How To: Fight Puppy Mills

Puppy Mill Pic

Puppy mills are large commercial breeding facilities that treat the animals poorly. Think of it like a factory for animals: dogs are a product made for profit. They are kept in small cages their entire lives in unsanitary conditions without attention, let alone love, and are bred as often as possible. Not surprisingly, this can lead to tons of health problems.

  1. Don’t buy from a pet store! Most pet stores get their animals from mills, not local breeders. If you’re unsure, ask the shop owners and find out their source. Ask for written proof.
  2. Make adoption your first option. Check your local shelters for a potential pet. There are many dogs waiting in shelters for good homes – and 25% of them are purebred! Or, look for a dog with a breed rescue group. Scan the internet for breed-specific rescue organizations.
  3. Know how to recognize a responsible breeder. If you are choosing to buy from a breeder, make sure you are buying from one who cares about his or her dogs.
  4. See where your puppy was bred and born. Ask the breeder to look at the home where the puppy was born and ask to meet the parents (or at least the mother). Also, ask for an adoption contract that explains the breeder’s responsibilities, health guarantees, and return policy.
  5. Internet buyers beware! If you buy a puppy based on a picture and a phone call, you have no way to see the puppy’s home or meet her parents. Also, those who sell animals on the internet are not held to the Animal Welfare Act regulations – and are not inspected by the USDA.
  6. Share your puppy mill story with the us! If you have – or think you have – purchased a puppy-mill puppy, share your story. Every bit of evidence can help to get laws passed banning puppy mills.
  7. Speak out. Write to your local and state legislators. Encourage him or her to support laws that protect animals.
  8. Tell your friends. If your friend is planning to buy a puppy mill puppy, spread the word and inform them of the cruelty of these facilities. Tell them about the wonderful dogs in animal shelters.
  9. Think globally. Use the internet (Facebook, Twitter, a blog, etc.) to speak out about puppy mills!
  10. Act locally. When people are looking to buy or adopt a pet, they will often ask the advice of their veterinarian, groomer or pet supply store. Ask the owners if you can leave flyers with them.

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Comments

i totally am down for such cruality of these puppies an will help if a needed to ban them

I totally agree.Before today I had no idea what a puppy mill was,but I do now,and I am so ready to find one and trash it.I can't believe that these things are legal in every state!Well,that and the fact that the pound euthenics dogs if they haven't been claimed in two weeks.

Puppy mills are horrible.
I didn't know what they were but now that I do...
Animals should not be treaten that way.
They have feelings too.
Just like us.

my dog came from a puppy mill but we saved her just in time. But now she gets scared very easily

I really love animals but this is kinda cruel to only go after puppies at animal shelters. If puppy mills are so bad then why can't we help the animals there by buying them. i know we should help the animals in the shetler too because honestly it makes me sad to see them there but if these puppies at the mill have it so bad then shouldn't we help them too WHILE we stand out against the puppy mills. I think this is something to think about because i feel bad for the animals in the mills but i also feel bad for the shelter animals. We have to look more at this then just buying the poor shelter animals because the mill animals have it bad too.

I have 2 dogs of my own and i realy hate the fact that these people do this. i can't belive they actually have the nerve to do that. hope that they become illegall

OK i feel so bad for the puppys me and my friends r going to halp these puppys to a good home!!

your right it should be illegal!! I AGREE!!! LOL

my dog, we got him from a puppy mill...he was incredibly sick with a parasite when we brought him home and the vet tech thought he might not make it...thankfully, he's alive and big now, and hes healthy. but puppy mills are horrible.

lets stop them guys

There was a pet store in the mall around my area, and they closed it recently. The store had dogs,birds, hamsters, rabbits, and other animals. When I went in there it was always a little bit depressing because the animals always looked really sad. They also were really skinny, and looked like they hadn't ate in a long time. The dogs were kept in cages that you could see right through a glass window, sometimes the dog couldn't even move! I am really happy that the store closed because now I know future animals, will not be treated badly there. I hope more will close, so that we will be assured that no animals will be treated badly in pet mills.

what is wrong with these people
how could they do that to a dog
i'm not sure how to help, but ill do ANYTHING
<3alwayz,
Kayla

im deffinately going to do this but also raise awarness,
to treat animal withs such inhumane cruelty is horrible, makes me want to cry.

puppy mills are hell for dogs. honestly they make me cry. where i live i think they have alot. im going to stop this somehow.

i totally agree with you...they do have feelings...you can see it in there sad eyes! :(

Molly
I think puppy mills are totally mean. It's not the puppies faults there is an evil owner! Anyway, one of my dogs is from a puppy mill saved by the humane society and his teeth are in horrible shape because he got hit by something, possibly a baseball bat. He's also deaf in one ear. I think we need a lot of people to stop this, but it's necessary.

