Flea Market Puppies

Not sure when, why, or by whom, it was decided that flea markets would be good places to have puppies and kittens for sale.  Along with second hand bric-a-brac and old furniture, fruits and vegetables, luggage and lingerie, shoes and sunglasses, we can purchase live sentient beings who require and deserve more than to be bargain basement priced and handed over with no questions asked other than whether the purchaser has the cash in hand.  But, that’s me wearing my animal welfare hat. 

The issue at hand however, goes much deeper and is more complex than many realize.  Last week’s discovery of a rabid puppy sold at Dr. Flea’s located in Etobicoke has highlighted the need for change – a change that is long overdue for the sake of public health and for the animals.  We have an opportunity here and now to address the sale of live animals at flea markets which would have a two-fold effect.  It would keep the public safe from zoonotic diseases and eliminate the suffering of thousands of puppy and kitten mill animals. 

Where do you think these animals come from – a reputable breeder? Not a chance; a reputable breeder would never sell their puppies at a flea market.  Ever notice that the pups at the flea market are mixes of many and there are plenty of them?  Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against mixed breed dogs and in fact the rescue I facilitate is for mixed breed dogs – that is not my point.  My point is that the puppies sold at flea markets are mass produced for profit.  They are not bred with special attention to genetic disorders, lovingly cared for in someone’s kitchen and fully vetted to reveal any and all health ailments or issues.  It’s time to wake up and smell the dog poop people. 

The majority of Ontarians find puppy mills abhorrent and want them shut down.  In 2002 hundreds of thousands of people signed the Honey petition initiated by the Ontario SPCA which resulted in Bill 129, but that Bill addresses the care of the animals, it did not make puppy and kitten mills illegal (as many people think).  The problem seems to be that we can’t make the connection between the cutie puppies at the flea market and the mothers they were born to.  The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies explains it well “Rows and rows of barking, crying dogs, confined in small wire cages, often filthy with excrement, never seeing the light of day or knowing the joy of human companionship. This is the life of puppy mill breeding dogs. The females are bred every heat until they no longer produce enough puppies to earn their keep. The puppies often have behavioural problems resulting from a complete lack of socialization with humans, and they frequently have genetic defects and other health problems.  In a supposedly civilized society such as ours, it is hard to believe such places exist. Particularly for those who have had the privilege of sharing their life with a dog, the suffering endured by dogs in puppy mills is unthinkable. What can be done to stop this horrendous animal suffering? How can we put an end to these commercial breeding establishments that care only about the money they are making?  The reality is that there is good money to be made in the puppy mill business. And, as long as people keep buying their puppies, these uncaring, unscrupulous breeders will continue to flourish”.  It’s about supply and demand with the animals being the ‘product’. 

So long as governments fail to understand the need to legislate puppy and kitten mills, these unscrupulous breeders and brokers will continue to sell their “product” and line their pockets.  And as long as these breeders and brokers have a venue to sell their “product” more innocent victims will suffer and pay the ultimate price – the general public who is exposed to fatal viruses and the animals who silently endure a lifetime of misery, are born with genetic defects, or die an agonizing death from something that is treatable or it should never have been exposed to, like rabies.