Disabled Dogs, Abuse Found at Indonesian Puppy-Breeding Facilities
What PETA Asia investigators uncovered at five Indonesian puppy-breeding facilities should persuade anyone never to support the abusive, profit-driven “pet” trade. Watch the footage for yourself, and note that what you’re about to see is completely legal.
Caged Dogs Suffering From Psychological Distress
Investigators visited puppy-breeding facilities that ship puppies to many parts of Indonesia, including to pet shops in its capital, Jakarta.
At all five facilities investigators entered, dogs were kept in miserably small, dilapidated, filthy cages. They usually had to stand and lie on bare dirt, crumbling wood, concrete, or painful wire mesh that cut into their sensitive paw pads. The sides of the cages typically consisted of metal bars or wire, and many dogs had nothing overhead to protect them from the elements. Some wire cages were piled on top of one another, while other enclosures were covered with tarps, reducing the dogs’ world to about a square metre – dark, lonely, and isolated.
Investigators filmed three dogs crammed into a cage about as wide as a chest of drawers. The animals climbed the sides and yelped in vain. Another dog paced incessantly in his concrete and metal cell, a sign of psychological distress. Many cried and wailed.
The dogs at this facility engage in constant pacing, barking, jumping, and wall-bouncing, which are abnormal, stereotypical behaviours caused by frustration, anxiety, and deprivation of physical and psychological necessities.
– Dr Ingrid Taylor, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
The dogs’ enclosures and even their food bowls were often dirty with faeces. At facilities where breeders did clean the cages, they didn’t bother to take the dogs out first, forcing them to stand or lie in puddles. According to Dr Ingrid Taylor, a veterinary expert who reviewed the footage, “The unsanitary environment not only causes suffering and health risks to the dogs but is also a public health risk, as many forms of bacteria and parasites that spread between dogs can also spread to humans.”
Dogs Without Food or Water, Struggling to Walk, Frightened, and Abused
The animals had little to no access to food or water. Some drank the water off the floor when their cages were sprayed. At least one husky’s hind legs appeared to be disabled, making every step difficult.
When a breeder at one facility raised his hand over a Rottweiler, the dog recoiled and cowered in fear, a likely indicator of prior physical abuse. The breeder then dragged the dog out of the cage and across the ground by the front paws.
Held Down and Assisted to Breed
At one facility, the investigator watched two breeders immobilise a female pug, guide a male pug on top of her, and hold them together until they mated. The dogs, known as “breathing-impaired breeds”, will likely churn out litter after litter of puppies bred to have deformed, flattened faces and airways that make it hard for them to play, run, walk, or even breathe.
Adopt From Shelters, Don’t Buy
Regardless of the country, buying a “pedigree” dog or cat online or from a breeder or pet shop not only funds cruelty but also robs an animal waiting in a shelter of a chance at finding a home. Please adopt animal companions, never buy them.
