Very Interesting Article on the Amish and puppymills

[MajesticCollies]

I did not know this. This CTCA almost seems like a hate group. This article was sent to me by a professional handler. Not sure of the meaning of this email was, or what they are intending to justify. I am going to write back this person and see what type of relationship they have with the CTCA.


ROMANTICIZING THE AMISH

by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D.,
CTCA President

Today a great, horrific tragedy befell a community of Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A gunman who alleged the need to rectify an as yet unpublicized past grievance, captured and shot innocent young children in an Amish one-room school. That is an unforgivable, inexcusable crime against all humanity.

When I was a child, I can well remember holiday drives with my parents into this pacific, bucolic countryside. The human inhabitants were quaint, shy and sullen. Their dress odd and interesting. Their lack of modern conveniences, cosmetics and grooming tools was positively spellbinding. Their farms -- and that was practically their only industry -- were immaculate, white, and severe in architecture. Their all black buggies were "cool," making us "English" (their term for anyone who isn't Amish) rather jealous of their simple, ostensibly "clean" lives.

Today, as then, the news media portrayed the Amish as a "gentle," "shy," "peaceful" and "reflective" people. The hype is that they are "godly, simple folk." Unfortunately, little of that image can bear examination.

The reclusive Amish are always run by a stern, undemocratic patriarchy. They are in all ways misogynistic. Child abuse abounds in every Amish community examined to date. And I do not mean mere corporal, hit-them-with-a-rod-to-make-them-behave abuse. Girls are often sexually abused by their own brothers and sometimes by their fathers. There is an extreme code of silence that prevents all but a few from reporting these evils. Any attempt to hold a man responsible for a criminal act results in the witness being excommunicated at once.

The fact that the highly inbred Amish are so often an example of a religious, utopian community run amok is not the focus of the CotonClub e-ZINE. After all, there are countless such examples in recent memory, from Jonestown through Waco. The aspects of the Amish that directly impact the Coton de Tulear world is the Amish's penchant for constructing huge dog farms -- puppy mills. To make the fate of their terribly abused dogs even worse, one needs only understand that the Amish are NOT animal lovers. To them, their god created all animals for exploitation, not veneration. You do not love nor can you even respect that which you are commanded to exploit.

Secondly, the Amish concept of Ethics is cultish and unquestioned. Obedience is the principle rule. Ethics, they claim, only applies within the Amish community. All outsiders -- the English -- can be dealt with without regard for fair play, honesty or reasonable secular rules. An Amish puppy mill owner can lie to and cheat any and all outsiders and, according to his twisted religious beliefs, he remains blameless. It is easy to see why an Amish puppy mill presents those of us who love dogs with a formidable, powerful and slippery enemy. The Amish can be efficient, hard working and ruthless.

Amish puppy mills almost invariably broker their puppies through the Hunte Corporation, who in turn, ships them to Petlands and other pet shops throughout the US. The recent on-then-off AKC contract was with Petland.

Everyone throughout the world should, in my opinion, decry the terrible violence which struck another American school today. But our sorrow and our shock at the death of innocent Amish children should not blind us to the nature of the Amish communities that so cruelly mistreat our beloved canine companions. There are captive Cotons right now in Amish barns, their pups going to well attended "Pet Boutiques" in California, New York and Florida. The Amish are many things, but to us, they are neither an "innocent" or a "gentle people."
--------------------------------------------
(c)2006 Dr. R. J. Russell & the CTCA

[sparks19]

that's terrible. How dare they bring up the tragedy and then talk about the puppy mills. it almost sounds as if they are saying they deserved it. not all Amish run puppy mills. there are bad types in all walks of life. I think this article is disgusting.

[Pam]

that's terrible. How dare they bring up the tragedy and then talk about the puppy mills. it almost sounds as if they are saying they deserved it. not all Amish run puppy mills. there are bad types in all walks of life. I think this article is disgusting.

Agreed! You can't judge an entire group of people from a few.

[smokey the elder]

I'm not sure I buy this. The Amish are not a "cult". They are an organization that is over 3 million strong...and growing, somewhat surprising in this day and age. One of the few things I know about them is that a young person cannot declare him/herself Amish until they complete a "Wanderjahr" (I think that is the word) into the "English" world, so that he or she can judge for themselves whether to return to the Amish community or become "English".

