The Puppy Mill Project Rocks.....

What you should know
Facts and Common Misconceptions
Puppy mills commercially breed dogs. They are poorly regulated by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Under the Animal Welfare Act, dogs are considered "livestock". This enables mass production of dogs in horrible conditions. The dogs are bred and sold in the same way as chickens or cows. They are purchased from the mills by brokers who then take them to a "distribution facility" where they are put on a truck and shipped to pet stores.
The dogs live in deplorable conditions. They are kept in wire cages. They are denied adequate exercise, medical care and water. The cages are filthy and the dogs must sit, eat and sleep in their own mess. They are not bathed or cleaned. The adult dogs are bred every heat cycle until they can no longer produce puppies or are no longer profitable. Then they are disposed of by poisoning, drowning or by gunshot. A few get rescued.

PLEASE - DON'T BE FOOLED!!
Thinking of buying a puppy at a pet store? They're so cute!!! Do you know where that puppy comes from? Do you know the breeder? Are they reputable?
When you buy a puppy at a pet store, you are not "rescuing" that dog - you are perpetuating a cycle. They will fill the empty cage the next day. When you see that cute puppy in the window of a pet store, it is likely that it came from a place like the one pictured above. A commercial dog breeding facility or puppy mill where dogs are constantly bred so the puppies can be sold on the Internet or in pet stores.

HERE ARE SOME FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY:
Buying a puppy from a pet store, internet site and through newspaper ads supports puppy mills.
Pet stores, that sell puppy mill puppies to consumers, are committing consumer fraud. They tell consumers that their puppies come from responsible breeders, when in fact they come from inhumane puppy mills. Pet stores deceive the public by telling their customer they use local, private, USDA approved, responsible and home breeders. They can say anything they want to get you to buy the dog. Puppy mills sell the puppies for $300 - $500, brokers sell them to the pet stores for $400 - $800, and the stores sell them to the public for $600 - $3000 per puppy! Huge profits are made at the expense of the dogs in the mills.
Even buying a puppy online supports puppy mills.

Internet sales of animals are not regulated by the USDA, so online pet stores can evade all regulatory requirements. Puppy mills can sell puppies online and directly thru newspaper ads easily, without a need for a pet store with a store-front to impress and fool consumers. Don’t be fooled by beautiful web sites! They can portray any image they want but the reality of the “kennel” is not what they say. Be aware of a “breeder” who will ship a dog overnight.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS:
“A pet store I visited said that their puppies come from responsible breeders.”
Responsible breeders only sell their dogs personally (never in a store or online) because they want to ensure that their dogs are going to quality homes. Don’t be fooled by this! Anyone who puts two dogs together and produces puppies can be called a breeder.
“If I want a specific dog breed I have to buy from a pet store.”

Every dog breed has a rescue and a kennel club. Ask them for names of responsible breeders and by the way pocket puppies are not a breed.
“Only designer dogs come from puppy mills.”

No dog breed is immune to the horrors of puppy mills, from Cocker Spaniels to Golden Retrievers, and Labradoodles to Puggles, all dogs.
“If I want to get a dog right now I should buy from a pet store where they are waiting in the window for me.”

Don’t let a need for instant gratification get the best of you, you may be able to buy a dog now, but you may pay for it later in veterinary costs due to the poor conditions that the dog was born in.
“Pet stores have guarantees that ensure I buy a quality dog.”

The guarantees many times protect the the store's interest more than the customer. Some only last for a very limited amount of time and may not allow for health problems to surface, if you return a dog realize that it will be returned to the puppy mill to become a breeding dog or simply killed.
“Dogs from pet stores come with papers of authenticity from a kennel club, so it must be a quality dog?”

Papers are purchased and not earned, with kennel clubs and unofficial ‘registration’ organizations providing paperwork for a small fee to anyone willing to pay, the only way to ensure a quality dog is to meet the dog’s parents in person. A responsible breeder has nothing to hide! The AKC and APRI will register a puppy mill dog.

The Puppy Mill Project.