Here’s something that all of us can agree on: No one should ever buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills are horrific and should be put out of business. 

An estimated 2 million puppies are “produced” annually in puppy mills in the U.S. Since the number of dogs who are euthanized by shelters in this country every year is estimated to be 1.2 million, you can see why simply shutting down puppy mills is such an alluring idea to those of us who have worked in shelters. But it’s difficult to put an end to any practice that some people profit from, no matter how cruel it is.

That’s why we try to educate people – to make sure they understand, first of all, that any “purebred” or “designer-mix” puppy that’s for sale in a pet shop has been produced by a puppy mill, no matter what the store employees have been told to say. 

We also try to make would-be buyers understand that when they pay for a puppy from a pet store, they are directly supporting canine suffering at the hands of all the shady breeders, brokers, and scammers that supply pet stores. 

Most of us have seen photos and videos taken by animal protection groups following a raid on the worst kind of puppy mill, where the living conditions of the dogs are unspeakably horrendous, with cages crammed with sore-covered dogs stacked on top of more cages, and all of them full of filth. No one would argue for ”businesses” like this to be allowed to continue operation.

It’s much more difficult to recognize the cruelty of puppy mills that advertise how many veterinarians they have on staff, discuss their healthcare and socialization programs, and display pictures of shiny-clean facilities alongside their United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) licenses. The conditions look better – but their breeder dogs are still puppy-producing machines who have no semblance of quality of life. And the puppies will be sold to anyone willing to pay for them and shipped anywhere in the country at too-early ages. 

The bottom line for mills is that puppies are simply “products” – and the puppy miller’s bottom line will always be more important than the welfare of the dogs.

The USDA’s Animal Welfare Act (AWA) establishes legal requirements for the care, handling, housing, transportation, and sale of animals at licensed breeding facilities. Puppy-millers and their downstream co-conspirators like to claim that their USDA licenses and unannounced AWA compliance inspections keep the industry honest. But the reality is, these laws are woefully inadequate. For example, under the AWA: 

• There is no limit to the number of dogs on the premises. A puppy mill could have hundreds or even thousands of dogs.

• There is no minimum requirement for the number of staff that must be available to care for the dogs.

• Dogs may be kept in stacked cages.

• Mesh or wire flooring is allowed.

• Dogs may be forced to relieve themselves in their cages.

• Dogs may be confined in spaces only six inches longer than their bodies, not including the tail.

• A dog may be caged 24 hours a day for his or her entire life, only removed from the cage to be bred.

• There is no exercise requirement if dogs are housed with other dogs and minimum size requirements are met for the dog’s enclosure.

• Dogs can be housed indoors or out with minimal temperature regulation.

• Human interaction is not required.

• Breeding females at the first heat cycle and every heat cycle thereafter is permissible.

• Unwanted animals may auctioned off or killed in a variety of ways.

• There is no transparency to consumers or the public about the results of USDA inspections.

And finally, it should be obvious that the USDA can’t adequately inspect the entire puppy mill industry; currently there are only an estimated 110 inspectors on staff to inspect all the animal facilities under its supervision, including zoos and research labs, in addition to commercial dog breeders and brokers. 

Several of the major dog training associations have addressed the issue of racism with recently crafted position statements and messages sent to members. This is encouraging! It’s my hope that we will see these statements followed up with action. Note that each one of us can have a hand in influencing that. If you are member of a dog-related group or association, let them know you are excited about and counting on the implementation of concrete plans and courses of action to increase diversity in the ranks of dog trainers, both professional and amateur. 

– Laurie C. Williams

 Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (ccpdt.org) 

The CCPDT joins other organizations in emphatically stating that systemic racism, injustice, and discrimination permeate our society and culture. We are hopeful that profound and permanent change is coming. 

We recognize that our organization – along with our industry – lacks diversity. We will review our policies, practices, and commitment to inclusion, equality, and stopping racial disparities. Every interaction we have, whether with a client, candidate, certificant, or colleague, will be considered. On behalf of the CCPDT Board of Directors, we will build a more inclusive community of trainers, embrace diversity, and create equality in our work. Specifically, this will include:

• Examining CCPDT outreach efforts in advance of board member elections. 

• Ensuring fair and unbiased questions and requirements are part of our formal application and exam processes. 

• Creating a pathway into the profession, so that anyone with a desire to become a dog trainer has an opportunity to do so. 

We pledge to continue this work with renewed vigor and purpose. Suggestions are welcome. 

 International Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants (iaabc.org) 

What can (the IAABC) do, as an organization, as a community, and as individuals to improve this situation, and to reject the normalcy of this country’s racist legacy and policies? What can we do to finally, fully wake up and demand the equality and fairness this land of opportunity is supposed to offer?

• We can learn.

• We can carefully examine our own biases and fears.

• We can do the work of understanding and seeing.