Are there some bad apples? Sure. But, unfortunately, like any community which is "different", people can cause harmful misunderstandings by ignorance.

I would take this "puppy mill" article with a grain of salt. This doesn't seem consistent with the Amish way of self-sufficiency.

[sasvermont]

Be very careful with what you "think" you know about the Amish. I am from PA and of German heritage. I lived around the Amish and have friends who were Amish. It is a closed society and horrible things do happen within the society.

So someone, and maybe I will do it, should research and find books for anyone to read about the Amish.

They are an odd lot, at best. They are smart business people and drive hard, hard bargins.

I will, over the next few days, look in to books that best describe them ....self appointed!

By the way, I really like the Amish. They are a part of my life in many ways and I know that to be true for many people living in PA and Ohio.

So please be careful about what you "think" you know about them.

They do run puppy mills. I don't know why this person decided to time his release of his comment now, except to balance out the pity party, much deserved for these people. No way am I saying that the article's timing is appropriate. Oh my gosh, these people just lost 5, maybe more, children to some lunatic's manic decision to kill them.

My heart goes out to the families involved. Such horror. The Amish will move on. They are tough, tough, tough people.

[LilacDragon]

I would take this "puppy mill" article with a grain of salt. This doesn't seem consistent with the Amish way of self-sufficiency.

I am not exactly sure about what is meant by this statement. It is very much consistant with Amish "philosophy" from what I understand.

Puppies are a crop, much like tomatoes. Kicking the USDA inspectors off of your property because you don't like the results of your inspection will not get you shut down if you are Amish.

Some of the largest "commercial" breeder auctions are held in Amish Country in Ohio.

But - this is not the time.

If anyone wants to know more, feel free to pm me.

[lv4dogs]

There are TONS of Amish near where I live, a LOT of them are puppy mills. There are MANY adds in EVERY newspaper in & around the area from Amish selling puppy mill dogs. (you can usually spy an Amish add as it says no sunday calls please) I am not saying all are bad, there are many things I like & respect about the Amish too but in my area & in my experience most of them in my area do run large puppy mills.
The following is MY experience with them in my area.

My brother bought a pug from them last year. The Amish family they got her from told them if they ever needed any breed of dog to let them know because if they don't have it they can get it from one of the other Amish families in the area. They were expaining how their one neighbor (Amish of course) raised this breed & that breed, then the other Amish family on the other side of the road raised this breed & that breed, and so on. [Most raise at least 2-4 different breeds, some up to 10-15] Within about 30 minutes they mentioned almost all the different breeds of dogs & all were available (as in puppies ready to go to a new home) within a 20 minute drive.

The old vets office I worked at had a LOT of Amish clients, of course you hardly ever saw them. They only brought in their dogs if something was MAJORLY wrong or if they had an illness for an extrememly long period of time that they were unable to control on their own. So many Amish dogs came through those doors in very poor condition needing major medical attention. Many were on deaths door, yet the Amish would not have them put to sleep humanely, they would bring the dog back to their home & who knows what after that. Do they kill them? Do they let them pass on their own? I don't know. In my experience they generally don't take good care of their animals.

Missy worked at a local pet store when she first got her. They get ALL of their puppies from the Amish.

[mugsy]

While I think the reference to the tragedy that befell the Amish community the other day is in extemely poor taste and should never have been used (an honestly cut into the credibility of an otherwise mostly correct essay).

The Amish are a very closed community who most often times are critical of the "English" and are also very hypocritical. My friend who used to be the ACO in LaGrange County, IN has walked into Amish houses with central air conditioning and were cooking on electric stoves. They almost all carry cell phones and when Mike had his computer business, 3 of his best clients were Amish. So, please do not tell me that they are "simple" people...they just want you to believe that they are.

Amish men have to be chased off of their wives in hospital beds hours after they have just given birth because it's supposed to be "the best time". I know this having spoken with nurses in our local hospitals.

There is also a problem with inbreeding. They are now resorting to shipping women around to other communities to bring in "new blood."

Then, of course, you have the puppy millers. Not all Amish are puppy millers, but, they refuse to police their own when it comes to animals. Having worked in LaGrange County, IN (which has the largest per capita population of Amish in the country) and having seen the animals that have come in from the mills and from their farms...it disgusts me. Totally unsocializied animals with no names who get dumped saying they are of no use to them anymore because they can't breed anymore... It disgusts me....

