Please don't support Puppy Mills - do your research before buying your dog!!

Some of you may be asking, what is a puppy mill?

Puppy mills, also know as puppy farms, are inhumane businesses that breed dogs indiscriminately for money without caring for the dogs. They are unregulated breeding facilities owned by disreputable breeders. Dogs are bred far too frequently, are kept cramped together in filthy conditions, and are not socialized properly with other dogs and humans. A reputable breeder told me that at most a female dog should only be mated four times in her life otherwise there is a big strain on her health and her body – this is something that puppy mills definitely do not follow – they mate their females as often as they possibly can as they are all about mass production.

Puppy mill pups get pulled away from their mum and litter at far too young an age, often at only four or five weeks when the earliest a puppy should be separated from its pack is eight weeks. More often than not, these breeders do not care about the health and strength of the breed, which often results in bad health, genetic illnesses, behavioral issues and problems with housebreaking and training. The fact that these puppies are kept in cages means the pup doesn’t learn from it mum and it doesn’t learn the natural instincts of being a dog. For example, these pups don't learn to eliminate away from their food and bed so when they end up in their new home, they often have a lot of difficulty with toilet training.

Oscar’s Law is a campaign that begun three years ago to abolish factory farming of companion animals, and the sale of companion animals from pet shops, online trading sites and to promote adoption through rescue groups, pounds, shelters. Oscar is the pup in this photo, it is his story that inspired the Oscar's Law campaign. Please support & read more about Oscar + Oscar’s Law at http://www.oscarslaw.org/index.php. 

Buying from certain pet stores or online trading sites can sometimes mean you are supporting puppy mills. And if you are supporting puppy mills, you are contributing to the suffering of these poor dogs. 

So please think twice when you see that adorable puppy staring at you from the window! Do your research before making any rash decisions. Ask lots of questions, go visit the place where the pup has been bred, meet the parents and make sure the breeders are breeding for the love of it.

My next two posts will provide you with some helpful hints as to the types of questions you need to ask when deciding on where to get your dog from; including questions for breeders, shelters and rescue centers. Stay tuned!!