You Are Here > The Horror Of Puppy Mills

Remember this one very important point:
"Reputable breeders" don't sell their animals to pet stores, but "back yard breeders" (BYBs) and "puppy millers" do.

This information will tell you exactly why you shouldn't buy that "puppy in the window" and why many that are bought that way wind up in shelters, abandoned and put to death because of inbreeding, emotional problems and disease.  If you only knew what went on behind the scenes, you'd be sick - and you'd never buy a companion animal from a pet store.  

Pet stores want to make money.  They exist by making the sale.  They offer lame "guarantees" on the animal, which usually means that you get to return the one with the problem for another one -- with more or different problems -- usually within a very short time frame, like 72 hours or less.  Also, they count on you becoming attached to the animal and not wanting to return it.  

But it's got AKC papers, so it must be a quality puppy, right?  Wrong.  Save those papers for it to poop on, because that's all they are good for.  Just because an animal is a "purebred" doesn't mean it came from "good stock".  Genetic defects are overlooked by puppy mills/BYBs.  In fact, their breeding practices "encourage" defects by inbreeding, poor conditions, etc.  They are simply after the money.  Don't kid yourself.  They don't screen people who want the animals, they don't follow up on it's condition, they don't worry about passing along diseases and they don't provide quality veterinary care.  Wise up, the life of an innocent animal depends on you.

Ever wonder why the price of a puppy keeps going down as the animal gets older?  It's because he/she's becoming a liability.  Once it's not in the cute puppy or kitten stage, it's worth is decreasing.  Ever wonder what happens to them if they don't sell?  Many are simply sentenced to death.  They're worthless now, so get rid of them.  Same with the ones that come in diseased and sick.  Damaged goods.  Get rid of it.  Please, please, please, do not buy companion animals from pet stores.  There are many, many animals, both purebred and mixed that are wonderful pets and are just waiting for a chance at life in a shelter near you. 

Information on housetraining "difficult/special dogs", including puppy mill/pet store puppies.  Remember that pet store/puppy mill animals have been kept in conditions that are against their nature.  They are forced to urinate and defecate in the same area in which they live, so they have become accustomed to it.  It will take patience and understanding to housetrain them, but it can be done!

Why AKC "papers" are meaningless - from the Philadelphia Inquirer.  One of the reasons puppy mills stay in business is that people have a mistaken notion about a dog with "papers" being superior to one without.  Read why this mistake costs thousands of animals their lives every year and how it bolsters the business of puppy mills.

A heart-wrenching poem concerning puppies in pet stores.  So sad, but so very true.

Puppy Mill information from across the country.  The Critter Haven, Inc. site includes lots of information and several poems (near the bottom of the front page) concerning puppy mills and unwanted dogs.  A great place to see the true horror of what happens to many of these animals.  (Get some tissues handy). Then, after you stop crying, remember what caused those tears and spread the word to everyone who will listen about puppy mills, pet stores that sell animals and greedy breeders who rip people off and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of animals a year.  And most importantly of all, remember what you've read the next time you go into a pet store and look at those animals in the cages...

Stop-Puppy-Mills.com - a site rich with information about all facets of puppy mills, the AKC connection and much more.  Well worth your time to fully explore.  Included are some success stories of Puppy Mill and Auction rescues.

Pennsylvania's "Pet Lemon Law" - dealing with the results of puppy mills in a whole new way.

Of Interest...

Philadelphia Inquirer Story On Puppy Mills - the heartbreak of several people who bought animals from Pennsylvania puppy mills and pet stores that carry puppy mill animals.  These animals find their way all up and down the East Coast.  Lancaster County, known for it's "quaint" Amish and Mennonite is the literal "breeding ground" for many of these problems.  Treating their animals as "livestock", these breeders can't understand why "city folk" get so emotional about their pets.  Apparently it never occurred to these folks that they are ripping people off by taking their money for what they claim to be quality animals, yet in actuality, they are selling diseased, inbred animals with physical and emotional problems so great that many times, the only way to deal with it is to kill them and end their suffering. 

If this is how they treat their "livestock", what kind of problems do the other animals they raise, like pigs and cattle have?  They raise those for money, too.  Are they as diseased as the dogs?  Doesn't it matter to the breeders what diseases their "livestock" carry?  Or is it that they really don't see dogs as "livestock" but simply a way to make easy money? This article is several years old now, but things haven't changed... and one of the reasons is that people still insist on buying from pet stores.  It's a simple matter of supply and demand.

STOP BUYING THESE ANIMALS AND THE BUSINESS OF PUPPY MILLS WILL SUFFER.  KEEP BUYING THEM AND MORE AND MORE ANIMALS WILL SUFFER.  THE CHOICE IS YOURS.  MAKE THE RIGHT ONE.