| In America, the desire to own a pet is common | | | | that the dog is sick. If they don't notice the signs |
| amongst many families. There is just something | | | | right away and take the puppy to a vet, the |
| about a new puppy that brings happiness to a | | | | puppy will usually die from whatever sickness it |
| home. There are many places to purchase a | | | | had. After learning of the conditions of puppy mills, |
| puppy, pet stores being a popular choice. When | | | | it does not surprise me that these puppies are |
| we go to the pet store, we always seem to fall | | | | sick. It all comes back to the fact that we need |
| in love with that one little fur ball behind the | | | | to know where the puppy we are going to buy is |
| window. But does anyone ever wonder where | | | | coming from. We need to see their parents and |
| these puppies came from? They certainly weren't | | | | meet the breeders. If anyone had gone to the |
| born here at the corner pet shop. Do we ever | | | | puppy mill itself to buy a puppy, there is no way |
| get to see the parents of these puppies? Do we | | | | they would leave with a smile. A sick puppy would |
| ever wonder if the puppies were born in the best | | | | be an automatic guarantee. |
| of conditions? Did they receive the proper care, | | | | Every year, an estimated 5 million dogs and cats |
| shelter, food, water, and exercise from their | | | | are euthanized in animal shelters. This means that |
| breeders? It would be a wake up call if only | | | | roughly 7,000 dogs are euthanized every day. |
| every family in America knew the answers to | | | | Now, imagine if 7,000 people buy a puppy from a |
| these questions. | | | | pet store every day. They are fueling the cycle |
| The over crowded and unsanitary conditions of | | | | of puppy mills because pet stores are usually |
| puppy mills have been an ever growing problem | | | | supplied by them. If those people redirected their |
| for decades. The breeding facilities are often filthy | | | | source and adopted a dog from an animal shelter, |
| and appalling. The smell of urine overpowers these | | | | they would be sparing the life of 7,000 dogs. But |
| facilities. Stagnant water sits in a bowl that no dog | | | | as long as puppy mills keep going strong, we are |
| will go near. In cages lay piles of dog feces that | | | | never going to break this cycle. The only way |
| have been there for too long. It is not uncommon | | | | that puppy mills may possibly shut down is if they |
| for a dead puppy to lay there to rot for days. | | | | can no longer make a profit. The other possibility |
| Does this sound like the place you want to buy | | | | is that more strict laws are set in for puppy |
| your puppy from? Several dogs spend most of | | | | breeding facilities, but we all know that there are |
| their lives behind the bars of a cage. Inside these | | | | ways around the law. |
| tiny cages they start to develop mental issues | | | | We cannot possibly count the amount of stray |
| that make them stir-crazy, causing them to run | | | | dogs roaming the streets, so keep that in mind as |
| around in circles until they fall down. They do not | | | | well. Sometimes people take strays in, but in |
| get to run around or play and some may never | | | | most cases they just turn a blind eye. In some |
| get to be part of a family. These dogs never | | | | cases, people take the problem of strays into |
| even see a hair brush, which results in fur so | | | | their own hands and kill the dog themselves. |
| matted some cannot even open their eyes, let | | | | There have been cases like this reported, so we |
| alone walk around without the constant tugging of | | | | can add this unknown amount to the growing list |
| hair from all the knots. Often time's teeth become | | | | of dogs dying every year. |
| so rotten that the dogs tongue hangs out of his | | | | With this in mind, I believe that the only way we |
| or her mouth all of the time. These dogs are | | | | can break the cycle is to stop supporting puppy |
| bread constantly and when they are no longer of | | | | mills. Either people are unaware of this terrible |
| use to the breeders due to the loss of fertility, | | | | cycle or they just don't care. The best way to |
| they are given away, left out on the streets | | | | stop this viscous cycle is to adopt from an animal |
| somewhere, or killed. | | | | shelter or buy from a trusted, reputable breeder. |
| Numerous lawsuits have been filed due to the | | | | Can we possibly resist going into a pet store and |
| purchases of sick puppies from pet stores. At | | | | buying a cute puppy on impulse? Can we set our |
| first it just seems that the dogs are very shy or | | | | own desires aside to save thousands of dog's |
| tired, but the truth is they are suffering. People | | | | lives? It sounds so simple, but nothing seems to |
| end up buying them and usually start seeing signs | | | | be changing. |