what does $35.08 buy you?

I never did get around to writing that post I alluded to earlier.

A man convicted of running a puppy mill was sentenced to a $2,000 fine. He is barred from owning a pet for two years, and owning animals for business purposes for three years (see article.)

If memory serves me correctly, 97 dogs, mostly fox terriers, were seized. Reported numbers vary as to what happened next: 18 were put in foster care, between 20 and 40 had to be euthanized, and the rest were rehabbed and adopted out by the SPCA. The highest count I saw reported for this last category was 57.

$2,000/57=$35.08 per dog. How does that compare to the costs of treating these poor animals. Heck, does it even cover the actual cost of the vaccines and flea/tick treatments, never mind the time, food and shelter?

Quebec has long held the title of puppy mill capital, due to a nasty combination of lax laws and virtually no enforcement. Tougher laws are definitely needed, and I believe that part of that reform is a minimum automatic sentence/fine upon conviction. I remember reading that Michael Vick was fined a six-figure amount specifically earmarked for the care and rehabilitation of his victims. That sounds fair to me. Yup, here it is: $18,275 per dog, 22 dogs. While this case was spectacular, in that the accused was a multi-millionaire, the principle is sound – pay for the damage you inflict.

Let’s say an “average” “pure-bred” (but paperless) puppy goes for $500 in pet shops; in fact, that’s really on the low end, but I’m feeling generous. That means that each puppy is sold for approximately $250 (yup, it’s 100% markup on puppies). Assuming that each dog in a breeding facility should produce at least one viable puppy, then the man stood to make 97x$250=$24,250. Let’s say that the profit from any “spare” puppies can pay for the costs of running the puppy mill. So, by my count at least, the fine should represent his "lost" profits, and it was off by a factor of ten. At a minimum.

Otherwise, you could just bill him for all incurred costs - at retail price - no bulk rate for him, and calculate the salaries volunteers would make.

But for the time being, $35.08 buys you the right to abuse a dog.

Also in the news, three young men, aged 19, 21 and 24, were arrested for allegedly beating four cats to death with a hammer. I would like to suggest we give the kids $35.08 worth of hammers, and entrust them with the puppy mill owner. Let's leave the cats and dogs out of this gruesome picture, and let karma work its magic.

With the much-needed overhaul of the Montreal SPCA on the horizon (wave bye-bye, Herr Barnotti), could it be the stars are aligning to help clean up this shameful mess? Cross your fingers, or your paws.

(487)