For sale: Pug puppies, three-months old, pure black Labrador pups and pedigree German shepherd , mentiones one of the several newspaper classified ads under the ‘pet for sale' section. “One morning when I had nothing to do, I called one of those numbers to enquire about the puppies. The seller quoted a price of Rs 20,000 for one pug pup. I said that's high and wanted to hang up when the seller started bargaining. He finally quoted Rs. 8,000 for one pup,” says Rama Vatsan, a tech writer who has adopted a few strays in her colony.
This, “goes to show how desperate these breeders are,” she says.
Once, birth of pups was shared as good news amongst friends and family who longed to see their ‘four-legged' companions get a cosy loving home. These days, the plan for the arrival of new pups is done right from the time they are taken for mating. “The planning is mostly for money. Breeders don't think about the health of the female dogs. As a result of the continuous process of breeding, the subsequent generation of puppies get weak and face several health conditions including cataract,” explains Dr. A. J. Pandurangan, a veterinarian doctor in Trimulgherri.
Dog lovers say, people look at it as a lucrative business, hence introducing the trend of ‘Puppy Mills.'
“Puppy Mills, is a place where animals are bred for money, greedy breeders care more about the profit they make from puppies than the health or welfare of the animals. The dogs in puppy mills face deplorable conditions including inbreeding; minimal or no vet care,” explains Ranjan Roy, a stray dog rescuer who started Mission Saramayo in the city. Roy who has close to 40 dogs at home chose to sterilize the male dogs to stop interbreeding.
At the international level, the Puppy Mills scandal was exposed by Oprah Winfrey. But it was a billboard that triggered the rescue operation. The billboard read “Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you,” says Roy. Elaborating on the dangers on inbreeding or line breeding, veterinarian doctor Lakshmi Ramana says, “All the species we see are man-made. We have tailor made our dogs because we want the lineage to continue.
However, this is very harmful for the babies. Dogs, like human being pass on the genetic traits. Different species of dogs have peculiar health aspects, like Dobermans are prone to liver diseases and pugs often suffer gastro disorders. And when we breed our pets with others it not only inherits the qualities of both the parents but the genetic health disorders are also passed on. Some of the common disorders as a result of line breeding are seen in the form of hip dysplasia, hearing disorders, epilepsy, cardiac diseases, and grades of blindness and skin diseases.”
Dr. Lakshmi stresses on the need to study breed awareness by pet owners and the importance of knowing the health disorders of their siblings.
“The family history is a must and as much as possible breeding in homes should be discouraged. Breeders look at the money and buyers buy exotic breeds to enhance their brand image without being aware of the puppy's health factor. The best thing to do is to adopt stray dogs, they will never let you down. They adapt themselves to the environment,” she says.
