by Brenda Nelson

Created on: February 15, 2009   Last Updated: February 22, 2009

Most people see cute puppies in pet store windows, and without thinking, may make a purchase. Sometimes they feel they are saving the puppy, but in fact they are condemning hundreds of breeding dogs to a horrid live, and thousands of puppies to a horrid start.

Puppy Mills

A Puppy Mill is ANY place that breeds puppies for the purpose of making a profit. They do not breed for genetic superiority, nor for intelligence, nor for longevity, nor for confirmation... only profit. They breed to produce quantity, not quality. They do not worry about the physical, or mental health, of the parent, as long as they can produce pups. Often they cater to "cuteness", small sells, so it is not uncommon for them to stunt dogs with poor nutrition. The parents are generally kept in small cages, sometimes stacked on top of one another. No additional expense is occurred. They are fed and housed cheaply. Vet attention is only given as a last resort, or sometimes not at all.

The females are bred repeatedly, their bodies given no time to rest or recover. They are killed or abandoned when they are no longer useful. The majority of puppy mill adults are not adoptable, they are not socialized, and may have never even walked on grass. They often become mentally unstable because of the substandard conditions of their life. They are not house broken. Often Puppy Mills have more than one breed of dog, and more than one breeding animal of each breed. Even the cleanest puppy mill is a problem because they are not breeding for anything other than money. No regard to genetics or traits other than cuteness.

Back Yard Breeders

Not much better than the Puppy Mill breeder, it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. In many cases the only difference is the people actually include the dog as a pet. They may spend a little more money on dog care and well being. However, they are the same as bad as a puppy mill in that they breed for no reason other than to produce pups for profit. They have no regard to genetics or mental health. Back yard breeders often produce mixed breed dogs. The parent dogs have not attended shows to prove their worth as breeding animals.

Pet Stores

Pet stores will deny buying from Puppy Mills, but who else would sell to a store? A reputable breeder would not sell to a store and would never hide anonymously behind a store front, nor would they need to. Who needs to hide? Pet stores buy pups as cheap as they can, and sell for as much as they can. They are stores, they are in the business of

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