In many areas Amish and Mennonites have gotten bad reputations for doing just that. Not to long ago there was a farm that raised over 100 dogs that got sick. Instead of having the vet put the dogs to sleep-did it himself. What he did was to not go along with state law. The police came to his farm and he had to go to court. Animal protesters came to his farm, the press came to his farm and more. If I remember correctly, he got fined and lost his license to raise dogs.
Unfortunately in our area there are several puppy mills. As with our children, our farms, our homes, our crops-our animals are gifts from God to us. It is our place to feed animals, care for our animals, be thankful for their puppies, colts, calves, etc. Even when we slaughter an animal for their meat such as bulls, pigs, chicken, etc. we should do this in a Humane way. We should not waste our meat -take more than we can use or sell. We do not feel that puppy mills are caring for the animals.
Many of the people of our town appeared at the next town meeting. The town officers knew that many of us were coming so they held in the school as they wouldn’t have enough room for all they thought might come-and we did. People that came were Amish, Old Order Mennonite and Englishes. A few were in favor, but most of us were against it. Not only did we not want the farm near ours, we did feel that a puppy mill is not a humane way to raise dogs, cats or any other animal. The town decided to withdraw their approval-so they can not raise the dogs on their farm. In fact, the town is considering making it a law that no one with a puppy farm will be approved in our town.
We feel we had won this time,but i wish more towns would consider not allowing puppy mills. David and I believe in puppies-even raising them-but not in this way or manner. We would not want to abuse the gift of animals that God has given to us-put in our hands.
Be With God,
Jean
Potatoes Romanoff
6 cups diced, cooked potatoes
2 tsp salt
2 cups creamed cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
Paprika to taste
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup shredded American cheese
1/2 cup onion
Combine all ingredients except cheese and paprika and mix well. Place reserved American cheese on top and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy. Jean
As a really big fan of animal's this post really connected with me, and i have seen over the years a lot of the plain folks who operate puppy mills. Now they are perfectly legal to own and operate with the proper licenses, what i always wonder is "are those who own one doing the right thing". That is the million dollar question, and most of these puppy mills i think have an up hill battle trying to convince everyone us that they are "ok"! Richard
How nice to have found your blog. I am really looking forward to reading more.Laura from ImSoVintage
oh Richard…just to let you know, i have been reading all of the new posts on Amish Stories, but not commenting as i found i was just saying the same thing over and over – like how much i enjoyed the stories and how happy i was that you were posting them! that's got to get boring for you after a while – bahahah!this post has really set my nerves on edge and i am so thankful that the town got together and put a stop to that puppy mill. i really don't like the way the modern world treats animals – all animals – including chickens and cows – not just cute little puppies! i believe that the Bible tells us that the Lord gave us dominion – and that is something that should be taken very seriously!please tell Jean how much i appreciated this story. your friend,kymber
Those who would know more about puppy mill's and who are reading this i would ask " are there enough safe guards' in place to help make sure these dog's are being taken care of correctly", some may not like the answer if anyone responds! Richard
Good morning Vintage and I'm glad you found me and this post today. No worries Kymber your doing fine and i enjoy reading your comments, and I'm not seeing any repeating just really nice and thoughtful comments from you and everyone. When i pass a puppy mill i sometimes wonder "what is really going on inside", and maybe i should stop instead of just passing and give one a look inside like I'm interested in a puppy. Then look around closely to see any abuse or neglect. So many puppy mills have public relation problems that opening up their mills to the public and being more transparent would help i think in what we know and think about them. I think in the long run their future depends on it! Richard
I had tears in my eyes when Jean gave me this post. Having just lost Rickie, at the time, I felt so sorry for those dogs and puppies. I will call my vet and ask her about the laws in the state and anything else she can give. Just want to wait until they get the coffee pot going down at her office and she has her first cup before I call. I did not get my new doggie Pierre, from a pet mill. There was a special on PBS once about puppy mills and how many of the puppies go to pet stores. Some of the puppies are not healthy. It was interesting special. It was a year or so back.Marilyn
Good job! There are too many unwanted animals out there to make more, puppy mill style. I am glad everyone stood up for what is right. Way to go!
I had heard stories about Amish puppy mills. I'm so glad to hear that apparently most of the community, at least Jean's community, has no regard for them and for that way of making money.
I had heard stories about Amish puppy mills. I'm so glad to hear that apparently most of the community, at least Jean's community, has no regard for them and for that way of making money.
I cheer for all of your community's efforts to stop this. We have a huge problem with this in my state and area, these places are as bad as the meth labs we have. I speak from the side of the end result of this pratice, someone who tries to comfort and heal pets that have had terrible, unspeakable things happen to them. I am an ICU nurse for pets, and work with vets in my area and local humane society to heal, comfort or be there to the end for pets that have suffered nothing but cruelty from their dictators. I pray that more of this will stop, but unfortunatly, with the economy, it drives it. But you have proved that it can be stopped, even if its one at a time.Blessing be upon you and others for taking a stand.
