A Few Random Thoughts About the Infamous Thorp dog auction

by Chuck Wegner, Executive Director, Clark County Humane Society

First of all, you will no doubt notice that the words dog auction in the heading of this article are not capitalized as words in a title normally would be. That is by design, not oversight. The reason is that capitalization is used to lend significance or importance to a word and the Thorp dog auction is of absolutely no importance or worth to humane-minded people.

I would like to make it clear that anything written here is my own opinion.

Now, down to the real stuff. I attended my fourth Thorp dog auction held at Horst Stable on Sat, Sept. 22, 2007. It was a typical dog auction, not differing much from the first three they held during the past year. This time there were 250 dogs originally billed for sale and once again they had an addendum sheet for dogs that came in later. All-in-all there were a total of 270 dogs up for sale to the highest bidder. We can only estimate, but I believe that there were around 400 people in attendance.

Among the crowd you could find people from breed rescue. These are people who are dedicated to a particular breed of dog. They are usually there to bid on and rescue as many of their particular breed as they can afford to. You will also find people from Humane Societies who are very similar to breed rescue but instead of focusing in on one breed they may intend to rescue any breed from a miserable future. Another segment of people attending will be the public in general. They may be looking for a pet for themselves or the family and figured that the large numbers of “purebred” dogs would make the prices cheap on what would normally be expensive breeds. The majority of the people in attendance seemed to be puppy millers who are looking for new breeding stock. They may also be selling some or their dogs at the auction so they are increasing the “gene pool” at their mill.

Whatever the reason for being there, the end result is that a lot of dogs get bought and sold. The humane-minded people who are first-time attendees almost always say the same thing when asked what their thoughts are about what they saw… “I can’t believe it!”, “I am going to have nightmares about dogs and the way they are treated”. “The faces of the dogs and puppies are burned into my memory”, “All I could do was cry for them”, and on and on.

So many people say they can’t go there again. I feel like that a lot of the time, but you know what, I will go back every time. I have to, for the dog’s sake. There need to be witnesses to this event. We can not ignore it or avoid it. It goes on whether we are there or not. Human beings tend to be comfort-seekers. We like to eliminate from our lives the things that are uncomfortable, hard or painful for us. What we need to remember is that if each and every one of us doesn’t stand up and bear witness to the bad things in life, they will not only exist, they will grow until there is no stopping them. Instead of avoiding these events, which are difficult to view, we must be united against them. We have to go in with open eyes and be a witness and then tell what we see and what is happening there. The poor dogs suffering every day for profit and greed must be our motivation. We do it for them. If you’ve ever had a pet, you owe it to that animal. They can not help themselves so we have to help them.

There is no question that legislation is the key to regulating puppy mills and banning dog auctions. The mills and auctions claim that it’s not illegal for them to operate the way they do. I say, “It should be!”  Remember hearing “Just because it’s not illegal, doesn’t mean it’s right”? Well that’s true. We don’t have to look in law books or statutes to know that the way dogs are raised in puppy mills is just wrong. Anyone with compassion can see that. Maybe humane-minded people just have a little more compassion than your average person. I think that compassionate people are born that way. There is something extra in them that makes them empathetic. We can’t ignore someone or something in need of help and the dogs in mills need our help, all of us.

It is not up to the Humane Societies or breed rescue. They can not change things alone. It falls onto each and every one of us to fix this horrible treatment of man’s best friend. There is no excuse for sacrificing proper care for profit.

Please contact your state senator or representative as soon as possible.  (Please go to this site, http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/, if you don't know who your legislator is.  It will walk you through the steps to get their contact information.)  I know that many organizations will provide you with a form letter that you can send, but your letter to them is better off being original and in your own words. Think about the issues, study the sites:  nowisconsinpuppymills.com or cchs-petshelter.org. Read all you can about this issue and then write the legislators. You can’t go wrong if you speak from the heart.

Please do this for the animals who suffer every day in the name of greed.

This "Letter to the Editor" appeared in the Marshfield News-Herald on September 29, 2007:

 Puppymills irresponsible, inhumane

Editor: Last Saturday I attended the Horst Dog Auction in Thorp. Over 250 dogs and puppies were auctioned off to the highest bidders. These were dogs that local puppy millers bred continually until they slowed production. They no longer earned their owners big money.

Many were stoic, having given up all hope. Others crawled over each other trying to get into the farthest corner of their packed cages. Two of the adult Rottweilers needed to be carried up to the auction table and then cowered, making themselves as small as possible. Many of the normally longer-haired breeds, like Westies, Cocker Spaniels and Bichons were shaved and barely recognizable as their respective breeds.

It's hard to keep them looking nice when they live their lives in their own, and their neighbors' urine and feces. Deformed feet from walking on the wire floor and untrimmed nails is not unusual. Neither is severe dental disease from general ill health being fed cheap, low quality food.

Puppymills sell their products to pet stores and through advertisements in the newspapers usually naming several breeds including the latest trendy mix breeds. These puppies are not bred and raised by people who love the breed and insure their health and well-being. They are shipped in airplanes or trucks like regular cargo with as many in a crate as possible. It's hard to believe, but these people are operating within the law.

Don't buy puppies from pet stores or advertisements listing multiple breeds without seriously researching them. Check out local shelters or reputable breeders who breed responsibly and humanely. Spread the word about puppymills. Many people don't know Tell your legislators you are concerned about the inhumane conditions of these breeding factories and want laws to address these problems.

For more information about puppymills go to www.nowisconsinpuppymills.com or www.cchs-petshelter.org.

CARLA NOWACK

Hewitt