Amish & Mennonite Puppymills

[Karen]

I must say that living in Amish country... I know plenty who treat their animals very well and who do NOT run puppy mills. they are very nice, quiet people who don't hurt or disturb anybody... yet they must be thrown into the mix and be the subject of hatred because of what other people do?

Thank you for defending the good Amish folks you know.

I do not believe the thread is not meant to be against ALL Amish of Mennonite people, but just against those who run puppy mills.

[lizbud]

Thank you for defending the good Amish folks you know.

I do not believe the thread is not meant to be against ALL Amish of Mennonite people, but just against those who run puppy mills.

I would think that would not have to be stated, but some folks want
to quibble about semantics, so I'm glad you did Karen.


To say that there are many operating puppy mills in Amish communities,
would be a true statement.

[mugsy]

Recently we had a huge blowup over similar comments about the Chinese.

I fail to see how this is any difference. Senseless bias is senseless bias. You don't know the entire group, how then can you say that the entire group is or isn't a certain way?

I don't condemn the entire lot of the Amish, but, I will say that even if they are not involved, they will defend their own. Also, I know that there are some Amish that are great and some (a lot of them) are hypocritical. At least here in Indiana, most claim to be simple, peace loving people, yet, they fight like I've never seen, they run electrical line from their "English" neighbors, they use cell phones, have electric stoves, electric sewing machines, have the internet, and own websites. I know this because I've seen it with my own eyes. I also don't like being looked down upon because of my choice of lifestyle...and that happens A LOT too! And while most Amish take care of their working animals, that is not true of their "pets" and animals that have outlived their usefulness. Ok, I'm done with my rant...I'll shut up now and won't post again...I promise.

[phesina]

Washtenaw County does this, Gretchen? (Dexter is in Washtenaw, isn't it?) I didn't know that. Wow! I'm so glad to live in such an enlightened county!

I posted this over in Dog General on the topic.

The county in which I live forbids the sale of pets in pet stores. It has been that way for as long as I can remember. There are cats at Pet Smart - cats from the Humane Society, for adoption.

Perhaps if more counties around the country would adopt similar laws, the puppy mill business would be severely impacted - maybe even done away with over time?

[Grace]

Washtenaw County does this, Gretchen? (Dexter is in Washtenaw, isn't it?) I didn't know that. Wow! I'm so glad to live in such an enlightened county!

Yes, Pat, it's Washtenaw county. As I said, I have no idea how many years - but I think it goes back quite a ways. I think it's wonderful, and something people can get active about in their own areas. You get enough people protesting the practice, and it seems like something a local government can do without a lot of difficulty.

[Twisterdog]

I fail to see how this is any difference. Senseless bias is senseless bias. You don't know the entire group, how then can you say that the entire group is or isn't a certain way?

While I, and Mugsy, never claimed to know the "entire group" we do, however, know what we are talking about from personal experience.

I used to live, and Mugsy still lives, right in the heart of a large group of Amish people. While I lived there, I volunteered with an animal shelter and went out on abuse and neglect calls. I can tell you from personal experience, the VAST majority of calls we received, investigated and proved to be true were from the Amish community. Without a doubt, of all the terrible things I have seen done to animals in the 20+ years I have been involved with shelter work in three states, the worst cases were Amish people.

And the least amount of cooperation we ever received was from the Amish community as well. I saw dozens and dozens of times, neighbors and friends lying for and covering up for abusers under investigation, in a way I have never seen any other group of people do.

We are not stating something without first hand experience and facts. We are not pre-judging. We are stating what we saw and witnessed first hand. And while I am sure there are some Amish people who treat animals decently, it is certainly not the norm or the culture of this group to do so. There are always exceptions to the rule.