The Role the
Hunte Corporation
plays in puppy mills
Hunte Corp is the largest
distributor of puppies in the world
Ad below appeared in the Holmes
Co Bargain Hunter
on January 9, 2006
Click to see larger ad section
Taken directly from the
Hunte Corp Web site:
"Andrew Hunte is downright passionate about
the
quality of the puppies he supplies"
Hunte Representatives are
knowingly recruiting
from
some of the worst
puppy mills in the United States.
-If Andrew Hunte cares so
deeply about the quality of the pups he sells, why is the Hunte Corp
recruiting from
puppy mills in Ohio?
- Are they inspecting the kennels they buy from?
-Why doesn't the Hunte Corp spay and neuter all
their
pups before they sell them?
-The Hunte Corp is a multi million
dollar business, yet they don't care enough to spay/neuter the pups
before they sell them.
-Pups from these situations
are not breeding stock. Even Petland admits their pups are not meant to be bred.
May take a few minutes to load. Thanks to CAPS for pictures. Visit their site for more info on puppy mills
Take note that dogs stand on wire mesh in almost every picture.
This is the lazy man's way to deal w/ cleaning kennels, which
is why the dogs stand on the mesh wire. See next picture.
Read First Hand Accounts of the Dog Auctions and
what the people of Holmes County think of the Auctions
Letters to the Editor of the New Philadelphia
Times Reporter
serious heart murmur, grade 5-6. The vet could not even spay her without danger to her. After we had Kacey evaluated at MedVet's cardiology department, the director of Small Paws, flew into Columbus ( with donated flight miles) and took Kacey to Texas A & M where she received heart coil surgery. It was amazing that she had survived pregnancy and childbirth. She wouldn't have lasted much longer. It's the ones not brought to auction, but that we get as 'throwaways' from the puppymills that are often really pitiful. My Co-Team Leader, Sharon, and I were told of a bichon being sold at an Amish flea market near one of the auctions. We found what we thought was a very old, almost hairless dog cowering in a pen with other dogs there. We bought her for $50, all the cash we had. Rosie had a nasty skin condition and was extremely fearful and filthy. Her papers said she was only 3 years old. She had been unable to conceive when bred. Another time I was called by a contact who gets dogs from amish farmers. She picked up a dog, again for $50. She had been thrown into a windowless milk shed. I took her straight to the vet. She had mastitis and pyrometra. Apparently she had miscarried and had become badly infected. The vet said her uterus was filled with pus and that untreated she would have been dead in a few days. She had an emergency hysterectomy. Yet another time Sharon and I waited down the road while our contact picked up two older bichons. The farmer had called her the night before and told her that if she didn't pick them up the next day he would throw them in the icy farm pond.
Linda Fausey, Bichon Rescue lfausey@columbus.rr.com
|
There was a tractor trailer
that had cages lined on each side and a walk way down
the middle. The cages were stacked 4 high. The dogs
stood on wire with a tray beneath to catch the urine and
stuff. One Amish man who was in front of me was asking
me questions like "what breed is that", "Does that one
look good". Some of the adults were scared. They would
not look at you. Some did circles in their cages. So
sad.
I made the mistake of
walking up to a pick up truck. In the wire cage was this
young weimaraner. He was just shaking and drooling.
I was heartbroken by then as he was a large dog and not
a breed I was looking for. Dog number 1 (due in heat
7-25-04) went for $675.00. Yes, they put down next time
in heat if they knew. My heart hurt. Then came the mini
dachshunds. They went for prices like $325 to $525. One
male went for $175. Reason, testicles had not dropped
and was almost a year old.
I am learning to deal with
words like proven sire, good mother, due in heat, has
nice litters, imported (meaning from over seas, like we
don't have enough here) just been bred so she would be a
bonus dog. These were words I was sure we would hear all
day. At this point, I was just sick. Next
were the weimaraners. In first were the two brothers.
The auctioneer had been doing along a bidder's choice.
That meant there were two dogs up for bid and winner had
choice. Sometimes winner would take both for two times
the money. These brothers were very scared. They were
shaking, short docked tail pointed down, doing what we
call the army crawl. The winner with a bid of $250.00
went down to look at them. Then decided to take both.
