| Are you considering purchasing a pure bred puppy for | | | | purebred puppies and young dogs anyway. Go to |
| yourself or a loved one? Please, do not, under any | | | | your local shelter and save one of the fifteen million |
| circumstances, purchase that puppy from a pet | | | | dogs and cats who will be euthanized this year. Most |
| store. If you purchase that "cute" puppy from a pet | | | | of these are great dogs who deserve a great home. |
| store, you are subjecting the parents of that pup to | | | | According to statistics, approximately 25-30 percent |
| a life of pain and misery. Approximately 98% of all of | | | | of these dogs are purebred. They are already out |
| the puppies sold in pet stores are sold to those pet | | | | there just waiting for you to find them. |
| stores by a puppy mill. If you are not familiar with | | | | If you are unable to find the purebred dog or puppy |
| the term "puppy mill" I hope you will be by the time | | | | that you are looking for at a shelter, contact a breed |
| you finish this article. | | | | rescue group. Almost every breed has its own |
| If you were to ask the pet store manager, however, | | | | rescue group and are very easy to locate by doing |
| they would tell you that the puppies that they sell | | | | an internet search. You can search in your state or |
| come from a breeder. It is a fact that no reputable | | | | nationally until you find what you are looking for. |
| breeder would ever consider selling their puppies to a | | | | Finally, you can locate a quality breeder in your area. |
| pet store. Reputable breeders care about the homes | | | | Be sure to visit that breeder and ask questions such |
| their puppies go to. Whereas, the pet stores will sell | | | | as how many dogs they have, how many litters they |
| puppies to anyone who has a pulse and a credit card. | | | | have a year and whether they have state or federal |
| If we, as consumers, could get the word out about | | | | licenses. Ask the breeder if they sell to pet stores. |
| these horrific "greed mills", we could put them out of | | | | Also, ask the breeder if you can see all of the dogs, |
| business once and for all. The majority of commercial | | | | not just the puppies. Any reputable breeder would be |
| puppy mills across the country are filthy, fecal | | | | proud and willing to show you their entire operation. |
| infested warehouses where dogs are kept in wire | | | | You can even ask for the name and phone number |
| cages which are stacked on top of each other. The | | | | of their veterinarian, how often they see their vet |
| dogs do not receive any medical care whatsoever. | | | | and what kind of genetic testing they have done on |
| Their coats are matted, their teeth rotten and most | | | | their dogs. |
| of these dogs cannot even walk. They live their | | | | Here is even more bad news regarding purchasing a |
| entire lives in those cages giving birth to litter after | | | | puppy from a pet store. When you adopt a puppy |
| litter of puppies. The cages are sometimes sitting out | | | | from a pet store, it is almost 100 percent for certain |
| in an open field and the animals are exposed to the | | | | that the owner purchases those pups from puppy |
| elements, freezing in the winter and exhaustive heat | | | | mills. Therefore, your "purebred" puppy most likely is |
| in the summer. | | | | not purebred. There is a very large chance that |
| Please, please consider all of these things the next | | | | down the line there has been inbreeding. This will |
| time you even contemplate going to a pet store. | | | | cause your puppy to have health issues as he or she |
| The only way we can stop this inhumane treatment | | | | gets older. Serious health issues such as hip dysplasia, |
| is to stop purchasing puppies from pet stores. If we, | | | | skin problems and also emotional issues. |
| as consumers, take away the market, the demand, | | | | If we can get the word out to animal lovers |
| for puppies, the pet stores will close and the puppy | | | | everywhere, we can change this horrific situation for |
| mills will cease to be. | | | | these precious, helpless animals who have no voice |
| Believe me, there are much better ways to adopt | | | | but ours. |