Canajoharie planning board rejects puppy mill
The Canajoharie town planning board on Monday night sided with the majority, and turned thumbs down to a proposal by an Amish family to open and operate a puppy mill. The meeting was so crowded, it had to be moved from town hall to the firehouse.
Almost everyone there showed up to speak out against the idea of a puppy mill being operated in their town.
It's an idea being proposed by a group of Amish people.
Town board members were definitely surprised by the size of the crowd, one board members commenting that it was the largest crowd he's seen since 1998.
About 70 members crowded into the firehouse, angry that anyone wanted to open a puppy mill in their town, in the first place.
While two Amish gentlemen sat silently in the crowd, every person who spoke about the possibility of allowing a puppy mill in their community was vehemently against it.
“If anyone has it in their heart to say ‘We want that in our community. Let’s be cruel to these animals,’ please wake up. It’s the last thing we want,” said Sherry Pederquist of Good Shepherd K-9 Rescue.
Some people spoke out passionately about the horrendous treatment they have seen or heard about at other puppy mills around the country.
“They are so coated in feces and urine that you can pull their fur off in one sheet, leaving exposed burned flesh from urine,” said Sandra Raciti, from Sauquoit, NY.
“They’re not concerned about the unaware consumer receiving a genetically defective dog. They are simply and frankly concerned with making a quick and dirty dollar at the dogs expense,” said Amanda Fortman from Canajoharie.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/s3121192.shtml
The two Amish gentlemen, who declined to give their names, who were at the meeting, said they were not the ones trying to open the puppy breeding operation.
They also said puppies are a cash crop, the same as dairymen, and if so many people want to have puppies, someone has to do the breeding. 
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