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Pet Stores and Puppy Mills And why should
you care whether the puppy you buy comes from one?
By the formal definition, a
puppy mill is a large-scale
breeding operation that produces
large numbers of puppies for
profit. What the formal
definition overlooks is that
most puppy mills are inhumane in
their treatment of breeding dogs
and puppies. Many are filthy,
and are run by people who have
no idea about or concern for the
genetic implications of breeding
or about what dogs require in
terms of basic health care and
socialization. Many are simply
hellholes in which the breeding
dogs are kept in the most
deplorable conditions—dogs
confined to small wire cages for
their entire lives, fed
inadequately, kept in unheated
buildings, denied basic
veterinary care. The breeding
dogs are sick, wounded, and
malnourished. And their lives
are miserable. When their
breeding usefulness is over,
they may be killed or dumped.
Large-scale mills do not take
their older dogs to shelters, as
a rule, because they don’t want
to draw attention to themselves.
In rescue, we are sometimes
fortunate enough to rescue
breeding dogs from mills. These
dogs always—without
exception—have health problems,
most of which have been chronic
and neglected for years.
So why should you care whether
the puppy you buy comes from a
place like this? Because the
chances that the puppy you buy
will have genetic defects that
will cause disease are extremely
high. Because puppies in mills
are so poorly socialized that
they often develop severe
fearfulness and shyness. And
because the money you pay for
that cute puppy in the window
will go right back to the mill
owner, who can use it to buy and
mistreat more dogs.
The following videos depict the
life of the mothers and fathers of the little puppies that are available
in pet stores. These videos are graphic in nature and are
not intended for children to watch.
Please the next time you want to purchase a puppy from a pet store
please remember these videos.
A
Tribute
Charlize Theron Investigates Puppy Mills
Pet Stores and Puppy Mills
Dog
Auctions
Inside Dog Auctions
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