What is a Puppy Mill? Puppy mills are horrible places where many, sometimes hundreds, of various purebred and mixed dogs are kept purely for profit. They are forced to live in dirty, cramped and diseased conditions, they receive little or no veterinary care. They will often live in the same pen or wire cage their entire life, producing litter after litter until they are infertile. Many of these dogs are inbred. When these dogs are no longer making a profit for the owner, they are destroyed, sold to lab, or simply discarded. They receive no cuddles, no love, no affection, and no dignity.
Puppies & adult dogs in puppy mills are often malnurished, diseased, geneticaly deformed and of unknown breed origin. These puppies are taken from their mothers too early and sold to pet stores and the general public and usually not given any kind of medical health warantee. They will almost NEVER allow buyers to visit their home and view their "kennel's".
An estimated 9 out of 10 puppies in your local pet store are from puppy mills. They are shipped in big trucks by the hundreds and some don't make it to their destination alive. Many have been in these trucks for several days without proper food and water, without air conditioning or heat. At the pet store you may have noticed breed names like "Shih Tzu Type Dog", or when you ask where the puppy is from they refuse to tell you. Also because there are many dogs sold with fake registration, you may also notice that most of these dogs were born on a Monday.
Puppy milling, or farming, is considered animal cruelty, these organizations must be stopped and shut down. The owner must be held accountable for their actions. The biggest help you can do is buy from a reputable breeder, not from pet stores or other such organizations, or Adopt your next pet from your local animal shelter. Older animals make wonderful companions too.
Animals are innocent, dependent and rely on us to make sure that they are well taken care of. They can not speak for themselves, that's our job. So Please take care of your pet!