Solution The Puppy Mill Problem in the United States
Option #2: Speculating about Causes and Proposing Solutions for a National or Global Social Issue
Explore a national or global social issue in your area, at least one of its causes, and a potential solution. For your topic, the social issue should be a problem that can be proven to exist and has potential to be solved.
Begin by stating a thesis that defines the problem, identifies and evaluates at least one aspect of the cause, and offers one potential solution. These three points—problem, cause, and solution—will be used as level I headings for the major parts of the body content.
Requirements:
The paper should be 6-8 pages in length (double-spaced), plus a reference page/title page, and should use a minimum of eight credible sources. The CSU-Global Library is an excellent place to search for credible, scholarly sources.
Document and citation formatting should be in CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA.
At the top of your outline, include an open-ended research question that defines the problem and asks how the problem can be solved.
Example/research question: What would it take to reduce obesity in United States/Ohio?
The research question should be followed by a thesis, which answers the research question by stating a problem, cause, and solution. The thesis can be two sentences long if necessary.
Example/thesis: [Problem] Obesity across the U.S. is on the rise [Cause] partly due to the amount of trans fats contained in restaurant food. [Solution] One solution would be to regulate the amount of trans fats restaurants are permitted to include in the food they serve and to require restaurants to clearly indicate the level of trans fats contained within each menu item.
NOTE: The sample topic above cannot be used for your project. Topics that should be avoided are those currently being widely debated among media sources. Some topics to avoid include abortion, sex trafficking, gun control, and immigration among others.
Refer to the Portfolio Project Rubric available in the Module 8 folder for more information on assignment expectations and grading.
The Puppy Mill Problem in the United States
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Speculating about Causes and Proposing Solutions on a National Issue
Introduction
Dogs and other pets hold a significant position in the American society. Apart from being pets, the American people rely on dogs for several reasons. The relationship between humankind and dogs is historical. Despite this kind of relationship, dogs have been much abused in the American society and across the globe. Close to 40% of the American households own a dog (Burger, 2014). However, the supply of dogs in the United States is still controversial. At the cause of the problem is a scenario in which dog owner in the country are not fully aware of the ill-treatment and abuse that dogs experience in puppy mills. Puppy mills is a term coined to describe the commercial production of dogs. In the United States, there are close to 10,000 puppy mills (Gormley, 2009). The industrial production of dogs in puppy mill as attracted several civic groups in the United States. Significant concerns have been raised on the legal environment surrounding puppy mills in the United States. While the mistreatment of dogs in the puppy mills is an actual and well-documented problem, the existing laws do not provide working solutions. Hence, the puppy mill menace has attracted numerous research and literature works, with the common objective of developing a solution to animal mistreatments and still meet puppy demands in the United States. The aim of this study is to explore and discuss in detail, the historic and current causes of the puppy mill problem and propose solutions to the situation.
Discussion
Puppy mill is a term used to describe the highly intensified process of breeding dogs. Over time, literature works have used the term puppy mill to describe the inhumane treatment of dogs during the production process. The Humane Society of the United States considers puppy mill production as the major form of animal violation. While this concern remains popular among civic groups, the general population who represent the target consumers are less informed. Animal activists have dramatically voiced and pinpointed how the United States regulatory environment continues to provide a thriving environment for puppy mills. Along with lack of proper regulations, there are several other issues that directly and indirectly support puppy mill production.
Problem
Despite considerable attention from the media and animal welfare groups in and out of the United States, puppy mills have continued to remain operational. Hence, a series of injustices remain to be perpetrated. A significant concern has been raised about the environment and conditions under which puppies are produced. Puppy mills are shown to be profit-oriented, a perspective that tends to undermine the proper treatment of puppy mills (Kenny, 2012). With over 2 million puppies being produced annually, the conditions under which such productions take place are under tests. The United States Department of Agriculture is shown to have formalized almost 2000 puppy mills out of the approximate 10000 facilities that engage in active production (The Humane Society of the United States, 2017). That translates to close to 80% puppy mills that are not formally compliant with the existing laws and regulations.
Puppy mills that have not received accreditation from the USDA are said to engage in activities that violate both human and animal welfare. Intensified productions take place within limited places. 50% of the aggregate puppy mills in the United States are small-scale producers. As indicated in several reports, space allowances do not match the level of production. Overpopulation and overcrowding are common in small-scale, but highly intensified puppy mills. Animal-related diseases are highly prevalent in such environments. Both small scale and large-scale puppy mills in the United States do not match the animal population rate to the dog population under production (Eric, 2013). Hence, requirements for better treatment of animals are not provided. Typically, dogs as the favorite human pets require compassion and the best form of therapy. The scenario is quite different in puppy mills. Animals under production are typically contained in cages with minimal attendance from the employees.
Puppy mills are profit oriented. The production of puppies in the form of stock animals fundamentally violates nature as it relates to the biology of dogs. Forced breeding breaks the natural cycles of heat for dogs. Hence, stock animals tend to have a deteriorating health. The latter observation leads to the highly voiced concern of poor health provision for dogs in puppy mills. As shown, regular health checkups are not performed, simply because puppy mills seek to maximize profits by eliminating several of the operating expenses. Sick and old animals that require compassion and specialized care are usually doomed to death. Brutal and inhumane methods are used to kill dogs that are considered useless to the profit objective of puppy mills (The Humane Society of the United States, 2017). Comparing to medically assisted deaths among human beings, puppy mills subject dogs to the worst form of death that violates the basic provisions for proper care of animals.
The puppy mill problem does not entirely represent improper treatment of animals, but also determine conditions in the internal and external environment. Kennel attendants are exposed to unsanitary conditions in most puppy mills. Several disease-causing organisms can be easily passed to human beings. The prevalence for such an occurrence is high because of the high dog to kennel workers’ population ratio. It is also reported that constant dumping of feces in the soil increases the likelihood of human contact with disease-causing organisms like hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms. Dog urine produces a significant amount of urine that can cause skin and eye irritations. Animal kennels in puppy mills are usually metal cages. Hence, kennel workers are prone to cuts and injuries while cleaning, increasing disease related infections.
Conducting a proper environmental assessment within puppy mills is close to impossible because of the poised regulations in almost all facilities in the United States. However, some of the few successful environmental assessment projects have provided a vivid description of the adverse environmental impacts associated with puppy mills. According to a report filed following an environmental inspection of Whispering Oaks puppy, the range of environmental pollutants from the facility is vast (McMillan et al, 2011). Wastewaters that are usually released to rivers in the surrounding environment, containing lousy odor and presence of faces. Excessive ammonia levels that are produced from animal feces lower the quality of water for basic utilization.
Air pollution is an environment...