The sad truth behind that doggie in the window

He calls you from behind the glass. He is a little dog, only eight weeks old. It has a cute little ear and a big paw. His big, lonely eyes seemed to beg me: “Take me away from this pet shop and love me!”

1. But if he could talk, what else would he say? And could you bear to hear his story?

He’d start by telling you how he got here. He’d recount his cramped, cross-country trip in a disease-filled truck. Then he’d describe the overcrowded hellhole he came from, where his parents still suffer, living in filthy wire cages. As his heartbreaking story unfolds, he’d plead for you to listen. And he’d implore you to act now—to join with other compassionate animal lovers and put a permanent end to puppy mills.

2. What are Puppy Mills?

A puppy factory is a commercial breeding facility for the mass production of puppies. Some factories have dozens of dogs, while others have thousands of dogs. However, regardless of size, most puppy processing plants have many common basic characteristics:

• Barking dogs, crammed together in rows of small crowded cages.
• Stinking air, full of ammonia, urine, and feces.
• Nowhere for dogs to play or go for a walk. No toys or soft bedding.
• No human affection or socialization.
• Just disease, neglect, and breeding—over and over. Every six months, malnourished female dogs are forced to have yet another litter of puppies.

Puppy mills typically have one priority: profits. To lower costs, dogs are continually caged—exposed to rain, heat, and cold. This causes the dogs to exhibit neurotic behavioral patterns, such as nonstop spinning in place or eating their own feces. Insufficient veterinary care also often leads to rotten teeth, infected eyes, and painful sores. If a puppy mill dog is ever taken from her cage and placed on the grass, it’s not unusual for her to cower in fear since turf under her paws is an alien sensation.

3. Half a million puppies are born in puppy mills every year.

At about eight weeks of age, factory puppies – cages that did not succumb to stress and unsanitary conditions – were taken away from their mothers. They are either sold online or shipped to pet stores.

For bitches, the breeding cycle starts again and again until their breeding season stops. Then they are usually killed – usually in a cruel way. For the puppy, this heartbreaking story has just begun. If they survive a long trip to the pet store and are loaded into trucks with other sick puppies, they will usually be sold to unsuspecting customers for thousands of dollars.

4. Pet shops lie about selling puppies from puppy mills.

At about eight weeks of age, factory puppies – cages that did not succumb to stress and unsanitary conditions – were taken away from their mothers. They are either sold online or shipped to pet stores.

For bitches, the breeding cycle starts again and again until their breeding season stops. Then they are usually killed – usually in a cruel way. For the puppy, this heartbreaking story has just begun. If they survive a long trip to the pet store and are loaded into trucks with other sick puppies, they will usually be sold to unsuspecting customers for thousands of dollars.

5. Pet shops lie about selling puppies from puppy mills.

All pet shops deny using puppy mills. They usually say, “No, we don’t buy dogs from puppy mills.” We only buy from breeders licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ” But the fact is that most breeders licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are puppy processors.

Many USDA-licensed facilities are massive—some hold over a thousand animals. But even smaller ones still keep animals in unhealthy confinement. USDA rules are lax, and USDA inspectors allow thousands of animal welfare violations to go uncited and unpunished every year. Nearly every video and picture of a breeding facility on the CAPS website is from a USDA-licensed business. All of them are mills.

6. Pet shops will say whatever it takes to sell an animal.

Pet shops might say, “This breeder raises dogs in his home.” Or, “It’s illegal for us to sell puppy mill animals.” Both are lies. But these lies often ease the fear of potential customers and deceive them into buying a puppy. Then, the last round of tragedy began. Animals may begin to show some or all of the following characteristics:

• Illnesses
• Behavioral issues.
• Hereditary defects from inbreeding.

These are the direct consequences of puppy mill breeding. Unsuspecting customers are just looking for healthy, lifelong friends. They find themselves paying amazing veterinary bills and caring for animals with worrying behavior problems. This often leads customers to abandon their newly purchased animals in shelters. The chances of people living there are very low. Every year, 1.5 million animals in shelters are euthanized.

But mills keep flooding the market with more puppies. Customers who surrendered their dogs at shelters will often return to pet shops to buy more—unaware of the hidden root of their animals’ problems. Customers proceed under the well-intentioned but misguided belief that buying that doggie in the window will “save him.” But in reality, they are keeping puppy mills in business and condemning that puppy’s parents to live in a cage.

7. How to Avoid Supporting Animal Mills.

Never buy animals from pet stores. Responsible breeders will not sell to pet stores because this process does not allow screening of potential buyers.

Adopt your companion animal from a local shelter or rescue center. This is the simplest way to avoid the heartbreak and pain of the mills. You can find animals of all ages and breeds, including purebred animals. To find a shelter in your area, visit www.petfinder.com

8. Stand with Us to Help Stop the Suffering.

Whether you are an animal lover or just a compassionate person who hates the idea of animals suffering in mills, join with CAPS to change this industry.

We invite you to explore our website for information on the following and more:

• Undercover investigations of mills.
• Video investigations of pet shops.
• Our work creating new laws that protect animals.
• Donate now to help us continue these efforts and many more.