I think puppy mills are WRONG VERY WRONG it needs to stop NOW

I actually saved a puppy from a puppy store. She had came from a puppy mill and actually looked for ill in the store. The Manage just claimed she had a small cough and was fine to go, I disagreed. I bought her and immediately took her to the vet, turns out she had full blown pneumonia and was on her way to die. I realize that almost every dog in a puppy store could have some sickness from the puppy mills and the employees haven't done anything about it. Puppies are dieing everyday from puppy mills, they are miserable and we need to do something about this.

yeah i think we should save the puppies from the puppy mills while we try to save puppies in a shelter. every puppy needs to be saved from cruelty..

I think puppy mills are ver VERY cruel.I have 2 dogs of my own, and It would be terrible to see them in awful conditions like at the mills. I recently found a puppy on the streets that looked like it was from a puppy mill.She had been breed at the earliest age possible and had very dry, black skin.We took her to the vet for treatment and gave her good food.Soon she was better.But now has alittle sayback from carrying puppies.I'm going to fight puppy mills.And help sheltered animals. I hope someday the mills will go down!THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY!!!!

this is horrible

i am right with ya sister

I agree with all of this . Another thing I do NOT understand is why our PRESIDENT of the united states just got his daughter a puppy but still hasn't focused on closing down this mills . I think the U.S is focused on bigger problems but the little problems need to be accessed to . And i'm not saying mills are a small problem but we all need to do anything we can to help.

I beleive puppy mills should be made illegal, but just because something is illegal doesn't mean they'll just stop. Look at cock fights and dog fights, they're illegal, and people partake in that.
But anyways, I beleive the first step to happier, healthier dogs, is going to your local pet shop and asking if the dogs have ever been outside or on a walk, if not, maybe ask if you can take them for a walk. Some pet shops don't allow that, if not, try to raise money to build a small fenced in area for the puppies. It may not do MUCH, but it's a start.. every little bit helps.

I agree that puppy mills are horrible, but the president had a reason to why he couldn't get one from some pet store or shelter. Maybe you should look into the facts and reasons.

I agree with everyone we should all work together to stop these puppy mills!! I have seen conditions of dogs from puppy mills and it is just plain flat out sad!! We should all write a letter to the president explaining the cruelty of puppy mills!! Most people do not have the money to take there dog(s) into the vet to get care for the diseases puppy mills cause, my family is broke and we were looking for a dog that needed a home, and this lady that lives around my block had a Chihuahua that she needed to get rid of because she already had 4 other dogs. So she said i could have it for free and i told my parents, so they checked it out and the lady said she got it from a mill because it looked so sad in the cage, so she took it to the vet and the vet said it was not going to live much longer so she should take it back to the mill(it has something wrong with its brain and has bone and muscle problems and more) but she had already fallin in love with the puppy and to see it in the cage a again would just brake her heart so she kept it. My parents didn't have enough money for the surgery it would take to heal the puppy so we couldn't take it home with us:(

ha,cruel,more like EVIL!!Bad Conditions,OverBreeding,For What?Money!!Some People are Just EVIL!!What Sane person would do that kind of thing!?I'm telling you this.PUPPY MILLS ARE EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Also to what y'all are saying,I'll just say this.AMEN!!!

A few years ago my mom and I were in a pet store and I saw a cute little puppy that I thought I ought to have. I was jealous that others got puppies from there and I didn't. My mom then told me about puppy mills. I was devastated. People should really focus more on animals shelters because just because they are stray doesn't mean they are bad dogs.

I don't have a pet but I love animals, these animals seem hurt and in need i want to start a club at my school for this!!!

PUPPY MILLS ARE EXTREMELY WRONG!!! I have a dog, but we got her from a breeder. But now that I think about it, my dog is scared of things sometimes. Maybe she was from a puppy mill, or maybe she was abused as a puppy. Awwwww how sad :(

Puppy mills are horrible!
Look up Puppy mills on youtube.
I am a really big dog fan, my family has a Lab named Copper and i have my own dog, shes a Yorkie named Star. I saved up $1,500 for her and got her from a breeder, i met the family and Stars mom, dad, brother, and sisters.
I want to help save dogs from puppymills who arent so lucky to have a loving, caring family to look after them.

If you know of a pet store that sells puppy mill puppies you should talk to the store manager about the situation. They may have no clue whats going on. If that doesn't work you could always start a riot, lol. If they wont listen to reason maybe their customers will. Make fliers and put them up everywhere you can think of: vet offices, school bulletin boards, the business right next to the pet shop *wink ;) Buying the puppy mill puppies only increase the demand to make more. Stopping pet shops from supplying them will help stop the production.

wow im crying..puppy mills are horrible for dogs...I have two dogs and one was a stray the other from a shelter! i am to young to volunteer at the no-kill shelter in my area but i still want to make a difference! This is my new fave website!!!!!

