• Do you believe there is a problem with puppy mills in your county? If so, please 

 explain. 



• Would your county like explicit authority to enact ordinances regulating puppy 

 mills? 



Has your county ever used G.S. 14-360 (cruelty to animals), G.S. 19A-1 through 

 G.S. 19A-4 (civil remedy for protection of animals), or G.S. 153A-127 (abuse of 

 animals) in dealing with puppy mills? 



Staff also reported that, according to Andy Romanet, General Counsel for the North 

 Carolina League of Municipalities, puppy mills are not a problem for municipalities, 

 municipalities have broad animal control statutes and are able to place restrictions on the number 

 of dogs and cats a person can own, and puppy mills are more likely to occur outside city limits. 



Staff further reported contacting Dr. Lee Hunter, the State Public Health Veterinarian for 

 the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, who stated that he does not see 

 puppy mills as a public health issue. 



The Commission heard from Ann Lore, a former member of the Board of Directors of the 

 SPCA of Wake County, a certified animal rescue volunteer, and a member of the local 

 Australian Shepherd rescue group. She encountered puppy mills when she participated as an 

 emergency animal rescue volunteer in the Greenville area after Hurricane Floyd. Ms. Lore 

 explained that at its most basic, a "puppy mill" is an irresponsible breeding establishment. The 

 females are continuously bred, and no attention is paid to genetics. Partly as a result, it is 

 estimated that about 25% of purebred dogs have genetic defects. The dogs are commonly kept in 

 less than humane living situations, living in small cages that have no protection from the 

 elements and are not cleaned regularly. Dogs in these conditions may eat their own feces. They 

 are generally given inadequate health care, because it is cheaper to dispose of a dog than treat it. 

 As a result, puppies often have very severe illnesses. The puppies are not properly socialized, 

 which can lead to excessive timidity and problems such as fear biting. They are removed too 

 early from the mother, leaving them with immune systems that are immature and thus more 

 susceptible to disease, and also leading to socialization problems. The females are typically 

 destroyed when their fertility declines or they become unhealthy. The puppies often end up in 

 animal shelters because they do not make good pets. Ms. Lore gave some examples of genetic 

 defects produced through irresponsible breeding. Production of puppies with such defects is a 

 disservice to the customer. 



Ms. Lore stated that most puppy mills are in rural counties adjacent to urban counties. A 

 puppy mill can be suspected when a seller brings a selection of home-bred puppies to a flea 

 market most weeks in the year, or always has an advertisement in the classified section of the 

 Sunday paper, particularly if the ad is for a number of different breeds at the same telephone 

 number. Sometimes there are separate ads per breed, but there is a common telephone number. 