We have done all those things for the non-human animals we work with. We must now ask, have we done it for ourselves? For our neighbors? To paraphrase the historian Ibram X. Kendi, in order to stress the points he makes in his crucially important book, How to Be an Anti-Racist: 

• “Racist” should be a plain, descriptive term for policies and ideas that create or justify racial inequities, and not used as a personal attack. It is simply a factual term.

• One is either racist or anti-racist. “Not racist” doesn’t exist. Either one is reaping the benefits of (or suffering under) racist policies, or one is fighting against them. 

• “Not racist” and racist are therefore the same thing.

Trainers and behavior consultants are in touch with the general public every day. We can make a difference, one interaction at a time, one effort at a time, to better our little corner of the world. We know how this works. We understand learning, and we understand how successes build upon successes.

 Karen Pryor Clicker Training (karenpryoracademy.com) 

KPA stands with the protesters against the violence Black, Indigenous, and people of color face too often. Change is needed. As positive reinforcement trainers, we know that behavior is never static; if we stay silent, we, in effect, reinforce past behavior. By speaking out and protesting, we can alter environmental conditions and lay the groundwork for meaningful change. 

We also recognize the need to identify and explore ways to take a stand and contribute to change in our own industry. Black, Indigenous, and people of color are under-represented in the dog trainer and behavior specialist professions and related occupations. We are committed to the conversations and dialogs, education, and steps that lead to greater understanding and that can make the profession more inclusive.

 PetProfessional Guild (petprofessionalguild.com) 

PPG’s statement affirming its commitment to stand in solidarity against racism in support of #BlackLivesMatter:

It was important to our organization not just to make this statement, but to commit to action both in the short- and long-term. We are working with our membership to develop an advisory group that can identify and develop tangible, actionable programs to help us move our industry forward in a more fully inclusive manner. 

As such, we are pleased to announce that we have appointed Connecticut-based dog trainer Christina Horne and Virginia-based dog trainer Laurie C. Williams to help us formulate, establish, and oversee this advisory team to support our goals in this endeavor. Christina and Laurie will report directly to PPG president Niki Tudge. Together, they will ensure we establish enduring practices that hold us accountable to the commitment we have made and that both PPG and the pet services industry at large represent the diversity of our population.

 Training organizations develop a collaborative survey 

The IAABC has collaborated with the CCPDT and Karen Pryor Academy to build an online survey for members of those organizations. Leaders in the positive reinforcement training and behavior community are asking all training and behavior professionals to share information to help take important steps to ensure equity and diversity in the field in the “Training and Behavior Diversity and Equality Survey,” found at https://iaabc.typeform.com/to/cQeE6A. 

The survey will be used to strengthen and improve the organizations’ policies and practices, and to inform future speakers and panelists of issues that are important to members of the participating organizations.

As an African American, I’ve found these past few months difficult. I’ve been examining different aspects of my personal and professional life and reflecting on the various journeys that brought me to where I am today. 

I’m a dog trainer – a professional in an industry with few Black colleagues. This isn’t the first time I’ve wondered why there are so few people of color in my profession, but it’s potentially the most impactful time to discuss it, in hopes of increasing the diversity of what has long been an extremely white occupation in the U.S.

HOW I GOT HERE

In 1985, I walked into my first dog obedience class with Casey, my new Irish Setter puppy. The class was run by the local kennel club and held at a community center in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where my U.S. Marine husband was stationed. 

As the only African American in the class, I stood out, but this did not concern me. As a child, I attended predominantly white schools and lived in many white-majority neighborhoods; I was used to being one of the few Black people in many situations! Besides, I enjoyed what I learned in class so much that, after only a few sessions, I decided that I wanted to earn obedience titles with Casey and become an obedience instructor myself.

Recognizing my enthusiasm and knack for training, the seasoned and much older ladies of the kennel club took me under their wings, mentored me, and welcomed me into their inner circle. I’ve been thoroughly immersed in the world of dog training and behavior ever since.

IN THE MINORITY

I was incredibly lucky to have so much support from my fellow dog trainers, especially since I have often been the only African American wherever I went in the dog world, whether I was competing at local conformation dog shows or obedience or agility trials. I see more people of color in the dog world today, but at most local events, out of the dozens in attendance, you’d be able to count Black people on one or maybe two hands. 

I’m confident when competing with my dogs against anyone in a dog show. But in all these years, I have felt most uncomfortable among my dog-trainer peers at professional dog-training conferences, workshops, and seminars. Why is this? I’ve thought about it a lot. 

For one thing, I stand out even more at these educational meetings than at dog shows. The dog-training profession is strikingly white and largely comprised of white, middle- and upper middle-class women. This is especially true of the subset of trainers who use positive reinforcement and science-based training. 

But it’s more than just being a minority. Through the years I have attended many dog-training conferences and events. While I can’t say I experienced any overt racism or bigotry, I often felt discounted and downright invisible. Worse, on occasion I was mistaken as “the help” at the conference hotels where the events were being held.