I called my vet. She said that anyone who raises any animal is suppose to have a license. Most people that mate their pets once or twice don't and the state really doesn't bother them. Yes, all the pet breeders are suppose to be inspected-but they can't inspect what you don't know is there. Many puppy mills people don't have a license. Many also have a farm with barns. You don't know what is in them until you go in them and you can't just walk into someone's barn. The inspectors usually don't find out until something happens or someone lets them know. She bets there are some farms around her office that have pet mills, that no one knows about. You can't search unless you have a warrant. She would like to go on and discuss this, but she had to get to work-it's Monday. She did say that not everyone is a puppy mill, but there are a lot of mills out there. Some people don't really care about the puppies-what they want is the buck and that is really sad. She has had puppies from mills in her office. Marilyn
Good job Marilyn and please let her know about this topic today on Amish Stories and if she would like to post a comment. And i dont want to come-down on those puppy mills that are run the proper way and who are licensed, because not all of them treat animals like a throw-way item. But I'm sure since small towns like Jeans does not have the resources to check out a mill, when in doubt we can ask if a certain mill is licensed in a local town office. And there is no law that would stop anyone of us by paying a mill a visit as a potential customer, and while there we can give a close look for anything out of place and maybe against the law and report it ourselves! Richard
I would do away with ALL puppy mills if I could. There are too many homeless pets as it is.
I told my vet about Amish Stories and told her how to get here. She said she would look it up when she got a minute. It might not be until she gets home tonight and her office is open until 8 or 9 tonight. She may leave a comment – I don't know. These pet mills really upset her. She agrees with Ina there are a lot of homeless pets out there-we don't need puppy or kitty mills.
way to go!!! good for you and for the puppies!!!
way to go!!! good for you and for the puppies!!!
I also think they should do away with all animal mills. And agree there are way too many homeless pets as it is.I would love to print the picture of the old fashioned stove as well as the recipe for the Potatoes. Igrew up with a stove like this and the recipe sounds super good. Pag1936@yahoo.com God bless, Patti in VA
Puppy mills are awful. I watched a documentary once that broke my heart. I had a little pug at one point that I rescued from a puppy mill – she had been used for breeding for 7 years without a break. Her skin was bleeding in places, her teeth were totally rotting out, and her hips were bad. I nursed her back to health and although she never learned to play with toys, she was a sweetie.
Hi, I don't comment a lot on your blog, I'm like Kymber, I just love to take all the stories in about the wonderful Amish community. I do echo Kymber's sentiments also about the animal mills and felt compelled to congratulate Jean and her community for fighting for the the animals. It is well said that God gave us dominion over them and we have a responsibility to care for them. They are all so innocent. The picture of the mom and her litter on a cold floor, with not so much as a little blanket makes me sick to the core of my being. The Mennonites in Ontario also have a reputation for running puppy mills, but I'm happy to see that not everyone in these communities feels that way.God bless you and your family, Jean.
I have promoted this post very little but it seems to be hitting home with a lot of people, and i see a lot of animal lovers out there so i feel to be in very good company today. And not because I'm very concerned about blog hits very much now , i would really like to do more posts on this and visit a puppy mill owned by someone who is either Amish or Mennonite and talk with them about this. Id like to hear their side of the story and the bad apples that have pretty much destroyed most public opinion of them.
Puppy mills have no place in this world. If you have ever seen one, you would not forget it…or the look of desperation in the dogs eyes. If you look at puppy ads online, anyone breeding more then 2 maybe 3 types of dogs is prob a puppy mill. I have bred and shown dogs for 30 years and trust me, you do make money from a litter of pups. Between the health testing I do before ever breeding one and the costs involved with everyday care, I do it because I love it. Thank you for this post…hopefully more people will avoid the mills!Sara
I find it sad too with people who just see a dog or a cat as a way of making money. I am not anti responsible breeding, adopting a pet is not something for everyone. Also, if you are going to use the dog for a purpose you are greatly helped by knowing its origin and how well the parents have performed in this area. My brothers for example do moosehunting and you cannot use just any dog for that, they have pedigree dogs from breeds bred for this purpose. One brother learned the hard way that buying a cheaper mix-breed dog was not a good idea. He has had two of these, one turned out to not be able to hunt at all and one had hip-problems and had to be put down at age 2…
I know Jean isn't talking about people that have a couple of dogs and breed them, but these people wanted to have 500 hundred dogs on their farm. My dog Pierre, originally came from a breeder.
When it comes to someone talking about animals most people will stop and take notice, especially when it comes to talking about puppy mills. I'm very interested now in this subject and plan like I've said on visiting one and see if i can take pictures and get the owners story, and since quite a bit of the Amish around my way seem to be doing this ill try that route first. I may not like what i shall find, but then again i may visit someone who actually cares about the animals they are breeding so it will be interesting. Richard
Oh, it is so sad to know that these precious creatures have to be dealt with in such ways that just break our hearts…..HI RICHARD! Ohhhh, you sweet person, YOU. You thought I was just 27? teeeheeee…….HA! I was 25 when we were married! YIKES, time does slip away!IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE YOU! ENJOY the rest of the week, Anita
good for jean and the community for taking a compassionate stand. it's wonderful to see people coming together and agreeing on what's a less-than-decent way to treat dogs. there's enough love and goodness in people to carry that sentiment over to other animals, i believe. stories like this give me that hope. thanks so much:)
I'm so glad they took a stand against the puppy mill! These animals are so trusting and good. They deserve to be treated humanely.