People who own puppy mills are disgusting. The topic makes me sick, that someone could actually be this low. Dogs are living things, like you and me. And to imprison them in cages, forcing them to breed simply so you can make money is so cruel. These dogs deserve better. What did they ever do wrong? I am disgusted that somebody would do this. It makes me so angry.

it is sad that in some Fiction books they describe things like puppy mills and everyone is disgusted but thinks that thinks like that aren't real Its pretty sad actually

Animal crulity is becoming the most sommon crime these days with dog fights and everything. So any way that i can help an aminal i am in!!!

Puppy mills need to be shut down forever. I understand that we should refrain from buying puppies for them, but how do we rescue the dogs that are unfortunate enough to be thrust into that situation?

I volunteer for a no-kill animal shelter in my area. That being said, we've rescued so many puppy mill dogs over the years that I couldn't begin to count them. We've busted three in the past six months. The condition these dogs are in when we get them is absolutely appalling. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure that no other dog in the future has to go through what these dogs have already gone through.

livealittle says:
"I really love animals but this is kinda cruel to only go after puppies at animal shelters. If puppy mills are so bad then why can't we help the animals there by buying them. i know we should help the animals in the shetler too because honestly it makes me sad to see them there but if these puppies at the mill have it so bad then shouldn't we help them too WHILE we stand out against the puppy mills. I think this is something to think about because i feel bad for the animals in the mills but i also feel bad for the shelter animals. We have to look more at this then just buying the poor shelter animals because the mill animals have it bad too."

If you buy a dog from a puppy mill you are contributing to the problem. If people stop buying from puppy mills/ pet store the puppy mills won't make any money. The puppy mill will shut down and the dogs used in the puppy mills will be sent to a shelter. Not buying the puppies is like going on strike. It shows that because they treat their dogs badly we won't buy from them. Don't get sucked in feeling bad for the puppies. There usally a lot more money and have heath problems. If they aren't adopted when their puppies they will probably end up in shelters any way
DONT SHOP ADOPT!

I bought my dog from a shelter, and have a filling he could of been from a puppy mill in our town. Although he was; happy, fat, and slept a whole lot, I think he is pure breed. Now he's one of the happiest, and one of the best dogs that I have ever had.
BEFORE


AFTER, And now 1 years old

Puppy mills Are Bad I do not approve them who knows what they do there!

If you pay for the dogs to get them away from the mill, you're just funding the puppy mill. It's like you might think you're "rescuing" a puppy from a pet store, but really you're just helping them, because you just paid $800 for a puppy that's from a puppy mill. If you rescue from a shelter you can easily get a dog that is guaranteed to NOT be from a puppy mill. If you buy from the puppy mills or a pet store (come on; buying animals from a STORE?!) you're doing exactly what they want. I hope I didn't offend you, I'm just really blunt. And I'm a teen. :D

nightstar_ says

"it is sad that in some Fiction books they describe things like puppy mills and everyone is disgusted but thinks that thinks like that aren't real Its pretty sad actually"

I totally agree with you! I think those kind of books are great, but the authors might not realize that they're are based on reality. They need something like a disclaimer at the beginning of the book.

What horrors creep around a puppy mill, all them animals being abused and mistreated for money. It makes me sick just hearing about it. I just want to go out and bring home every single one of them;D

I agree with livealittle that I feel bad for puppies in a puppy mill. It isn't their fault that they were born into this atrocity. But I also agree that the best thing to do is to boycott these pet stores if you want to help the most. I still think about the sad faces of the dogs in the window. Action must be taken immediately to end puppy mills and get all those dogs to shelters where they can receive proper care and vet attention. I don't want to think that by any lazy abstention on our part an animal was killed by neglect, illness, or abuse.

Let's rally up, guys! Hold protests! Write letters! Something must be done, and soon.

but why would we not want to buy the puppies if we dont then they wont get a home and be stuck there forever?

puppy mills are horrible! i dont see how anyone could stand themselves after doing such things. I got my puppy from a home with a lot of animals, too many animals, so i hate seeing them being mistreated. same with fur factories, something has to be dont about it.

Puppy Mills are so horrible. About two years ago, my mother worked for Papa Johns, and she was making a delivery, and the place was back off in the woods (cause we lived in a hick town) and she was walking up she heard dogs barking. When the lady oped the door, my mom saw cages stacked on top of each other with dogs pilled in them, and she said it smelled like death. The next day, we called the animal rescue for our county, and they had my mother show them where the place was, and i am happy to say that the people were caught and prosecuted.

I adopted my dog Lucas 2 years ago from my local SPCA. He is my best friend. Don't be afraid to adopt from shelters. You will find a friend who has so much love to give and only wants love in return.

I had no idea these innocent creatures were treated so horribly. I don't think I will ever understand how people could be that cruel. I will do what I can to help!

i never knew wat a puppy mill was like.. now that i kno. i am deffinately goin to take a stand.(:

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