I don’t know how to explain this, except to say that dog trainers are not always perceived as the most inclusive people, welcoming and open to different points of view and perspectives. There is a joke about dog trainers that goes, “If you put two dog trainers in a room, what’s the only thing they would agree on? That the third dog trainer is wrong!” The profession is rife with contrasting schools of thought and methodologies, complete with exclusive cliques and very strong lines drawn in the sand. 

Most people who know me know that I walk to the beat of my own drummer and I’m generally unbothered by the opinions of others. But I must admit that stepping out of the comfort zone of my own little training community into the big one at large was sometimes daunting even for me, a middle-class, suburban Black woman raised and educated among white people. Think of how difficult it might be for newcomers to break into the dog-training profession, especially when they don’t see anyone else who looks like them at the table.

It wasn’t until I became a minor celebrity from appearing on the reality television show “Greatest American Dog” in 2008 that other trainers started noticing and acknowledging me and speaking to me at events. At that point, dog training hadn’t ever been the center of a prime-time broadcast television show, and most trainers had seen at least one episode; it seemed like the show was a safe topic as an entry point to conversation. I met and made friends with many more fellow trainers after the show ended.

FRAUGHT RELATIONS BETWEEN DOGS AND AFRICAN AMERICANS

Historically, the relationship between Black Americans and dogs is quite different than that of white Americans. Our relationship with dogs has been complicated and tainted and affected by violence, fear, and intimidation. 

As a very young child in the 1960s, I regularly saw images on the nightly news of Black people being knocked down with fire hoses and police wielding batons, accompanied by teeth-bared and lunging German Shepherd Dogs – dogs who were sometimes even let loose to terrorize and attack civil rights protestors. Those images haunt me to this day.

However, we can go even further back than that. Dogs were an integral tool in the implementation and management of the institution of slavery in this country, from their presence and usage on slave ships during the middle passage, to the shores and plantations where dogs were used as tools of intimidation and bred and trained to track, attack, and even kill runaway slaves. 

These experiences have undoubtedly led to a multigenerational fear and avoidance of dogs in many Black families. Even within my own family, I have relatives with such a real and present fear of dogs that they refuse to visit my home (I have never had fewer than two dogs, and today I have five: two Dalmatians, a Pharaoh Hound, a long-haired Chihuahua and a Yorkie). 

In poor neighborhoods in many cities, dogs often play a role as a household’s protection against  crime. In neighborhoods where dogs like this are common, children are uniformly warned against approaching dogs – any dogs. 

Given all this, it makes sense that it has been a bit of a longer and tougher road for dogs to be welcomed and thought of as viable and close members of African American families. 

INCREASING THE VISIBILITY OF BLACK TRAINERS

I often ask other trainers how they got into dog training. For many, it wasn’t until they attended a dog-training class with their own dog (as in my own experience) or had the opportunity to hire a professional dog trainer to help them with their dog, that they considered entering the profession. 

This is why I’d like to suggest that the more trainers there are who are people of color, the more people of color could see that dog training might be a good career choice for them! Also, I suspect that many more Black and brown people would engage the services of a professional dog trainer if there were more Black and brown dog trainers!

As a dog trainer, what can I do to help make my profession more inclusive and diverse? I have a few ideas:

1. Extra effort must be made to usher in newcomers from diverse populations. That means seeking and recruiting clients, staff, interns, and working students from different races, cultures, and nationalities. 

2. We need to create and foster an environment that is nurturing and welcoming to everyone. Learning about cultural differences so we can better gain an understanding of and communicate with racial and cultural minorities is a good start.

3. I encourage all trainers to examine their own training programs, looking for possible barriers to diversity within our marketing and outreach, staff, communication style, and educational materials. This includes acknowledging possible biases and/or lack of sensitivities within ourselves and others around us and taking steps, no matter how small, to do better. To change, you must want to change.

4. Trainers should apply the same principles and be just as outspoken about our commitment to the humane, fair, and compassionate treatment of our fellow human beings as we are for dogs. 

5. Let it be known that you fervently stand up against racism, discrimination, and bigotry, both within our industry and society at large. Our community mirrors society at large and is not exempt. 

BE WELCOMING

My hat will always be off to those “ladies of the club,” who helped draw me into dog training some 35 years ago. Honestly, they were a gruff old bunch of heavy-handed women (with dogs and people), rough around the edges, and definitely entrenched in old-fashioned dog-training methods. 

In regard to inclusivity, however, those women were way ahead of their time. They welcomed me with open arms when they didn’t have to. If it weren’t for them, I might have missed out on one of my greatest passions in life. Let’s work together to make sure other dog enthusiasts who look like me don’t miss out on theirs. 

Canine education specialist, dog behavior counselor, and trainer Laurie C. Williams is the owner of Pup ‘N Iron Canine Fitness & Learning Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia.