You might be thinking: a puppy factory! I bet that would be all fluffy and adorable! Unfortunately that couldn't be further from the truth. The reality of it is that behind that doggie in the window is a dark world of animal abuse. Dogs that come from puppy mills often have serious health and psychological problems. While the puppies that we see in pet stores at least escape the horror of puppy mills, the lives of their parents are a living nightmare. These dogs will spend their entire lives in the dark, disease-ridden world of puppies-for-profit. These dogs are often kept in small cages and do not receive proper medical care or nutrition.
Luckily, you can help put an end to this!
Help put puppy mills out of business by remembering these tips when looking for a dog to join your family:
1. There are thousands of dogs (and cats!) just waiting for you to adopt them. There's no reason to buy your pet at a pet store. Visit your local animal shelter to meet lots of furry friends who would love to go home with you! You can even volunteer here to hang out with four-legged buddies all the time!
2. If you are going to buy a dog, make sure that you are buying it from a reputable breeder. You can visit dog shows to talk to breeders of all types of dogs (and it's a great excuse to pet dogs all day)! When you visit a breeder, make sure they introduce you to your future furry friend's parents so that you know that they are happy and healthy!
3. Visit Stoppuppymills.org to find out more about how you can help stop puppy mills.
How can you say no to a face like that!?
Well said, and so sadly true. As a volunteer for the Michigan Humane Society, I see so many dogs (and cats, bunnies, ferrets, etc.) who long for a loving home. Let's don't make any more animals until we can care for the ones we've got here already....
ReplyDeleteWe just got our puppy (baldr) from our local Humane Society and we couldn't be happier. All of our animals have come from shelters and they have all been so much more loving and well behaved then my friends animals who bought from a breeder or pet store.
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