Tips on How to Avoid Puppy Mills

The dirtiest secret of the dog world is puppy mills. In case you don’t know, here’s some info. The act of breeding dogs in mass in an unfavorable condition with little or no human interaction is referred to as a puppy mill. The possibility that you are just hearing about it doesn’t mean it’s a new trend. In fact, it has been around for decades. Arguably, the worst thing about puppy mills is that the dogs are only used for breeding, and nothing else. When they stop breeding, they are either discarded or euthanized.

Where to find dogs bred this way

Although we cannot say definitively that all the dogs in pet shops and flea markets are bred this way, they are mostly found in those places. They can also be purchased from the internet. You may need to avoid buying dogs from pet shops that don’t tell you how they were bred.

You need to be educated about puppy mills in order to avoid buying puppies bred in such horrible conditions.

Why it’s bad to purchase puppies from puppy mills

Merely looking at some of the dogs you may think that there’s no difference between the ones bred in puppy mills and the ones bred in a normal condition. However, puppies bred in mills only serve to make the breeder richer. The breeder does not provide adequate nutrition, space, and attention. These types of dog have little interaction with people, hence they might not respond properly to training. They are used to unfavorable conditions and harsh treatment, which makes it possible for the dogs to be very aggressive and/or develop mental disorders.

Are they healthy to keep in your home? NO! The majority of dogs bred in puppy mills are not healthy due to the unhygienic environment in which they live.

Before you buy a puppy, make sure you ask a few questions to be sure where the dog is actually coming from. It’s most likely that pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills, however they should be able to tell you more about it. You might need to look at the documentation in order to confirm where the puppy was bred. In case the documentation is deceitful (you may not always be able to tell,) you may have to look for somewhere else to purchase your puppy. You need to be sure that the puppy is from reputable source such as the Humane Society.

Another thing you need to do is to familiarize yourself with the law concerning animal/pet care and breeding in your region. In case there’s any inconveniences, you can easily convey it to your local agent.

Buying puppies from puppy stores doesn’t mean you can’t get puppies from a reputable breeder, but you need to be sure that you know what they are trying to sell you.

You can help prevent animal mistreatment by reporting to the appropriate agency, and avoid purchasing from illegal breeders.

Animals bred in puppy mills are never treated properly. Tell someone if you know of any mills and help prevent harsh treatment on animals.

Mutts are healthier, anyway! Consider adopting! (Places to adopt: Humane Society, APA, StrayRescue)