One year in veterinary school I worked weekends at a chicken ranch, earning money for tuition. It was an experience not forgotten. The hundreds of chickens in small cages off the ground, inside buildings – where they would never see the sun or touch the ground – I came to realize had become mostly insane. Their screaming and aggressive behavior I could not interpret any other way. 

When I later saw puppy mills, or pictures of them, it reminded me of the time working in the chicken ranch. The dogs are in small cages off the ground, either inside a building or outside in the elements. They live their lives there, never wandering, never sniffing about, never exploring, never having anything like a dog’s life. Their entire existence is based on the production of puppies – one pregnancy after another.

Does this sound horrible to you? It does to me, so much so that my mind cannot tolerate the images very long. Yet the fact is that this is an extensive business. It is estimated that there are 10,000 puppy mills in the US. Why is this done? Very simple, it is a way to have income. It is really not different than raising rabbits or chickens for market (which is also a very unpleasant experience for the rabbits and chickens). People make good money selling these puppies to pet stores. 

There are many people trying stop this practice and I will even mention, at the end, a place you can report a puppy mill so that conditions will be investigated. But this practice will never end unless we change. What do I mean by that? Simply this – there are ideas we have, in our heads, that support these practices and unless these ideas change, so that our cultural expectations are changed, it will go on just as it has. What ideas are these?

• Animals are property, can be bought and sold.
• Animals do not have souls, are not aware of their conditions and thus can be treated in any way we please.
• Animals are possessions. They can be obtained, then kept and used in almost any way we choose. 

Puppy Mill Tip Line, answered by Tia Pope of the Humane Society of the United States: 1-877-MILL-TIFF.

• Cats have been produced that glow in the dark when a UV light is shown upon them.
• Goats have been modified so that their milk contains spider silk from which bullet proof vests are made.
• Plants have been changed so that they produce, internally, an insecticide that kills the insects that eat the plant.

Here is an example given to me just recently by Nancy Bozeman of Texas, a veterinarian who has studied with me in using homeopathy in practice. Jessica, a dog now about 14 years of age, was a rescue dog. Until Jessica was 8 years old her only life was inside a cage, having puppies – one litter after another. This sort of thing is often called a “puppy mill” meaning that dogs are kept like this solely to produce puppies to sell through pet stores. 

When Jessica was relieved of this onerous duty in 2008 and adopted by the client of Dr. Bozeman, the poor dog was unable function without constant fear. She had never lived outside of a cage and so had no experience interacting with people or other animals. She was very, very afraid of anything that moved or any loud noises. She was shy and timid, crawling on her belly everywhere she went, usually cowering in the corner of the room. The person that adopted her tried to help with patience, with time, with working with a trainer to conquer her fear. She remained unchanged for over 5 years – until the fortuitous visit to Dr. Bozemen for dental work and physical exam.

From prior experience working with Jessica in veterinary visits, it was known that she would tremble uncontrollably and bite from fear. Because homeopathy is used routinely in Dr. Bozeman’s practice, on this visit, Jessica was given a homeopathic remedy the moment she arrived at the clinic. The remedy was one that is used for such excessive fear, and it addresses the emotional state underlying that fear.

To quote the client “it changed her entire demeanor within, literally, minutes.” She wanted down on the floor, wagged her tail to several strangers in the room, made eye contact. Even when a door was loudly shut, she did not react. “She became as close to a normal dog as I had ever seen Jessica in the 5 years I have had her.”

Amazingly, this new behavior continued at home. Instead of always cowering in a corner, she allowed approach and being picked up. She came out and mixed with people and other dogs. She would now snuggle up to her person on the couch while watching TV which was completely new behavior. She even began using the doggie door to go outside, which she had never done because of fear of the noise of the flap. 

This shows how a single treatment, one dose of the appropriate homeopathic remedy, can have such profound and lasting effects. It does not happen so dramatically in all cases but now I know not to be surprised when I see it. It is one of the fascinations of homeopathy.