT livestock, they are domestic animals and this is what needs to stop, please check out the links I added to educate yourself on puppy mills.
www.StopPuppyMills.com - www.Prisonersofgreed.com/video - www.Petshoppuppies.org - www.littletag19.com www.milldogrescue.org oh I could go on and on
Thanks, milldogmommy. The two wonderful dogs our family has had were both purchased from highly reputable breeders recommended by friends. We'd never buy a dog sight unseen or from an unknown breeder.
That said, the lines between what is "responsible" treatment and what is not are still not clear to me. A breeder who wants to make a profit certainly does have an incentive to keep the female dog pregnant, but is that "abusive," any more than spaying/neutering one's own dog is abusive? Both are impositions based on human convenience.
I'm also concerned that trying to help dogs by shutting down these "mills" will simply make things worse by pushing activity underground. As it is, breeders have a strong incentive to provide some minimum standard of care since they are SELLING the dogs. A dead, emaciated or scarred dog will not fetch a good price. It's not like the demand will dry up if they are banned. That's why I think education is the best approach.
"but dogs are NOT livestock, they are domestic animals"
I personally agree with you -- our particular cultural view is that cows and dogs have different roles and should be treated differently. But that is fundamentally a cultural/moral perspective. Other cultures in this world and in this country have a different point of view. Some cultures even treat cows much better than dogs -- for example, India.
So I am having trouble seeing why laws which treat one category of animals preferentially to another reflects anything but our mutual moral judgments. And as much as I value dogs as human companions, I do not feel that my own moral views, alone, are sufficient to deny the large-scale dog breeder his right to pursue his livelihood. Particularly when he treats them no worse than livestock, and in fact BETTER, since he is raising them to be loved by families, not slaughtered and eaten.
Dave we do differ on some issues but thats ok, the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) has a wonderful brochure online about how to find a good breeder, it is very imformative, and believe me typical puppy mills DO NOT fall into any of these categories, and dogs in USDA licensed puppy mills ARE considered livestock, and they do NOT get protected by local/state animal welfare/cruelty laws, they are only guarded by the AWA Animal Welfare Act which is governed by the USDA and with only 100 inspectors nationwide and 4000+ mills (not including the unlicensed ones) how often do you think these places get inspected? this is the biggest obstacle for us that fight for the care/rights of these dogs is the way our government has let these dogs down, and all other animals that are considered livestock. did you view some of the video links in previous comments? I cant think why ANYONE would think this was ok!!!
What a blatantly biased, racist anti-Amish article. The Amish aren't perfect, but neither are they all cruel conscience-less puppy mill owners or animal beaters as the writer implies. Not much difference between this type of close-minded thinking and the hatred being spewed at white supremacist web-sites; as in all African-Americans are ghetto-dwelling drug-dealing thugs.
Anyone who thinks puppy mills are A-OK are heartless fools. You wouldn't defend the owner's right to breed if you were put in the same horrendous conditions. What a human will do for money...sickening.
For those who insist that not ALL Amish persons are "bad" – granted. However, personal convictions – even those that are morally proper – hold no weight in the Amish society. The long-standing traditions and laws of the Amish church forcefully prevail over the opinions of individuals. Animals are to be USED, that’s it. Be they horses, cattle, or dogs, their ONLY reason for existence – according to the Amish faith – is to benefit humans.
In the case of dogs and puppies, simply drive down any road in an Amish-populated area and look at the signs outside their farms – “quilts, strawberries, furniture, candy, puppies, corn…” Depending on the time of year and what is in season, you will easily see signs that merely include puppies as but another object for sale. Nor are these ads for available puppies last-minute scrawlings, but are prepainted and used many times each year.
Another element of the puppy mill industry that the Amish take a strong part in are dog auctions. Few “English” (non-Amish) have heard of such commerce, but unfortunately it is a very real industry that is still legal in some states. Visit http://www.banohiodogauctions.com/ for details, including undercover video where you can watch the Amish and their interactions with the dogs they are auctioning – primarily to be used as breeders in puppy mills.
And there are other means by which the Amish clearly show little concern for canines, and in fact perform criminal actions on a regular basis… A local Amish man recently contacted me. He began stopping by under the pretense that he was looking for a companion dog and hoping for my assistance. I was hesitant and in his second visit learned a specific detail that verified my concern. Following is from my notes of our encounters:
The key factor, though, that completely validated my previously cautious viewpoint was his remark about one terrier’s cesarean section (I think she is his sister-in-law’s dog). The “operation” was performed by another Amish man who seems to be the local Amish “vet” of sorts. He described how the suturing was so inadequate that the stitches ripped out and a second suturing was required. And how now there is a subcutaneous lump at the lower end of the incision. Yet, when I asked about sedation and anesthesia during the surgeries he explained that the only thing normally used is some kind of agent to numb the surgery area. The news was distressing enough, but as expected he showed very little emotion other than displeasure at a “bad job.”
For additional facts and links about the Amish please visit: http://www.facebook.com/AmishTruths
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!