Dear Future President,

Puppy mills are a serious problem in the U.S. The United States needs the Animal Welfare Act to include dog kennels. Lots of puppies die because of puppy mills, and I don’t want to see that happen because I love puppies that much.

The Animal Welfare Act was created to take care animals used for research experiments, and is overseen from the USDA - United States Department of Agriculture. In today’s world, it doesn’t make sense and puppies suffer.

Did you know:

According to the Humane Society “nearly all of the puppies sold in all pet stores come from puppy mills,” and “nearly of all puppies going home have parasites.” According to the Humane Society, “They can be forced to go up to 12 hours without food or water, and they are confined in a small space where diseases can be easily transmitted. Many puppies do not survive."

The Humane Society also says, “Almost every puppy sold in a pet store has a mother who will spend her entire life in a tiny cage, never being petted, never being walked, never being treated like a dog. Mothers are bred as often as they can and are usually killed when they can no longer produce.”

The Animal Welfare Act needs to shut down these puppy mills. If these dogs were not forced to have puppies, and live in poor conditions, more puppies would survive and find good homes.

I just adopted a puppy last Friday. She was from Mississippi and they sent her to Minnesota due to poor living conditions to see if she could get a better home. She did. Many puppies aren’t that lucky. I hope you read this and agree the Animal Welfare Act needs to be changed.

Thank you

Mick Greeley 10th Grade

Mendota Heights, Minnesota