Farmerstown Sale Barn Baltic Ohio October 7, 2009 Dog Auction Lot #105 Bichon Frise M (Male) 4-28-04 ACA registered White Very Aggressive Breeder Proven Do the job two times a day if you feed em. Three times if you give him breakfast too. Yes, this is what the auctioneer said before he started taking bids for this 9 year old stud dog. Can you imagine this caged creature being an aggressive breeder after 9 years of little food, water, vet care and love? He could hardly stand on the old rug duct taped to the folding table. Under this auction block was a display of purebred statues. It seemed so odd to see fake flowers and happy healthy dogs directly underneath the slave trading going on above. They didn t try very hard to make anything else pleasant. The auction house was a run down old 1910 livestock building that looked like it was ready to buckle any minute. Maybe the 100 layers of cracking paint was keeping it together. The building was actually rather small surrounded by cattle stalls. This is were three semi trailers full of the dogs that were to be sold had been parked and they allowed those that wanted to look over what they were going to be bidding on 1 hour before the auction. After a four hour drive from Detroit through Amishland, we knew we were in a foreign territory. We passed so many beautiful farms with horses, cows, goats, and llamas, and many horse drawn buggies. We felt frustrated that many of our friends and family buy furniture and other goods from these people thinking that they are getting handmade items from an honest sect of people. Little do they know what really goes on inside of those picturesque buildings that so often are portrayed on many souvenirs sold in these areas. When we arrived in the auction house parking lot we noticed most of the vehicles had Ohio licenses plates, but it was definitely an interstate auction. We quickly spotted the USDA inspector. I was wondering if they would even allow him in. By law he was suppose to be there. Some of the undercover videos I have seen show the inspectors being kicked out. Not this guy, he was there making plans to enjoy some peach cobbler at one of the millers house! We over heard him discussing the dog that died the night before after having been given some shots. The dog was probably already in bad shape and could not take any more. So how do you prepare for an auction? Shut off all emotions and focus on taking a lot of mental notes so you can expose them later. I decided to act like a forensic cop and look for as many things as I could find. I wanted to share as many stories and let these dog s voices be heard. When we entered the building, we passed many plump farmer-like older men hanging out at the door. We walked up a flight of steps, back down into the basement area and back up to the trailers. You could see there were other active rooms down in the basement. It was hard to pretend like I knew what I was doing, so I just kept moving. Oops, we should have picked up the catalog. There was an area for registrations and then the entrance to the auction room. When you walked in you could feel a heaviness in the air. I felt like someone was going to grab my arm and ask me to leave at any minute. There were so many Amish
men that we really stood out. I did notice that the Amish women were not in the trailers. I guess they are not allowed to bid? Perhaps that is just the men s dirty work. They kept the doors to the trailer shut. When we slid the door open, the first thing I noticed was the heat. There was a heater set up next to the door and not far from the first row of cages. The next thing I noticed was the smell and it was only one night of pee and poop. I can see where the mills are blinding for the dogs. I thought to myself later, we didn t notice any barking. Were they debarked? This is where the millers damage their vocal cords with a pipe. Most of the dogs looked really tired or were sleeping. I was surprised to see dishes that appeared to have had food and water. A couple dishes were torn apart assuming out of frustration or boredom. Many still did have some water left. I counted 20 empty dishes out of 58, but I couldn t see the top shelf of cages. Yes, I was worried about how they were being treated while I was there, but I knew that it was not a normal day for them at all. I am sure their mill kennels are dirtier, smaller, unprotected and dangerous. I could see the real abuse in their eyes. I didn t want to make eye contact with them either. All they say is please get me out of here. Some look like they had hope and were looking eagerly at passer bys. They had not yet lived the long life of torture and abuse like the older dogs had. Nor had they yet experienced all of the suffering that they would have to endure throughout their lifetime like the pain from infections in their little mouths that would cause their teeth to fall out and the bone in their jaws to rot away. The grinding and cramps that they would have because they are so hungry. And on the freezing nights when everyone is in their homes enjoying the warmth from a fireplace or furnace, they will be shivering so bad that sleep is the furthest thing from their little minds. There were 385 dogs listed in the catalog. They were stacked in black wire cages 4 high and 12 long on one side of the trailer. There were 4 high and maybe 6 deep on the other side of the trailer. Bidders studied each dog and read notes left by the current miller regarding their breeding skills or lack of. This one note for Lot #148 Poodle F (Female) 7-26-05 (James Zimmerman) said Never came into heat for me, may have a thyroid problem. Ok, that means this dog has a medical condition and hasn t been checked out? Of course, not. It is also possible that she is suffering so much that her little body may not be working properly and she may not be getting a good quality of food. Either way she will never know the help that a veterinarian can offer as long as she is a puppy mill dog. Many of the dogs were cuddling together. Some were shaking and one had cage rage. Lot #315 Yorkshire Terrier F (Female) 3-3-06 AKC/ACA Blue & Tan (Daniel Stoltzfus) was bouncing back and forth off the cage sides. Over an over. She had developed this behavior from being locked up in the cage without ever being let out to run. I observed an Amish man with a black hat reach into a cage, grab the dog by the leg and yank it to the front of the cage so he could inspect the dog s teeth. I am surprised that he actually thought the dog would have any teeth to even look at. He wasn t gentle by any means. I had noticed in this trailer that there were many dogs that didn t have teeth. These dogs must be a group of the older ones where the damage of years of poor nutrition and abuse has cause their mouths to rot and the teeth to fall out. Their tongues were hanging out and looked uncomfortably dry. They must be feeling really bad.
