Behind the welcoming frontage of the community pet shop frequently lays a puppy mill. Puppy mills are nothing out of the ordinary.These crowded dog-breeding businesses have been around for decades. There seems to be no end in sight to these dreadful operations, because they continually thrive on consumers who are love-struck by the puppies in the pet shop windows. Oprah recently featured the horrid conditions of puppy mills to bring awareness to this sad plight.

Dogs live their entire lives in overcrowded cages and are bred repeatedly for years. Rape stands are in evidence on the properties. Most of the animals will never know what it is like to be part of a family. Usually the dogs receive no veterinary care and will never know any other surface then the hard, cold, and unsanitary cage. After they are no longer able to breed, mother dogs are usually killed. The result of puppy mills is thousands of puppies with many risks of health problems.

The puppies are shipped across the country to be sold in pet shops. Many shops often make phony assertions such as, “We’d neversell puppies from a puppy mill.” Since puppy mills are a business, they aredesigned purely for profit instead of the well-being of the dogs. They seem to navigate around every law made against cruelty to animals.

The Humane Society of the United States has been inspecting puppy mills for decades. The investigation reveals the unkind realism of the commercial dog- breeding industry. They have petitioned to change current laws as well as added money to impose the laws. The Humane society has educated millions of consumers on the reasons why they should avoid puppy mill puppies. There is still more work to be done and still thousands of puppy mills need to be shut down.

Some dogs have survived long enough to be placed with a caring family. Many die due to physical ailments, bad breeding, and poor conditions. Pepper is a small Yorkshire terrier who was born in a puppy mill in Arkansas. After Pepper was saved from the mill, he had a severe urinary infection and tested positive for Parvovirus (a highly contagious virus that attacks the intestines and causes shedding to the inner layers of the intestine). The veterinarian felt he had a thirty percent chance of recovery.After several days of intense hospital care, Pepper beat the odds. He, however,cannot walk or stand at this time due to living in a crowded cage. With loving encouragement, he is slowly learning how to put one paw in front of another.

Pepper suffered a few of the many bad conditions puppy mill canines go through. Typically, their hair will grow into their chains and in some cases the chains will become embedded into their own skin.They are commonly nervous or cannot walk on normal surfaces. Because of heavy breeding females are exhausted and battered. They often have tooth decay and dislocated bones.

The number one puppy-buying tip is ADOPTION. There are dozens of dogs to choose from at the local animal shelter. It is almost asure thing that there will be a perfect match. You could also look for aresponsible breeder, but never buy a puppy without seeing their premises. The best advice is to adopt and to spay and neuter. Thousands of innocent animals are euthanized daily.

It is time to stop puppy mills once and for all and give dogs the chance to enjoy human companionship. If you know anyone who is considering buying a puppy, give them puppy buying tips. Educate people everywhere about puppy mills and their shockingly poor conditions. Speak up and maybe there can be hope for millions of dogs everywhere.

Two rules to live by ADOPT don't buy and SPAY and NEUTER. Shelters and rescue groups spay and neuter all animals put up for adoption.

Shelter dogs are used as drug and bomb sniffing dogs and serve their country in that capacity. Therapy dogs come from shelters. Companion dogs are out there just waiting to be adopted. Make the need for puppy mills unnecessary by adopting.