Quote:
Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel
aren't there laws against such mistreatment of animals ? here we have the "Nallet law" from 1989 which expands on previously existing legislation to define sanitary conditions for animal raisers or keepers. it also outlaws the systematic euthanasia of lost or abandoned animals and prolongs the term they can stay in a shelter. i would hope that such places would be hunted out and closed and all the animals removed to better conditions.  |
Yes, there are laws against
all mistreatment of animals here in the states. There are also
local ordinances which stipulate how many of which animals you can have at your residence. This varies by location - each locality has it's own ordinance regarding this. For instance, where I live, by local code you can have no more than 3 dogs (this does not include nursing puppies.) You can have other animals as well (at the same time) but as I said, the code varies from community to community, and often depends on whether you live in a congested city, the suburbs, or a rural farming area.
Many people don't adhere to local codes and take in as many animals as they wish. Some people are "hoarders" and "collect" dogs or cats until they have hundreds in their home. These people are usually found to be emotionally unstable and it takes sometimes years for these people to be
found out. They think they're
saving the animals when in fact they're hurting them beyond words.
Others, like the puppy mills, somehow manage to
hide their nasty business by various means. In the case of the Amish puppy mills that NIGHTLINE exposed, they routinely "de-bark" dogs so that there's no barking to bring attention to the hundreds of dogs on their farms by visitors or passers-by. I can't even describe how they "de-bark" the dogs because it's so upsetting, but it is
NOT in the least by any humane or surgical method performed by a vet.
The big problem is that there ARE laws against this, but nothing can be done if no one knows about it. It's usually kept well hidden. And the punishment, when found out, is often not harse enough to dicourage the pratice overall.