Puppy Mills

Oh, puppy mills can break your heart thinking about them. The thing to do is not buy from pet stores. I don't care what they say, unless you can find out where these dogs are coming from. Don't buy dogs from backyard breeders - just as bad. Get your dog from the pound. Think how many of these dogs are euthanized every day. Or get your dog from a rescue group - Petfinder online has tons of resources. Go into pet stores and make remarks about where these dogs came from. Be brave.

Simple answer; get them outlawed, along with all forms of factory farming, long distance travel to pet stores and slaughter houses. Of course, that's far too simple an answer to get us anywhere... but that should be the final goal. I have a friend who believes owning any animals should be outlawed (she's a real hardcore vegan), and you know... I'm starting to see her point. I love animals, from the lowly greenfly to the mighty blue whale. I've had pets all my life and I can only look forward to the day I own my own place so I can finally get some life in here. However, I think I'd be willing to give up my ideal life (many furry, scaly, feathered friends to love and care for) if I knew that there would never be anymore neglected and abused pets.

Good question! As long as these large pet store chains keep buying from them, they will be in existence. I think there needs to be some kind of regulations in place for large breeding operations of animals. It's sad! The animals are the ones that suffer. All these places care about is money.

Truly, it is going to be very tough to stop the puppy mills. As long as they are making money, they will keep going. Pet stores buy from them, individuals buy from them. It would take a large scale effort to get everyone (pet stores included) to stop buying from the puppy mills, to make the industry stop. It is horrible, but that is just the way it is.

I think it has gotten better than it used to be. I used to raise Pembroke Welsh Corgis. I was a "backyard breeder" far removed from the puppy mill thing. I had one female, and I bred her once a year. Usually I had all of the puppies sold to private buyers, but I had taken two pups to a pet store once, and after they had them vet checked and all, they bought them, then continued to call me for more pups. My pups were sold within two days. This pet store would not buy from puppy mills. They wanted socialized puppies. They sold better, they adapted better. I think part of the problem is the pet stores. They should be made to report where they get their puppies from to a state agency. If it is aparent that someone is selling various breeds in large numbers then chances are they are a puppy mill. The state could then track them. I have a distant cousin who owns a kennel. She raises various breeds, but, every one of her dogs are given the best of care. She knows every dog on her place by sight. I used to go help her once in awhile and she encouraged her two employees to take the time to play with the dogs and pups. The dogs she has have been champions in show. As have their offspring. She gets calls from all over the nation for her puppies. I have spent days helping when summer is coming, clipping dogs, or just on a regular worming day helping worm dogs and vaccinating them. She microchips all of her puppies. They can all be traced. I think the states could mandate some type of monitoring systems through pet stores to cut down on the puppy mill situation. That's the only way they can find them.

I don't know what to do to try and stop animal cruelty, it is a worldwide problem to the point that even famous people are in on it....I mean look at michael Vick he was convicted of dogfighting and he is a millionaire, who made millions of dollars a year and he didn't have to work everyday of the year....I mean what was the sense in having dogs that you just try to train for fighting...I mean I really don't think people would like it if others made them get inside a cage and fight others and then if they didn't win kill them. So I don't know why people do it to animals!