Support the Puppies (and Kittens)

by: Katie Grimmer

Puppy stores always put the cutest dogs on display — those adorable purebred French Pit bulls or Yorkshire Terriers. But these 3,500 pet storeowners that pawn off the canines from puppy mills know these animals will possibly have behavior or health problems.

What about the parents of the 4 million pooches that are bred in the puppy mills every year? These puppy farms, as they are also named, trap their “product” in small wire cages with no one to play with or grass to run on. The food often comes from the large pet supply companies, sometimes even from the scrapings of the floor. The animal’s teeth can rot from a lack of natural nutrition in their diet. Mothers breed from the first time that they are in heat until they can no longer reproduce. At the end they are often cruelly killed or sent off to laboratories.

There is no reason to purchase your addition to the family from the expensive stores when there are approximately five to seven million house pets that enter animal shelters every year. Owners who can longer care for their animals are responsible for half of that; the others are picked up by animal control.

Another reason to adopt from the shelter? Three to seven million of those will be euthanized. In the no-kill shelters, 90 percent of the animals will not be put down — ideally those who are adoptable. While the ultimate goal is to abolish animal euthanasia, there is limited funding to the cause. If there are more animals entering these shelters than are leaving, then they will be almost as harmful to the animals as the puppy mills with overcrowding and neglect.

Only 20 percent of domestic dogs come from a shelter. With the over 5,000 independent community animal shelters nationwide, there will be a pet perfect for every person. And if you’re the person who will only accept purebred dogs, don’t turn to the pet stores to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars. Twenty-five percent of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.

Additionally, the Humane Society has a Breeders Advisory and Resource Council to assist in finding the perfect purebred dog. Veterinarians are great resources for finding a local, responsible breeder. You will be allowed to visit the dog and where it was raised if he or she is coming from responsible upbringing. Always guarantee that this is the dog you want to spend the next 10 to 20 years with — the shelters don’t need any more unwanted animals.