what are puppy mills? and why is it bad to get a puppy from the pet store?

Answer 1

Puppy mills are where a dog is bred indiscriminately, time after time. Dogs are kept in tiny cages and are only used for breeding.
I work in rescue and have been out to assist in 10 mill rescues, the conditions these dogs are kept in are inhumane and torturous!!!!!

The cages are barely big enough for the dog, usually they have wire bottoms, the dogs often have sores and cuts all over them from the wire, they are often covered in feces and often have numerous health problems.

One mill was the worst I have ever seen, the white poodles were so matted and covered in dirt and fecal matter they looked black.
One dog had double cherry eye so bad, she couldn't even see! There were dead dogs and puppies all over, and other dogs were eating the remains! The smell....it was just...there isnt even a word for it, it made many of the volunteers vomit.

These animals are not cared for, and are used as money makers.

Many pet stores buy from puppy mills, puppies are often unhealthy. Pet stores can get the puppies for a cheap price, because the puppy mill just cranks out puppies of all different breeds, year round.

Pictures of puppy mills ...Next time you see the cute puppies in the stores, think about their parents, in these living hells:
http://www.therathole.org/critters/millpics.html
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21276
http://www.turner.com/planet/promotions/puppies/prisoners.html
http://www.recycledrussells.com/mills.htm

Answer 2

A "puppy mill" is when someone uses his/her dogs to breed as many puppies as possible in order to make money selling the puppies. Often the dogs are kept in cages like they were chickens! All they do is breed, they have no life. When they are old, or don't have enough puppies per litter they are killed or sent to the pound.

The reason people say don't buy from a pet store is because there is no way of knowing where those puppies came from. Maybe they came from a puppy mill. Maybe they were raised in a cage and haven't had human contact. Maybe the mother dog was abused. If you buy from a pet store you may be supporting a very ugly and inhumane business.

If you want a puppy, buy from someone who loves his/her dogs - and go see the place in person. You'll know if it is a puppy mill! They won't want you to see it! They'll offer to deliver the puppy instead. You should see the mother dog, the living conditions, etc.

Also, you can get a puppy from the shelter, but be SURE to get one that is friendly and not a scaredy cat. Puppies MUST have human contact when they are small, or they will never be safeand loving pets.

Answer 3

Puppy mills are a horrible way of farming dogs. It means keeping a mother dog pregnant and nursing over and over until she dies. Puppy mills usually never do any sort of health testing or genetic sorting, so the puppies usually have MAJOR health problems, as well as skin, eye and coat diseases too. The goal of a puppy mill is to produce as many puppies as quickly as possible without spending any money. The dogs are kept in disgusting locations, usually tight, cold and small, and are left in their own waste. Pet stores buy their puppies from puppy mills (even if they don't know it or won't admit it) because it costs a fraction of what a registered pure bred would cost.

Answer 4

Puppy mills are where dog breeders breed too many dogs and keep them in horrible conditions, just to make money. The puppies are not healthy because they haven't been cared for properly and are often abused and/or have so little human contact, they are afraid of people and have no social skills. Any puppies that aren't up to the breed standard are often 'disposed' of. Pet stores are not a good place to get puppies because they get their 'supplies' of puppies from puppy mills...that keeps the puppy mills in business and continues the process of abuse. Also, if you get a puppy from the Humane Society or another local shelter, you are providing a loving home for a homeless dog. You can often get purebred dogs at shelters or thru breed rescue groups.

Answer 5

More often than not, puppies at a pet store originate from a puppy mill. They're not sold for responsible pet owners, they're sold for impulse buyers or those who are ill informed. Puppies from puppy mills are bred often though inbreeding, and little if any attention is paid to genetics and quality breeding. Steer clear from these puppies

If there's a specific breed you want, find a responsible breeder or even look into rescue groups. As cute as the puppy at the pet store is (as all puppies are), buy with your head and not your heart.

Answer 6

Puppy mills are intentional inhumane and unethical treatment and large scale breeding of animals for profit. The animals are mistreated, unhealthy and often not socialized and fearful of humans.
It is bad to buy puppies from pet store (or any animal for that fact) because the animal is usually taken away form it's mother much to soon so the store can profit from the cuteness of the animal and sell it quick. Buying from pet stores only encourage this practice. A puppy taken for it's mum too soon is not socialized and may have behavioral issues. Besides there are many animals that need homes out there without buying check your local paper or humane society for a pup.

Answer 7

I think you will get a flood of answers... just look at them on the internet and you'll know! Buying a puppy from a pet store only supports puppy mills and keeps them going. There will always be bad breeders, but we can do our part and not buy from a pet store. Plus, stores usually over price thier pups and then you take a sick puppy home, unknowingly, and end up paying even more in vet bills.

Answer 8

Puppy mills (or puppy farms as they are sometimes referred to) are small holdings where people breed many different breeds of dog all at once, and churn out puppies with no regard for their welfare or care, for their own personal profit. Often inbred, these puppies are riddled with health problems which the buyers are not alerted to. The puppies are kept in cramped, disgusting conditions and often suffer psychologically ie constant spinning in circles and behavioural difficulties. Your instinct is to buy a pup to save it, but you're actually contributing to this evil trade by giving the owner more scope to breed yet more unhealthy puppies, half of which will die young due to health problems and also that aren't of sound disposition.

Pet shops often obtain their pets from puppy farms so this is number 1 reason why not to buy. Also you don't get any advice or information on how to rear and care for your puppy. Certain breeds need thorough daily grooming and visits to a dog groomer, which they neglect to tell you.

Answer 9

PUPPY MILLS ARE PLACES THAT BREED AND BREED AND BREED WITH LITTLE CONCERN FOR THE HEALTH AND CARE OF THE DOGS. THEY'RE GENERALLY KEPT IN TINY CAGES, LIMITED EXCERSISE, AND NO AFFECTION. MONEY KEEPS THEM IN BUSINESS. SOME OF THEM WILL EVEN BREED MOTHERS AND SONS OR FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS TOGETHER. PET STORES TEND TO BUY THESE PUPPY'S AT A WICKED DISCOUNT, THEN SELL THEM FOR A HUGE PROFIT. THE NEW PUPPY OWNER THINKS THEY'RE GETTING A QUALITY PUPPY UNTIL THE PUPPY GETS OLDER AND ENDS UP HAVING ALL KINDS OF ISSUES. GO TO A SHELTER AND ADOPT A PUPPY THAT NEEDS TO BE LOVED. MIXED BREEDS TEND TO NOT HAVE ALL THE GENETIC PROBLEMS THAT A PUREBRED HAS.

Answer 10

puppy mills are basically dog factories. Dogs are kept and bred to produce "purebred" breeds to sell to dog stores.

These dogs are kept in cages, they are NOT loved and cared for, but treated as a commodity. The puppies are often sold before they are old enough to be weaned. The parents are often in bad health, and not often given proper care. The puppies, too, are often of poor health.

Puppy mills are abusive to all the dogs they handle, they are neglectful and inhumane to all the animals they handle.