Puppy Mills

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/25867

This story is a pet peeve of mine. Mostly because in many areas I've heard it come up (Internet included), it's more about the ability to persecute rather than to make a statement or even to voice an opinion about a subject. I've been accused of supporting puppy mills or even having one with the folks who did the accusing knowing that I have one neutered dog. The reason for the persecution? I live in Lancaster County...therefore I'm a puppy miller. One Amish person asked a demonstrator why the Amish were being singled out and the demonstrator went on some wild explanation as to why without even knowing if the person they were talking to operated a puppy mill or not.

THIS ATTITUDE IS PERSECUTION!!! It is abuse in a much worse way than the treatment of any animal.

This attitude makes the demonstrators just as bad or worse than the people who actually keep hordes of dogs in obscene, filthy conditions.

These animal rights activists want to be advocates and not activists because the term activists bring to mind the right wing, over zealous people who cause more trouble than they're worth. But by rights anyone who accuses people of something because of their race or religious creed, are activists and are far worse than those who actually enact the crime they are accused of.

I had a friend once who was kicked off his internet service by animal rights activists because he told a 20 year old story of an incident that when 20 years ago attitudes were different. To me that is simply ridiculous. These people just don't know when to stop and they will keep it up until people get killed just like with the abortion protesting some years ago.

I don't condone puppy mills. I've seen first hand what these filthy, confined conditions can do to these animals. After all, the neutered dog I own came from one of these places. It took him three years to even understand what it is to be a pet; to know what it is to have a home; a place where he's wanted and can be relaxed and himself.

However, I do not condone persecution either. I honestly believe that those who have puppy mills should be singled out, away from the general population and dealt with individually. Those who would rather condemn and entire enmity of peoples are worse than those who actually do the crime and should be punished the same way as the punishment they want to dish out. That means they should be put into exploding abortion clinics, burned at the stake, confined to 9'x4' dog runs or have their lives totally disrupted to the point where they couldn't even buy food.

I have positively no tolerance for persecution. I grew up in a world that had no place for me. I remember the pain of the same type of persecution because of something that I had no control over. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and despise anyone who thinks they have the right to do so.