1.) How did you first learn about puppy mills?
2.) What is the one thing you want people to know-people who haven't heard the words "puppy mill," and who may be thinking about buying a puppy from a pet store or over the Internet?
I was taught by my parents that buying puppies from a pet store was wrong. We adopted our family dog from a shelter when I was 5-years-old after my parents had a bad experience with a Beagle they had purchased for my older brothers from a pet store. The Beagle, Lassie, was sick and had many behavioral problems that they were unable to resolve. They kept her, regardless of these behaviors b/c they feared if she were to be brought to a shelter, no one would have wanted her and she would have been euthanized.
I didn't know what a puppy mill was until much later. Although I can't remember the exact piece of literature or video that first showed me the horrors of a puppy mill, I know it was sometime around 2005, when I decided to become a vegetarian (I am now vegan) and took a closer look at how we treat all animals in this world.
Volunteering at the ASPCA shelter in NYC and as the New York Network Team Leader for Best Friends has shown me first hands the victims of these horrible institutions and I pass on the message of adoption over pet stores to anyone who will listen.
I learned from an early age to never buy anything from a store that sold puppies. It was just something that we grew up with in our family. Every dog we ever had was a rescue. We were also taught to tell everyone we knew to not buy from stores that sold puppies, as no reputable breeder would ever sell their dogs to a pet store.
We just came across this lovely video from Marilyn's Voice Inc., an organization in Ohio that is dedicated to rescuing puppy mill dogs. This is one to share with people who may be thinking about buying a puppy from a pet store. www.marilynsvoice.org
There has been information about puppy mills suppling pet stores since the 70's. My parents taught me that pet stores were gross and not to shop there. If you wanted a pet you go to a shelter, rescue a stray, or buy one from a real AKC breeder. I'm shocked about how few people seem to know that these days!
Society seems very disconnected lately. We seem to think our beef and milk come from loving family farms instead of the gigantic cut-throat agri-business that it does. We seem to think that it is ok to buy a puppy for out kids not realizing the major medical costs from the poor breeding.