I wish I had a camera for the three Yorkshire Terrier litter mates #329, #330 and #331 all females born on 5-08-07. They were wrapping themselves together like a pretzel. The one on the outside was actually standing up wrapping her head around the others. It looked so affectionate but they were most likely scared to death. I didn t see if they were auctioned off together. Many litter mates were separated that day. Before I left the trailer, I noticed the Mini Dachshund pressing his chest against the front of the cage as someone was petting him with their finger. It may have been one of the rescue groups. The Amish men didn t pet any of the dogs. The auction was like a really bad scary movie. The characters included two auctioneers, four pointers, five teenage Amish boys, two veterinarians, and the Sheriff. Yes, the Sheriff was part of crowd control. The crowd was the scariest by far. I felt like my eyes were madly roaming the room studying all the faces. To me this was sinister and so underground. Maybe they enjoy all the attention. Why don t they have private auctions? That would be easy. They are a private society. Most of the bidders were Amish AND most of them arrived in their buggies. So that means, they are local and all know each other. So why a public auction? For the rescues, of course. The rescues are like pet stores too. They could get a Lhasa- Apso for $50 and adopt it out for $250 or more. Don t be fooled, they aren t rescuing. If they wanted to rescue, they could wait outside at the end of the auction and save them for free. If a rescue wants to help these dogs, they need to shut them down not line their pockets. The first announcement: if you have a cell phone, you better keep it in your pocket or the Sheriff will escort you out The teenage boys brought out the Mini Dachshunds first. The vet check included a quick pat on the head, teeth check and belly check for hernias. Hernias were very common. Some dogs had both a hernia, c- section scar and under bites, yet the auctioneer said they were great breeders.
All the dogs looked so frightened. When I saw we had 400 dogs to process, I knew it was going to a long afternoon. The auction started at 2 pm and ended around 4:30 pm. The Dachshunds were being sold for $200-400. The Pugs were going for $200 - $325, the Mini Schnauzers $75-225, Chihuahua s $225-375. There were 49 Bichons selling from $150-$750. Only one sold for $750, she was pregnant and due next month. Lhasa-Apso were going for $50-225. Parti Poodles $400. I didn t stay for the rest of the bred groups, but I did notice they were all small popular dogs. The auctioneer would focus on the dog s breeding capabilities. A female dog was judged by how many puppies she could produce in each litter. Some male dogs were advertised as having only one testicle due to the other not being descended, yet he is still a great aggressive breeder. Again a foreign land. The poor Bichons and Poodles. I remember them well. They all looked terrified and broken. Most of them had been shaven to remove all the mats, I am assuming. The ones that were not shaven looked like they had small heads because their fur had out grown them. They were so ungroomed compared to the cute Bichons we are used to seeing in the local Meetup group who teach others how to pamper their own dogs. I thought how unfair it was for these treasured purebreds to be treated like puppy machines. This is where it all starts, here with these millers. They make $100, sell them to a broker, who sells them to a Pet Store, who then sells them for $2,500. The vet then makes another $1000 and the Bank makes $x on interest because the family had to finance the purchase. I have finally seen the real face of this industry. It will haunt me, I am sure. Normally, I wouldn t go so close. I avoid even going into pet stores, but I knew I needed to see it. The dogs looked just like the pictures I have seen. It is true. They didn t try to hide anything. No grooming powders to hide the smells, dishes full of water, or flat floors for them to walk on. Yes, I saw a foot fall through the wire cage and a dog hiding in the corner with his head down. Just like the pictures. Please share this story with everyone. I will be sending it to my representatives and the papers. Just the title Dog Auction will surprise everyone. It is just another part of the sick industry.
Step two toward improving your puppy s value to your customers, while maximizing your profit and flexibility is very easy.