I absolutely detest pious, holier than thou attitudes and they, as a community, truly are that. I know that I am over generalizing, as I have met some genuinely nice Amish, but, on the whole, I avoid them. I absolutely refuse to buy any Amish made goods and will no longer go to Shipshewana, IN to shop. They have, as a part of, the flea market, a ring where they sell horses that are of no use and in horrible shape, to be killed and sold to glue factories....

So, in general, other than the tacky reference to the horrible scene earlier this week, the article is pretty true to form.

[sasvermont]

P. S.

(After reading the messages after mine, I felt I must comment.

Yes, the Amish are all of these things.

I still respect their wishes and beliefs, however different they are from mine. They are simple people, using the least amount of modern conveniences..... and some of the appliances are gas run.

I suspect that they have generators to run most of their equipment, but not electricity. If you are Amish, you do not have electric or phone lines. Cellphones, yes. They use them at certain hours during the day and week, as far as I know. Yes, they have computers. You don't have to have electricity to run a computer.

There may be different levels of attendance and beliefs within the Amish community, but I don't think you can be a little Amish, and survive the wrath. You are Amish or you are not. You are not Amish just because you have dark green shades on your windows.....

I agree with so much about them being harsh and not caring about the "English". They are still very interesting people. Would I be able to survive being Amish. No!

[Cataholic]

Be very careful with what you "think" you know about the Amish. I am from PA and of German heritage. I lived around the Amish and have friends who were Amish. It is a closed society and horrible things do happen within the society.

They do run puppy mills. I don't know why this person decided to time his release of his comment now, except to balance out the pity party, much deserved for these people. No way am I saying that the article's timing is appropriate. Oh my gosh, these people just lost 5, maybe more, children to some lunatic's manic decision to kill them.

My heart goes out to the families involved. Such horror. The Amish will move on. They are tough, tough, tough people.

I couldn't agree more. No ONE, Amish, or anyone else, deserves the tragedy bestowed on them. No one. However, I have heard many accounts of the way they mistreat their animals, and puppy mills are rampant within the community.

I don't, and have not for sometime, supported Amish wares, because I cannot condone their treatment of animals.

[lv4dogs]

I think this should be in the dog house section.

[JenBKR]

I have attempted to reply to this several times, but can't seem to be able to come up with the right words. I just can't believe that the writer of the article would include the recent shooting. And it end it by saying "The Amish are many things, but to us, they are neither an "innocent" or a "gentle people." - To me, this ending is to make people think that the girls who were killed were not innocent. I could be wrong, but it made me feel that way. I know that Amish people do run puppymills, and of course I am against that. But, not all Amish people have them. And, non-Amish people run puppymills also.

Sue, I agree, this should be moved to the Dog House.

[MajesticCollies]

OK I now know what the CTCA is and also have been enlightened by everyones view of this article. There were many things mentioned that I did not know. Guess you learn something new everyday.

I grew up in a German decent house hold that was Luthren. I never visited Amish country although I have driven through it. My parents as growing up never said anything bad about the Amish but on the otherhand never said anything good. Just an avoided subject in the house hold growing up where I did. Just wasn't a top subject due to not living around them.
Thanks for all your enlightenments PTers.

[JenBKR]

OK I now know what the CTCA is

What is the CTCA exactly? Until you posted this article, I've never heard of them.

[Pam]

I just can't believe that the writer of the article would include the recent shooting. And it end it by saying "The Amish are many things, but to us, they are neither an "innocent" or a "gentle people." - To me, this ending is to make people think that the girls who were killed were not innocent. I could be wrong, but it made me feel that way. I know that Amish people do run puppymills, and of course I am against that. But, not all Amish people have them. And, non-Amish people run puppymills also.

Sue, I agree, this should be moved to the Dog House.

I agree with this Jen. The timing of the article was, at best, inappropriate. Yes, I knew that puppy mills flourish in Amish areas. In fact my first poodle, a toy apricot who I bought way back in 1970 from a pet shop before I knew anything, came from Indiana. What does that tell you? Of course I loved her dearly and she is the reason I have been a poodle person ever since. But....back to reality though. We just can't lump people together. We can't lump the hijackers with all Muslims and we can't lump all Amish with puppy mills.

Yes I think this is Dog House material.