Puppies for Profit
Among the saddest tales that dogs have to tell us are those told by our canine friends who spend their lives at puppy mills. Locked up and mistreated, these dogs suffer in cramped quarters, lack opportunities for exercise, companionship, and play, and live out their lives in squalid conditions. 
There are many descriptions of this process that can make any reader feel terrible. We assure you that the statistics are bad, the pictures horrifying, the process nauseating.
Combating puppy mills is a question of two elements:
- How to act individually
- How to act together
The following suggestions are designed to help you pick out the right dog for you on a personal level and that information is accompanied by suggestions on how to get involved with others to fight the problem.
What is a Puppy Mill?
A puppy mill is a breeding organization that is geared toward manufacturing the most puppies possible for the least expense. The dogs are kept alive enough to get the reproduction done, but any sense of care, compassion, or humanity is left out. The operation typically houses its dogs in cages with a breeding female kept as long as she is useful. The puppies are also kept in cages and denied adequate veterinary care and the socialization needed for normal, healthy development.
How Do I Avoid Buying a Puppy from a Puppy Mill?
Purchase your puppy from a local breeder whom you can meet with or adopt from a sheltor. Take time to visit the breeder's home and inspect the situation for yourself. You will find that good breeders are as interested in you, your knowledge, and your intentions as you are in their puppy.
An informal interview is often conducted, with the breeder checking to ensure that your home is a good one for the puppy. Be willing to answer the kind of questions you would ask before turning your dog over to someone else. As annoying as this might be to the potential puppy owner, it is a sign of a breeder concerned about the dog's long term interests. That is very important, so look for a breeder who wants to know about you.
Ideally, the puppies have been raised inside with their mother around humans and being socialized to domestic life from the start. Request the puppy's papers and ask questions.
Questions to Ask a Breeder When Buying a Puppy
- What are the parents like?
- Can you meet the mother and father?
- What is the family health history?
- Is it possible to meet other dogs that this breeder has sent out into the community?
- Does the breeder take her dogs back if an event forces you to give them up?
- Does the breeder have dogs of her own?
- How do they act around her?
- Do the dogs look healthy and act friendly?
Puppy mill breeders will fail most of these tests, if not all. Surely a prospective buyer that views the mill's operations, discovering the caged and sickly mother, her offspring packed like sardines in a can, the missing, incomplete medical records, etc. will pass on the opportunity to purchase from this operation.
The other option is to get your puppy or dog from a local shelter. These are dogs that need a second chance. Many purebreds are available, as well as a wonderful assortment of good looking mixed breeds.
Pet Stores - DO NOT BUY PUPPIES FROM PET STORES!
Clean, well organized stores purchase the puppies from puppy mills. They then sell the puppies to unsuspecting customers, thus turning a profit for the store and the puppy mill breeder.
Internet - SHOW CAUTION WHEN BUYING PUPPIES ONLINE!
The internet can serve the same function for preying on the trusting customer. You can purchase a dog first found on the internet (such as a search for local classified ads), but research must be conducted. The absolute no-no is looking at the web-page only and ordering a puppy you have never met, from a person you don't know, without any proof that the breeder is reputable.
What Can I Do to Solve the Puppy Mill Problem?
- Do not purchase a puppy from a store or over the internet without tracking down and investigating where he came from.
- Encourage everyone you know who is considering a puppy to do their homework before selecting their new companion.
- Adopt from local shelters and rescue organizations; though some of their dogs were born on puppy mills, picking one from these good places does not support the puppy mill operation (their profit is $0 when you go to a local shelter).
- If adopting from a shelter or rescue organization, find out about the puppy's health before moving forward. It is tragic that so many heritable diseases are bred, but they are and you should know the risks of a puppy before falling for her.
- Support organizations like the ASPCA and the Humane Society in their organized efforts to combat this issue.
- Volunteer to help out at a local shelter.
- Donate to local shelters.
- Contact your representatives, be it at the local, state, or federal level.
- Keep track of elected officials' Humane Society scorecard, to press them on issues you believe in that they did not support and praise them on ones they did.
- Contact important businesses in the pet industry and let them know how you feel.
- Spay or neuter your pets. Overpopulation in the dog and cat community is a problem - and it also takes up shelter space. Responsible citizens can reduce this problem while freeing up space at local shelters needed to take in puppy mill puppies and dogs after a raid (or when they are found abandoned).
- Report violations to the proper authorities.
Currently the problem persists because there is money to be made in the field. Neither the appearance nor the cost of the dog is a guarantee of good breeding.
Be wise when selecting your puppy. Take the time to get to know the puppy's family, human and dog, and make sure that you are putting yourself and your family in a position to succeed. The early periods of a dog's life are critical for socialization and normal development. Good breeders care and take the steps to make it happen, to make happy dogs. Puppy mill breeders do not care and do not take the steps. Do what is right for you and your future companion.
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