Up next was the weimaraner I
has seen. The one in the truck that stole my heart. How
could I let this happen to this boy. To live his life
not as a pet, but to be a breeding machine. Could
I help him, could I save this dog. He was not on the
list of dogs I was looking at.
Yet, there he stood,
shaking, looking around like what is going on. The
bidding started out at $500, then dropped to $450, then
$400, then $250.00, then $200, then $150. Somebody bid,
then I bid, then it kept going to $225.00. I had the
bid. Auctioneer trying to get more money. He was working
the crowd. I am still holding my breath, my heart just
pounding. Then SOLD. He pointed to me. I got him. I got
the boy. I got him. He is safe. He would be okay.
Then came the huskies. They
were beautiful. But they are also hard to place. They
sold for $100, $130, $160. They sold cheap. Labrador
Retrievers adults, male and female up next for bid. The
shelter already has too many labs that can't find homes.
Female sold for $150 and the male for $75. So more labs
will be out there some where breeding. Then an
Amish young man came up to where I was sitting. He had
asked if I had got the weimaraner. I said yes. He wanted
to sell me his pups that were back at his house. He had
AKC registered males and females. He gave me his name,
with times to call, and the price is $300. He might make
a deal for $250 each if we take all of them. He then
asked if I owned a pet store.
By now I am just tired, mad,
pissed off. The bostons were a no show. Somebody
said mange. I was going to stay and see if I could
get any mixed breeds. They were cocker and blue heeler
and looked like a rott. The schnauzer is ACA registered.
That states for the American Canine Association. The
Weimaraner was AKC registered and is microchipped. Linda
was trying to get the weimaraner to come with her. He
was going, but doing the army crawl. He had never seen
steps before and was very slow. My heart broke. But then
I remembered, he was saved. I left Amy at the truck and
went walking towards them. I said "Junior, I'm here". He
heard my voice, looked at me like thank you. Good thing
Linda is in shape as then he was pulling her to get to
me. He was doing what I call the Marmaduke run.
I got to the shelter and we
unloaded the dogs. First out was the female shepherd.
She had also gotten sick. She was scared and did not
want to come out of her carrier. We talked to her and
told her that she would get treated better her than she
has her whole life so far. Amanda took her back to
the kennel as I got out the male. He also got sick and
pooped. They all were scared. We sat and talked
for a few while waiting for Amanda. I told them I wish I
could have gotten more out. I told them that it was so
heartbreaking to see the puppies who will now live a
life of caged hell. Purchased as new breeding stock for
the end of the year and next years puppies and for years
and years after that. I looked over and Cheryl is
holding one of the dogs and tears were coming down her
face. She kept saying, "at least you saved two".
I did not say much more, as
that was the point at which I realized "I saved two
dogs". I know I had thought it to myself, but to hear
somebody else say it to me mattered. I saved two dogs. I
saved two dogs who will now be able to find a loving
home. A family who will want them for them and not how
many puppies can they sire. A family to love them as
much I as already did in the short time I had spent with
them. A loving family is what they were going to get.
I down loaded the pictures
of the dogs to email out. I know by now most of the
special people who donated to my going to save the dogs
has seen "the kids". Then I decided to sit down
and write this story. Not sure who will read it, not
sure if they will understand it. Still not sure if
anybody really understood why I just felt I had to go. I
just did. I was asked by somebody, "would you go
again". My answer, "not sure". The next dog auction is
on July 31. I guess I might be marking it on my calendar
just in case.
Central Ohio Shelter Director |
Don't Buy from Pet stores
-if you are reading this, we are likely singing to the choir, so tell your co workers, post a sign in your office...send this page to everyone
ASPCA Statistic 9 of 10 pups at a Pet store come from a puppy mill
Petland Stores buy puppies from the Hunte Corporation, who, as you will see below, buy from Breeders in Ohio
Report a Puppy Mill/Irresponsible Breeder
We thought Missouri & Lancaster PA were the worst? Look at these numbers.
Lancaster County PA, human population 470,000 kennel licenses sold per yr, 300
Holmes County OH, human population 39,000 kennel licenses sold per yr, 470
Tuscawarus Co, OH human population, 90,000 kennel licenses sold per yr, 425
Coshocton Co OH human population, 37,000 kennel licenses sold per yr, 315
Franklin Co, OH human population, 1 million kennel license sold per yr, 91