Before you buy a pup

’Tis the season … hundreds of puppies are being born right now here in Arkansas for Christmas sales. And people will buy them without question, paying exorbitant prices. They don’t think about the fact that these puppies often come from very sad situations and that each time a puppy is purchased, it ensures the fate of the parent dogs.

Arkansas not only lies in the “Bible Belt”; sadly it is also part of the “Puppy Mill Belt.” As a lifetime animal rescuer, I’ve seen the reality behind puppy mills: dogs kept in cages “for life,” bred so often that their uterus comes out, and dogs afraid to walk on grass because all they have known is life in a cage where their feet can become raw from the wire grates, and who never see the light of day. Dogs that when rescued from their cage can only walk in circles, dogs denied medical care, proper food, etc., and who are fearful of humans due to isolation. Imagine seeing crates stacked high where the filth runs down onto the dogs caged below. Puppies ripped away far too young from their mothers and transported hundreds of miles.

And Arkansas is home to some of the worst puppy mills in the country. The Humane Society of the United States’ 2023 “Horrible Hundred” lists Ozark’s Elisa Brandvic and Hindsville’s Frank Foster. Here in Booneville, we have the Remy Kennels and Cindy Garner (who was recently cited by USDA) puppy mills, as well as others. Go online and read the horror stories about the health and mental issues with puppy mill “products” and their living conditions. Beware of those who say they are “rescuers” when in reality they are “flipping” dogs.

Before you purchase any puppy, do your research. Always demand to see the parents. If they refuse, walk away!

ANDI ELLIOTT Booneville