Think again. Most all puppies sold in pet shops are not looked on as living feeling beings, but as merchandise. According to law, dogs are considered property. Puppy mills are assembly lines, pure and simple, and the mother dogs and puppies are not treated as living beings, but like so many widgets, only there to make a profit. Mother dogs are kept in small, often filthy cages, with wire floors, stacked on top of one another so that excrement drops from the top cages through to the lower cages. The mothers are continually impregnated beginning at an early age for years until they are too old and sick to produce, and then they are gotten rid of in often terrible ways. They are not given proper medical care, and they are certainly not given any affection or human attention. Their water bowls are often filthy with green scum and feces, and their cheap food often moldy and covered with flies. The puppies also are not given proper medical care, and are often very sick when they arrive at the pet shops.

Pretty picture? There’s more. Since very little attention is paid to the blood lines, congenital diseases and conditions are rampant in the puppies. They, too, are not given proper health care early in life. They are taken from their mothers and leave the mill. But this doesn’t mean their lives will get better. They are loaded on unheated/un-air conditioned trucks and hauled across the country like so much merchandise, the trips lasting for days sometimes with insufficient (or no) food and water, and forget rest stops (at least for the puppies–the drivers, no doubt, take plenty).

If you ask a pet shop there they get their puppies, very often they will tell you they come from The Hunte Corporation. This company, they will tell you, is not a puppy mill. And they are right, it is not. The Hunte Corporation is a puppy "broker." But their puppies are obtained from puppy mills. If you look on their website, you will see photos of sunny fields and children romping with adorable puppies. These are simply stock photos and have nothing to do with Hunte Corporation puppies. Sure, their facilities are clean and healthy looking. But this is simply a short stop off for the puppies on their way from the horrors of the puppy mills to the horrors of the truck ride and then on to a small cage in a pet shop.

Below are some photos of the conditions of typical puppy mills and puppy mill dogs.

Reputable rescuers do their best and are often able to work with and rehabilitate former puppy mill dogs who are able to learn to be wonderful companion animals. This sometimes requires months or even years of rehabilitation and attention by professionals including vets and behaviorist trainers. But once rehabilitated  they are wonderful, loving and loyal companions who are available for adoption and who truly appreciate every kindness shown to them.  Please, adopt a rescue and safe a life.

And you not only benefit the dogs by adopting rather than buying a dog. Adopting an adult dog has many advantages. You don’t have to go through the puppy stage of chewing and housebreaking, and adult dogs who have been in pounds or otherwise abandoned are so very grateful for a loving home.

Please don’t go to a pet shop to buy a puppy. It is, of course, tempting to convince yourself you can "rescue" a dog from a pet shop, especially when one knows about the puppy mill industry. But think of this: every puppy who is "rescued" from a pet shop simply perpetuates the problem. It helps create the demand and the vicious cycle is continued. Likewise, if you purchase any product from a pet shop that sells puppies, your dollars help fund that shop and that purchase enables them to continue to purchase even more puppies to sell.

If you have your heart set on a pure bred dog, consider adopting an adult. Pure bred dogs often end up in pounds and shelters, so if you are a little patient, you will most likely find the breed you seek there. And there are breed rescue organizations for just about every breed who rescue and adopt out dogs and puppies of that specific breed. For more information on this, please contact us.

And finally, if you will not be satisfied unless you have a pure bred puppy, and feel you absolutely must buy one, please do one thing first: go to your local public pound and just walk through and look at all the dogs in the cages, and keep in mind that many of them will not make it out alive. If after you do this, you still can find it in your heart to buy a pure bred puppy while so many dogs are dying, then please, at the very least, find a reputable breeder. For hints on how to find out of a breeder is reputable, please check out This link from Prisoners of Greed.

What you can do to help

YOU CAN HELP PUT AN END TO PUPPY MILLS. And you don't need a lot of money or expertise - just a caring heart and a bit of time to learn more and take action.  Here are just a few suggestions to get you started:

– Support rescue organizations who help save puppy mill dogs - most depend on donations to continue to save lives. So please, make a donation. Better yet, make it a habit to donate regularly so that they can continue to help these dogs.

– Encourage anyone you know who is considering getting a dog to adopt rather than buy. Do not purchase products or live animals from pet stores.

– Open your heart and home to become a foster caregiver. Florida Keeshond Rescue pays all approved expenses for the dogs in our foster care program and we provide mentors for each foster caregiver.

– Learn what legislation exists in your state to protect animals and what is required to breed dogs. Are there laws in place to protect the animals? If not, work to initiate them.

– Join a local animal welfare organization and work with them to change county regulations that require breeders to be held accountable for their adult dogs and puppies.

– Do you homework, there is an almost endless amount of information available online now about puppy mills and how you can help work to stop them. You can learn about this in the comfort of your own home so please take the time to check out a few sites. We suggest you start with: www.prisonersofgreed.org but don't stop there, learn as much as you can. The more you know the better you will be able to help.

– Contact your local pet shops that sell puppies and request that they stop doing so and instead get involved with a local rescue to have adoptions at the store.

– Educate yourself about the laws in your county and state that pertain to animal welfare and write your congress person, mayor, governor and state legislators about your concerns for the rights of animals. Be specific when you write or email your county and state officials stating exactly what concerns you most. Until the law changes with regard to animals rights, the puppy mill industry will continue to thrive and countless numbers of dogs will die horrible deaths. PLEASE HELP!  

Resources:

www.prisonersofgreed.org