Good morning everyone and we had just a few snow sprinkles on Monday but nothing to talk about very much, and it melted as it was hitting the ground. I also recieved Jeans next post for next week and all i can say is that it involves "fire", and not in a good way like a cook-out or fireplace! Richard
It is warming up here from yesterday. Suppose to hit the 40's today and the 60's tomorrow. Marilyn
Warming- up for the rest of the week here as well Marilyn, hard to believe that its still winter! Richard
It's suppose to warm up here until Friday-then back to the 30's again. Then Monday back to the 40's and up again.Marilyn
Bravo! Jean, I have been around a lot of dog owners and have seen such things because my parents raised and owned a grooming shop and dog kennel. When someone breeds they specialize in one breed at a time. We specialized in two in all those years. It is a lot of work and I can hardly stand the thought of it. Our dogs were family. It makes me have a tear in my eye……….~Lissa
Hurrah! I live not too far from Jean in the town of South Bristol. I have been watching this unfolding story with great interest. As a dog owner, I joined a forum that is for the specific breed. One of the women there was appalled by the practice of puppymillers and said many hateful things about the Plain folks…She is involved in rescuing dogs and puppies from puppymills. I only wish she could read this post! I have an Amish friend whose family has a dog as a pet. The little dog lives in the house and is treated so well. To place all Plain People in the same boat is so disturbing to me and to see that many Plain folks came out in force to oppose this family's plans just makes me thrilled!I agree that God gives us pets and animals to care for them and to breed them with such intensity is harmful to the dogs. I cannot even believe that our governments allow such practices in this day and age. With inbreeding of purebred dogs an ever-increasing threat of more diseases and problems, breeders should never be allowed to breed with reckless abandon! The biggest problem I can see is that if people want a dog, they should really research and make sure they are NOT purchasing a puppymill dog. As long as people are not selective in WHERE they buy, puppymillers will continue to thrive.I have been reading here with interest the past several months. I really enjoy this blog!
Hi Katya and since i really know very little about puppy mills in general I'm wondering if better standards not to be introduced and enforced in this industry. Maybe there already is such things in place now, but from what I'm seeing and hearing with this post it does not sound like there is. So before i start shooting first and ask questions later i need to be educated on this myself, and i will be doing that. I'm like you folks in that I'm a huge animal lover and want only the best care for these little guys, regardless if its in someone's home or in a place that raises animals for sale. Richard
Hello Lissa and I'm with you when i hear stories about animal abuse, it just makes me sick and angry! Richard
Thank you so much for this story, It says so much for the people who stood against the Puppy Mill.In 1998, after our 2 beloved companions returned to heaven I became aware of puppy mills and began adopting the mama's and daddy's in the Mill who are forced to produce puppies as often as their bodies will allow. The condition of these precious dogs is beyond belief…but I adopt them and know it is very real.Our Baci came at age 14, fearful of everyone…but with love he stayed us until he was 19. Becky came to us at 10, missing half her lower jaw, no teeth and both rear knees blown out. She barked like a duck because the Mill owners had shoved a rod down her throat. She was only with us 2 years, but it she was much loved.Gracie came to us at age 13 – directly from a closed Mill…she had 3 puppies…she also had horrible mammary tumors, no teeth, missing half her lower jaw and terrified. She became my heart dog…she was 5 lbs after a good meal…she let me love her and returned the love ten fold. God took her home on the Feast of St. Francis last year…very unexpectedly. I am not sure my heart will ever heal.I think Gracie sent us Rosie Grace. She is just 4 so did not have as many years of torture – she seems like a puppy herself because all she knew before her life with us was a cage and breeding. I do not believe in Mills, or Backyard Breeders. There are so many dogs and cats in shelters being put to sleep every hour. I know God gives us free will and that is how Mills exist. Somehow we must come together and stop the Mills. Blessings on your day,Christine
Thank you for that story Christine, and all i can say is folks who love animals are some of the best people out there. Richard
Thank you for your recommendation.I want to tell youTrue Religion Outlet is also a good choice.
I do not know where to start with my comment. I am utterly shocked and thrilled to see that there are those in the Amish community who will stand against animal abuse. The puppy mill problems are well documented, I belong to a "facebook" group that encourages the boycotting of Amish goods, until they stop the puppy milling. I am an active part of a Morgan Horse rescue group who deal with the unwanted, worn out, thrown away Morgan Horses that the Amish community breed. We do our best to slow the numbers sold to slaughter. This is a much lesser known problem in the general public.So, I feel as though I've been led to this site to balance my perspective. Until this moment, to say I have despised the Amish is not too strong! I am so happy to know that not every Amish hides behind the bible to justify horrendous cruelty.Now, I need to go collect my thoughts and change my heart. Thank you