March 29, 2024

Iowa’s dark, dirty secret — puppy mills

Man’s best friend needs our help! I bet that most of you readers have no idea that Iowa has the second largest number of puppy mills in the United States.

Thousands of dogs are suffering in these puppy mills right now. They live their lives in small, cramped wire cages that have wire bottoms in them.

Many of them have no protection from the winter’s bitter cold temperatures. Many of the USDA kennels keep their dogs in complete darkness their entire lives? Can you imagine?

At least 47 percent of Iowa’s 220 plus USDA large-scale dog breeding facilities were cited for violations in 2014. Eighteen percent of those were serious violations. Iowa is better than this and it’s time we made some changes to protect these dogs.

Legislation is moving through the state’s capitol now that will provide additional protections for the 15,000 adult dogs in Iowa’s USDA kennels. We can make a difference for these dogs and for Iowa.

Let’s work together to end Iowa’s dark, dirty secret. Let’s end Iowa’s puppy mills.