I just read a magazine article and was a bit confused and disappointed. There was a multiple page article about this company claiming they are concerned for the environment and want humane and environmentally friendly products because it's at the core of their personal philosophy and they wanted that for their business too......then they say "We sell leather leashes that come from Amish craftsmen" Whoa! back up the buggy. What????
How can you even use the words Amish and humane together? In the U.S. the Amish are the leaders in the puppy mill industry. If you even like dogs a little bit how can you even consider supporting such a cruel industry?
We have made a commitment as a family not to support the Amish craftsmen. They may not all participate in this extreme act of cruelty, but it's impossible as a consumer to know which ones are participating either actively or by association. It's much easier for us to avoid all Amish made products. When we go shopping we ask at gift shops, specialty shops, and stores if a product we are interested in is Amish made. If so we walk away.
What happens at puppy mills is as cruel as dog fighting. I can not support Amish craftsmen or any business that does. My list of places to shop may dwindle but at least I will have a clear conscience knowing that I did all I could to avoid prospering the industry.
What are your thoughts? Would you take your business elsewhere?
Mom
P.S. Emma is telling me she hopes I have not offended anyone with my thoughts and she hopes you please continue to visit her as she will be back in charge of the blog beginning immediately.
I agree with you whole heartedly. I think from the Amish perspective dogs are like live stock and to dog lovers they are not. That is part of the cultural divide. I can somewhat understand dogs playing a different role in different cultures, but it does not justify the cruelty Amish puppy mill owners heap on their dogs. There is simply no excuse for the deplorable puppy mill conditions. I also would have no desire to visit Amish country or buy any products.
ReplyDeleteThis is important information and I am glad that you posted about it.
ReplyDeleteMango Momma
OMG! We did not know this about the Amish. Thank you for blogging about it. We will not support them either. Our pups are members of the family that we love dearly and it breaks our hearts to read about animal cruelty. We recently read an ad about a dog owner looking for a furever home for his 14 year old dog because the dog no longer had the energy to keep up with the owners lifestyle. It made me sick - can you imagine a 14 year old dog leaving the family he has know all of his life to be placed in a new environment with strangers. We don't understand this mindset.
ReplyDeleteNina, Myshka, Sasha, Betsy, Lucy, Phoebe and Lily
Even in our little paradise we have heard of the Amish culture and the way they treat their animals and have puppy mills. I don't know if we have any Amish products in New Zealand but I can't imagine them exporting this far. I certainly wouldn't buy any of their stuff knowingly. We are lucky in that puppy farming isn't a big industry here, although it is done. I honestly don't understand people who do it. Or support it by buying from pet shops. Obviously you haven't offended me;)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - I'm so pleased you decided to post about a "Serious" topic. I'm like you too in that I often worry whether I should talk about some things on Honey's blog - coz I know most people like it when you keep things light & fun & fluffy - but sometimes, I do think it's good to mention the things that are important to you. It's like making friends, I think - if you only ever have that kind of light, fluffy, dinner-table small-talk, you never deepen the acquaintance into something more meaningful because you never find out the real things about the person. Life isn't just full of fluffy fun.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, so onto your post -gosh, I'm so glad you shared all this coz I never knew that about the Amish!! Most of what I know is gleaned from films like 'Witness' - you know, the Hollywood version. Of course, I can respect how animals are regarded differently in different cultures (hey, I come from the Chinese culture, where animals are definitely regarded VERY differently to in the west!) - but I still think that is no excuse for inhumane treatment and cruelty. Compassion is the same in any language, any culture, any country.
Anyway, don't be afraid to post about more "serious" things in future - I may be slow to catch up on posts sometimes but I do read them all and I love reading about your thoughts!
Hsin-Yi