By Maggie Rohr

Dog by Dog, a 2015 film produced by Marc Abraham, Karen Doonan, and David Sutton, is a documentary that dives into the reality of puppy mills and the politicians that continue to support them, despite the mistreatment of dogs and the abuse that goes on. According to Linda Cook from Davenport, Iowa’s Quad-City Times, “If you’ve ever loved a dog, I’m begging you to see this [movie].”

Dog trapped in cage at a puppy mill. Photo credit: Bob Winter.

According to the ASPCA, a puppy mill is defined as a “large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs.” Puppies born in puppy mills are sold as young as eight weeks to brokers or retailers, who then sell the puppy to the consumer. In a list of laws written by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), every puppy mill must have a USDA license, which is required for anyone who, “buys, sells (including adoption), or negotiates the sale of dogs for research, exhibition, or use as a pet; or for hunting, breeding, or security purposes at the wholesale level.” 

In the United States alone, there are an estimated 10,000 puppy mills, only 2,024 of which are USDA licensed. Every year in the United States, there are over two million puppies bred in mills. The reason why puppy mills are often criticized is because of the poor care and treatment that the animals often face. A puppy mill is an inhumane way to breed dogs, due to the little veterinary care the animals often receive, and small, dirty, overcrowded cages. In some poorly run facilities, animals are often left in cages outdoors, without any protection from rain, wind, or hot and cold weather. Not only do the puppies live in horrible conditions, but they often lack human socialization because they have never been exposed to areas outside of their cage. According to PAWS, a non-profit organization devoted to “a world where all people recognize the intrinsic value of animals,” “Adult animals are continuously bred until they can no longer produce, then destroyed or discarded. Animals suffer from malnutrition or starvation due to inadequate or unsanitary food and water.” This puts into perspective the horrible things that go on behind the scenes of a puppy mill. 

According to the ASPCA, “Puppy mill puppies have myriad health issues, including genetic diseases that may not be apparent until years later, like epilepsy, kidney disease, blood, and endocrine disorders, eye problems and respiratory disorders.” The animals are being sold while being sick, and they are sometimes not suitable to go home to a family. 

Although they are horrible, puppy mills are not illegal. The Animal Welfare Act, “regulates certain animal activities, including dog breeding. The AWA defines a minimum standard of care for commercial breeding facilities. These minimums, sadly, require just enough for an animal to survive.” Inspections are also required by the AWA; however, inspections of these mills are very rare, allowing the owners to not abide by regulations, causing their animals to suffer. When purchasing a puppy, Pet Finder reminds buyers that, “responsible breeders would never sell a puppy through a pet store, because they want to screen potential buyers to ensure that the puppies are going to good homes.”

Dog by Dog is an extremely emotional film that highlights the horrors of puppy mills and helps spread awareness of this issue. This film is not filled with graphic footage of abuse; rather, it showed clips of people who work for rescue organizations rescuing the dogs from these mills. These rescue organizations purchase these dogs with the intent to save them rather than keeping them as pets. The producers chose to educate the public about where the puppies in pet stores were coming from. This film is not just for advocates of humane treatment; rather, it sheds light to the general public about how this industry affects everyone. Throughout the film, the money trail that keeps puppy mills in business is followed, but it also highlights the efforts of everyday people while they raise awareness, pass legislation, and attempt to save the dogs stuck in puppy mills. 

The movie begins by talking about the terrors of puppy mills and the negligence that many of the animals have to face. Throughout the movie, it is revealed that the Ohio Amish and the Pennsylvania Dutch communities are the largest groups of animal abuse breeders. The animals in these puppy mills are being treated as livestock rather than pets. Not only does the film identify the group with the largest number of puppy mills; it also takes several swipes at the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC continues to allow puppy mills to get AKC pedigrees for their operations. The documentary explains that pedigrees are simply a profit center for the AKC and have nothing to do with the quality of purebred dogs, nor the conditions they were produced under. 

As the film progress, it explains how companies such as Farm Bureaus and Smithfield Ham care more about making money than the welfare of the animals. These companies treat their animals just as terribly as puppy mill owners; however, it seems that the government is supporting these acts due to the lack of regulations.  

The film depicts the frustration of the activists due to the very few inspections of puppy mills, negligence from the government, and the terrors that are going on inside of these mills. The film shows people standing up for themselves and their belief in ending puppy mills. 

The most powerful story throughout the whole movie was the story of Mindi Callison*. Callison is the founder of Bailing out Benji, a non-profit organization that, “provides data on the puppy mill industry and exposes the connection to pet stores and online websites.” The film shows her efforts to educated people and organize peaceful protests in her hometown of Ames, Iowa. Callison believes that getting people together to talk about and voice their opinion on the issue will be much more beneficial than silence.

In my opinion, the film was very powerful and informs prospective pet owners. Although I really enjoyed this film, I wish that it had focused more on the individual stories of the people that had been affected by these puppy mills, rather than just information about these mills. Lastly, I wish that the movie would have had some focus on what the government has done for this, issue rather than what they aren’t doing currently. This film was very well done and needs to be seen by everyone in order for the puppy mill business to be shut down. 

Featured image credit: Wikimedia user Krotz.

* UPDATE: A previous version of this article mis-identified Mindi Callison as “Mindi Long.” We regret the error.