Puppy Mills : Why is this still happening

After reading stories and watching the news for the past 6 months I believe it is now time for me to share my feelings on puppy mills. In July 2007 we wanted to adopt another Cocker Spaniel as having two was better then one and of course my older Cocker needed a playmate. We searched the Newspapers and went on-line just like many of us do and finally found an add that read " 6 week old Cocker Spaniel Puppies for Sale, $300.00". Not a bad price for a Cocker especially with papers so we contacted the lady and recieved directions which took us 70 miles from where we resided. As we approached the home we were taken aback by the way the outside of the home looked, my heart told me that this was out of norm as she claimed she only had a set of puppies. We heard so many barking animals we didn't know what to do.

We couldn't turn back now that drive was endless and we really wanted another puppy , wasn't that the objective? The woman answered her door and unbeknownst there were cages everywhere ,females feeding new puppies , there were at least 30 puppies in a little plastic pool that were being fed and there were additional puppies outside that nobody would adopt for health reasons. We wanted to save them all. Not wanting to be rude we politely asked her if she had any female cockers and she said most of them were males. We approached the little plastic pool and there was this little round puppy who kept trying to get out, she told me they were to young so I asked her if she was female,that little face kept looking up at me begging me with her dark brown eyes. The woman squeezed her as she picked her up and she whimpered, I knew she was supposed to come home with me. We paid the woman and then wrapped her in a warm towel and left. We rescued our dog from a puppy mill and we now call her "Daisy". The ending of this story is although we rescued a puppy , she came from a puppy mill and her mother was on her 8th litter. It saddened me to see how inhumane some can be and that they would do anything for a quick buck. I reported the woman and the address to the humane society and they rescued over 165 dogs and puppies within in a few days.

Animal shelters euthanize appr.3-4 millions cats and dogs a year however our pet stores continue to sell kittens and puppies. Many of them come from puppy mills and they do not concern themselves with the health and conditions of the parents.

If you are going to adopt a pet consider adopting them from your local animal shelter. If you choose to adopt them from a Private party ask them how many litters the mother has had?Request references of prior owners and see if you can contact them regarding the conditions, health,etc. of the puppy they chose to purchase. These are all the things I did not do and have learned from my own experience. Although "Daisy" is a happy and healthy dog now, she did cost over $2000.00 in a year due to her health issues which we now have under control and we have had to work on her behavior as she is very high strung opposed to the Cocker Spaniel that we purchased the previous year from a Private Owner.

If you believe you have purchased or know of someone who works,or owns a puppy mill please do the right thing and report them as we have to stop the abuse of these animals. Contact www.humanesociety@hsus.org or if you need information on list of adoptable pets or shelter and rescues you may go to www.pets911.com they also have information on pet friendly rentals,lost and found etc. www.petfinder.com posts classifieds and you will also be able to obtain a local vet in your area. These are all good resources if you are already a pet owner or if you are considering purchasing a dog or cat. As "Daisy " turns a year old next month she has brought me great joy and companionship; however everytime we look at her we think about her mother and all the suffering she endured. Her mother not being able to live like a normal dog has been a painful memory. No affection , no life just a puppy maker and an early death.

Do your homework before your purchase a pet and share your story if you have one, hopefully one day we can stop the cruel and inhumane way animals are treated and bred.

Please take the time to watch just one of these videos and maybe you will consider looking into a person's background before purchasing your next puppy.