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Puppy mills in Amish Country

post #1 of 15
9/29/05 at 8:10am
Thread Starter 
I just received my first issue of Best Friends magazine published by Best Friends Animal Society. There is a horrendous article about the Amish in Lancaster County Pennsylvania having puppy mills!! I was astonished to read this. Has anyone else read this article or heard about this??
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post #2 of 15
9/29/05 at 8:14am
I've heard alot about the Amish and puppy mills. It's quite common in that community and quite sad. What's being done about it? I don't know.
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post #3 of 15
9/29/05 at 8:14am
I read something over on the petfinder boards about this a while ago. I also found it somewhat surprising. I don't know too much about the Amish, but I can't imagine how they think this is ok. From what I've heard their culture is changing. A friend was in Lancaster County, PA last week and saw an Amish guy working in a convenience store and another using a leaf blower.
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post #4 of 15
9/29/05 at 8:45am
I live in Lancaster County and heard about the puppy mill issue years ago. It's been very quiet lately. Is there something new? Oh... and your friend who visited Lancaster may have confused an Amish person with a Mennonite.
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post #5 of 15
9/29/05 at 9:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissCharlotte
I live in Lancaster County and heard about the puppy mill issue years ago. It's been very quiet lately. Is there something new? Oh... and your friend who visited Lancaster may have confused an Amish person with a Mennonite.
Mmm, maybe he did. Do you they wear the same sort of clothes? Sorry, I'm not too familiar with either.
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post #6 of 15
9/29/05 at 9:14am
I heard about the Amish-puppy mill connection several years ago. So disappointing that they would involve themselves in such a despicable business. I haven't bought any Amish-made products since, and never will.
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post #7 of 15
9/29/05 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by milopixie
Mmm, maybe he did. Do you they wear the same sort of clothes? Sorry, I'm not too familiar with either.
Their clothes are similar. The Mennonites use modern conveniences, while the Amish don't.

I vaguely recall reading something about puppy mills and the Amish a few years ago, but I don't remember the details. I know they're not too big on animal protection - a lot of people won't sell horses to the Amish for fear they'll be "worked to death". I'm sure that's not true of all of them, but I remember hearing that a lot as a kid at horse auctions.
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post #8 of 15
9/29/05 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat
Their clothes are similar. The Mennonites use modern conveniences, while the Amish don't.

I vaguely recall reading something about puppy mills and the Amish a few years ago, but I don't remember the details. I know they're not too big on animal protection - a lot of people won't sell horses to the Amish for fear they'll be "worked to death". I'm sure that's not true of all of them, but I remember hearing that a lot as a kid at horse auctions.
I have some friends that are Mennonites and as far as I can tell they don't use any modern conviences except for in their stores which is necessary. Maybe it depends on the community?

At any rate, I would have to agree that they view animals differently than I do. Animals are viewed as work animals and are expected to pull their weight as such. Horses are judged by their value in the fields and on the road. Dogs are used for hunting and cats are used for mousing and general pest control. However I have never seen any animal mistreated on their property. The animals definately aren't worked to death by any means...that wouldn't help the farmer at all. The people that live this lifestyle work hard too though. All I can say is that I would never want to be a Memmonite woman, I like my dishwasher and heat in the winter. But then there are good and bad an any community, maybe I just lucked out and found some nice people.
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post #9 of 15
9/29/05 at 1:20pm
I'm from Pennsylvania, and the phrase "Pennsylvania Dutch" is a bit broad. From what I've seen of Lancaster County, the Amish are a bit strict about their "Order", while the Mennonites have electricity, phones, freezers, and so on. My grandfather bred and sold horses, so I was probably too acutely aware of some being sold off as draft or work horses. I've been married to a German for over 25 years, and German is my "everyday" language, which has led to a bit more contact with the "PA Dutch" than many Pennsylvanians have, as many of the former are very curious about Germany, and whether their German is "coherent". I in no way want to condemn the Amish or Mennonite lifestyles, but I do recognize that their attitudes towards animals may differ from those of us who are basically "mainstream".
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post #10 of 15
9/29/05 at 9:49pm
Around here many Amish work in factories, and of course construction. Most of the Mennonites are hippies or just your average, red-blooded American- although still pacifist. Some Mennonites still dress plain- but it's pretty rare. The Amish actually branched off from the Mennonite church in 1693.

Apparently there are Amish puppy mills in Indiana. I started noticing the vast amount of signs for "pure bred puppies" along the small highways that I take to get to school. I would assume that the Amish, like any other group of people can have some pretty horrible, selfish types who see nothing wrong with abusing animals. Around here there are some Amish who have no interest in their particular religious heritage, but just keep with it because it's the life they are comfortable with. Kind of like C&E Christians-only all year!
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post #11 of 15
9/30/05 at 8:32am
The only comment I have is that no matter what your race, culture or religion there is never an excuse for the mistreatment of animals. This is the first I've read about the Amish puppy mills though...makes me sick that this still goes on!
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post #12 of 15
9/30/05 at 8:36am
It's not right to tar brush an entire community of people just because a subset of that group is bad. There are good and bad people in every walk of live whether it be Amish or Mainstream or any other way of life. That's like saying, hey that woman down the road has a puppy mill therefor all women suck.
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post #13 of 15
9/30/05 at 10:05am
You want to see the wonderful conditions at the Amish puppymills?
Check this out.

www.prisonersofgreed.org
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post #14 of 15
9/30/05 at 12:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrayKittenLove
My whole point is that it's not right to tar brush an entire community of people just because a subset of that group is bad. There are good and bad people in every walk of live whether it be Amish or Mainstream or any other way of life. That's like saying, hey that woman down the road has a puppy mill therefor all women suck.
I agree wholeheartedly. It's very dangerous to paint whole groups with the same brush.
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post #15 of 15
10/3/05 at 12:49pm
Because of this thread I went over to Petfinder to get some websites on the Amish Puppy Mills. I was given quite a few but only posted the one.
But in doing so, I have been in contact with a member of Petfinder.
She is and has been an Animal Control Officer in Lancaster County, Penn.
the hotbed of Amish puppy mills. She and I have been emailing and she has told me some horrendous things about the Amish and their treatment of animals. Now, I am not talking about ALL Amish but it seems that alot of Amish don't have the slightest regard for animals.
She was part of a seizure of 98 dogs from an Amish Puppy Mill. 63 had to be immediately put to sleep due to the condition of the poor dogs. That is 2/3 people. She was telling me they have horse auctions and the condition of the horses being auctioned (to people that want to slaughter them for the meat) is horrendous.
She, on a regular basis, sees horses pulling wagons being driven by Amish, these horses are under nourished and a lot of them are lame.
This is only a few of her experiences. If I told you all what she said to me about the Amish I would be banned from this site. I am sure there are some Amish that are good to their animals, I pray there are. But there seem to be a prevailing mindset that animals are a cash crop and are used as such.
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