puppy mills, puppy farms, pet shops
Puppy mills are commercial mass dog-breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs.
Most puppy mill dogs are housed in shockingly poor conditions, especially the ones kept in cages to be bred over and over for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever joining a family. After they're no longer profitable, these dogs are simply discarded. Hundreds of thousands of puppies are born every year, adding to the pet overpopulation that fills our nation's animal shelters.
Puppy mills sell their "products" to unsuspecting consumers in pet stores, over the Internet, and through newspaper classified advertisements.
It seems astonishing that there are still many people today who aren’t aware of the practice of puppy farming. Unfortunately, even those who are aware of the term can still be scammed by unscrupulous dealers. These buyers often have little understanding of the cruelty and heartbreak this industry is capable of inflicting until they experience it first hand. The cruelty is canine, the heartbreak is human.
There are bad people in our world who are enjoying the fruits of suffering dogs’ labours, some earning six figure sums and living in immaculate houses while a few yards away, their animals are not even afforded the most basic care and attention which is expected of them by the animal welfare act. Simple things like clean drinking water, regular food and dry bedding. Exercise, mental stimulation, socialisation or affection are not a consideration when it comes to treating these dogs as breeding machines. Often they are kept in conditions that would be considered unacceptable for agricultural animals. Dogs subsist in tiny cages, often with filth from one dog pouring through the cage floor onto the poor animal underneath it. Their eyes are scalded out by the ammonia in the urine and the pads of their paws are cut on the wire mesh. Infected, hungry and in pain they produce puppies for several years before being shot, abandoned or sold for a dollar or two to someone who will try to get, "One more litter out of her.”
So, if you’ve ever thought ‘how much is that puppy in the window,’ or been tempted by an online trade ad, or a handwritten card placed on a public noticeboard in your local shop, pet store or vet clinic, please think twice!