Some countries have laws in place that prevent pet stores from selling any animal above a goldfish and the occasional rodent, but the sad truth is that many countries worldwide still allow both cats, dogs, and other animals to be sold in stores. You can literally go to the mall, head to the nearest pet store, and return home with a brand-new puppy. in the US for instance, this is a completely normal practice for many. Marketing campaigns are especially cruel during the holidays, and dressing puppies up with red bow ties and putting them on display in the windows are not uncommon practice. So what’s wrong with it? The puppies look so cute and adorable I almost don’t know where to begin; where do the puppies come from? After reading this I hope you will refrain from every buying a dog in a pet store no matter how big the urge to take one home might be. most dogs sold in pet stores are born from abused, starved, caged mothers living in unbearable conditions forced to breed over and over and over until their bodies shuts completely down due to exhaustion and she killed, discarded of and replaced by yet another unfortunate mother. Living in conditions that are either to hot, to cold, lack basic sustenance such as food and even water, where you are forced to walk, sleep and live in your own faeces and urine is hardly the perfect conditions for raising your young. Aside from all the physical problems, infections, disease and other complications the psychological aspects are horrendous. These mothers are abused from birth and used as puppy making machines. being treated like this creates stress beyond anything imaginable and a mindset based on such cruelty is not exactly ideal to pass of to your young.

As we know; puppies should remain with their mothers until at least 8 weeks of age simply because certain skills and life lessons are best taught by their respective mother and siblings. Robbing them of these crucial lessons by taking them away from their families early deprives them of learning vital skills and is almost a guaranteed way to cause severe behavioral problems in later life. a puppy mill has no concern for the well being of its dogs. they are bred as fast as the mothers physical body can handle and taken away almost instantly when they are born. from here they are shipped out to pet stores all around the country. And by shipped I mean just that. Shipped like any other thing or object. When they finally arrive at their new home (pet store) they are usually severely sleep deprived due to unbelievable stress, severely dehydrated and starved due to little or no available food and water. Naturally many of them die during shipping and arrive dead. they are discarded like trash as profit is king, not the dog. Before they are put on display the pet store employees will brush them up a bit, give them some food and water, and do whatever else they can as to make them visually pleasing – ready for purchase, completely ignoring the cruelty and abuse that is taking place

From here the puppies are subject to countless people bending over them, touching, talking and interacting in what must be a very overwhelming experience. Remember; these puppies are not socialized or had even the slightest bit of training to prepare them for such a ‘cultural’ shock. Puppies that are bought are often returned to stores and if not accepted there dumped off at shelters or worse left to fend for themselves outdoors which unless taken in by a caring citizen die because these puppies, due to their abuse, run very high risks of developing problems – and considering that the people who usually buy dogs that come from puppy mills usually do so because they are inexperienced and don’t know any better and therefore don’t possess the necessary skills to handle these particularly difficult dogs. If puppies aren’t bought within a certain amount of time, they quickly lose their cuddly puppy look and for each day they stay the chance of getting purchased is severely reduced. they spend their time in small cages and while I’m sure it does happen, more often than not the store employees don’t have the time or care to give them any training, physical exercise or outlet for their frustration. If you buy a puppy or dog from a pet store you are actively fueling the demand for puppy mills. even if the puppy in the window looks extremely miserable (because he is) I urge you to not take him home with you. he will only be replaced by a new one as soon as the next shipment arrives. So, please – help fight this cruel industry simply by not fueling it to begin with.

The Truth About Pet Store Puppies & Puppy Mills