Puppies Aren't Products

Puppy mills exist for one reason -  to make a profit by selling puppies.

Some puppy mills are worse than others but most puppy mills treat our companion animals like commodities. The goal of puppy mills is always the same - to make a profit. Puppy mill owners must cut corners to boost profits, always at the expense of these poor dogs; stinging on their food, and having almost no medical aid when the dogs need it. The only time they take the dogs to the vet is when the dogs need a Caesarian section because the sale of the puppies would cover their cost of the vet bill.

Dogs are kept in cages all the time, never ever experiencing love, let alone being taken out for walks and feeling the grass on their feet or sunshine on their backs. Female dogs are bred as often as possible, and on every heat from the time they are mere puppies. When they are no longer able to “produce” or make profits for their breeders, they are conveniently discarded, often on the streets, in the hope that either a kind soul would pick them up, or they would be hit by traffic. This is not the life for man’s best friend.

Though cruel and inhumane, puppy mills are legal and regulated by AVA.

AVA does not always ensure a humane life for these dogs. Many a times we have informed AVA of these poor breeding standards, only to be asked if we have proof. Are the conditions of these breeding dogs insufficient proof? What more do they require? All we ask is that these breeding dogs have a better quality of life.

Puppy mills exist to feed your fancy, because you want to buy a cute branded puppy from the pet store. If only you knew and saw what goes on behind caged bars.

Once again, we bring you a story of breeding dogs being rescued from their mercenary captors. Despite having written so many similar stories, we feel it is important to document each and every one of them, for a simple reason - each tale speaks of freedom and hope; salvation for the precious lives of these dogs. Every rescue story is different, but the people behind the rescue efforts have the same goal - to take our furry friends away from torment and cruelty, giving them happy lives that they should have experienced right from the start.

It all started when a passionate animal welfare volunteer, Glenda, heard about the sad plight of a dog from a friend. Glenda knew little about Dashy; she only knew that he was a young breeding dog who was left to die. Glenda knew she just couldn't sit back and do nothing, so she decided to try to adopt Dashy. Probing further, she got the contact of a lady named Candy, who works in the boarding house next to the puppy mill. Candy told Glenda that Dashy had scratched his eye so badly till it became infected. Had he received some medical care, his eye would have recovered; but needless to say, to "avoid unnecessary costs" for the owner, Dashy was left to become blind. Soon after, Dashy started to refuse his food and it was evident that he was unwell. Candy alerted the breeding farm owner but the owner refused to do anything - for her, it was so much easier to let Dashy die.

R.I.P Dashy

Oh - did I mention that Dashy was just 3 years old? Not only had he lost a puppyhood he never enjoyed, and now life was to be heartlessly stolen away from him. Glenda panicked at that thought, and desperately tried to do something. Sadly, she was too late - Dashy was too ill to hold on and he passed away. We can't blame him for not holding on and fighting for his life; there was no one to hold on to and there was nothing to fight for. The poor boy never EVER got the chance to love and be loved by anyone at all. Like all other breeding dogs, right from the start he was a tool used to generate litter after litter to be sold for money. He probably never would have had a bright future ahead of him. We reckon and hope that Dashy is finally happy across the Rainbow Bridge, enjoying freedom with no boundaries.

Scotty with eyes showing years of misery



Not too long after, Candy called to say that the puppy mill owner had more dogs to "throw away". Though Glenda's heart was heavy from Dashy's demise, she jumped at the opportunity to save the lives of more dogs on death row. After all, she couldn't have let Dashy die in vain. She couldn't turn her back to the other dogs and leave them to die. Glenda and her friends managed to save 4 dogs. The fifth dog was a Chihuahua who was to be let go too, but the puppy mill owner found that she was pregnant and held her back.

Prior to this series of events, the puppy mill owner had strewn a Jack Russell Terrier out onto the roads. As usual, she was a breeding dog who had outlived her usefulness, and was left susceptible to death by heavy traffic. Fortunately, this JRT was spotted by a kind family who adopted her.

The Rescued Dogs:

1. Black Poodle, Male, estimated 9 months-1 year old (FOSTERED WITH THE INTENTION TO ADOPT)

He has a slight yeast infection of his skin and is grossly underweight. What was sad was we noticed he was limping as he walked. We asked the vet to do an x-ray on his legs and found out that this poor little puppy had a hip fracture. We don’t know how long he has had this injury for but we do know how much pain he has been enduring.

Being examined at the Vets



He has a fractured hip bone



His hip injury is similar to what Venus endured and it would have been caused by a hard blow; similar to being hit by a moving vehicle. How did he sustain this injury in a small cage? We won’t speculate.

He needs a surgery sometime next week and Drs estimate this to cost about $800 - $1000. No heartworm detected and no medication required. He is very sociable and affectionate.

2. SCOTTY: Black Scottish Terrier, Male, estimated 2-3 years old (PENDING ADOPTION)


What a few days of love can do to brighten their lives

Scotty also suffers from yeast infection of the skin. He has been shaven down and on oral medication (short-term). No heartworm detected. He is active but extremely insecure and wary of people. This is likely due to the lack of human interaction and with lots of love in a secured environment, we are sure he will feel safe once again.

He was a good boy and stayed very calm throughout the Vet’s examination. Gets along fine with children.

3. White Poodle, Male, 1 year old (ADOPTED)

Severe yeast infection. This was how he looked when we first rescued him

A sorry sight



We had his fur shaved off to make him feel more comfortable

Suffers from severe yeast infection of the skin. Vet assures us that he will definitely recover. His fur has all been shaven off and he is on oral and topical medication. He needs attention for his daily medical needs until his skin recovers. He is extremely intelligent, calm and good with kids.

4. Maltese, Female, estimated 5 years old and above (FOSTERED. Available for adoption)

It is obvious that she was used solely for breeding purposes all these years. She is in good health, apart from dry eyes and decaying teeth. Her fur has been shaven off and she needs daily eye drops and oral medication for slight yeast infection of her skin. She has a superb temperament and is eager to please. Great with children and other dogs.

All the dogs have been taken to the vet and had thorough health checks. Most in need of medical aid are :

1) Black poodle who requires a femoral head removal like Venus and Faith.
2)  White poodle who suffers from severe yeast infection.

If you would like to contribute to the vet bills, please email us at dogs_ink@singnet.com.sg

If you would like to foster or adopt any of the dogs, please contact Glenda at 81256827

Written by Fiona