~ Sharon L. Peters

Believe it or not, after all the national anti-puppy-mill campaigns, after all the headlines about puppy-mill raids, after all the legislative efforts to marginally improve the hideous conditions under which millions of breeder dogs churn out litter after litter, after Oprah — Oprah, for heaven's sake — did her much-heralded show on mill dogs, most people still don't get it.

The vast majority of people surveyed a few months back — 78% of them — told interviewers they believe that puppies sold in pet stores come from such places as shelters, or private owners whose pets had litters, or that they really have no idea where the animals come from.

Yup, even though a huge proportion of the respondents (75%) said they know about puppy mills and view them negatively, the aforementioned 78% were unaware that most pet-store doggies in the windows come from puppy mills.  Where they thought all those millions of puppy-mill puppies were ending up is anyone's guess. Apparently they didn't think the whole thing through.

In hopes of reaching the supply-chain-unsavvy among us, the ASPCA (which commissioned the survey of 800 U.S. adults across the nation by Lake Research Partners last fall) has launched a campaign that not only makes the linkage crystal-clear, but also asks folks to boycott the hundreds of pet stores that sell puppies.

As of Monday morning, three weeks into the No Pet Store Puppies (nopetstorepuppies.com) launch, more than 21,461 people had pledged not only to not buy puppies at the 989 puppy-selling pet stores listed on the ASPCA website (on a clickable map), but also to not buy anything at those shops — no food, no toys, no kitty litter, no nothing.

Until now, the biggest chunk of the considerable effort most humane groups have been expending on the puppy-mill issue has focused primarily on trying to strengthen laws that cover large commercial dog-breeding operations, and helping with rescues when mills are shut down or go out of business. All of it got a lot of media attention.

But consumer demand during all this activity seemed largely unchanging, and "our hunch was that people didn't fully understand the connection between puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies," says ASPCA's Matt Bershadker. Still, even going into it with that presumption, "we were surprised" when the survey showed the level to which lack of awareness about the linkage prevails, he says. And that prompted the organization to devise the pledge/boycott plan with heavy emphasis on the social media.

The ASPCA campaign is certainly not the first to make the pet store/puppy mill connection for consumers —Best Friends Animal Society and the Humane Society of the United States, for example, have longstanding campaigns that trace the supply line from breeders to pet stores. But Bershadker hopes that by "using a little humor in a humorless situation" (they have "A Dog Named Larry" tweeting regularly and sharing fun or goofy tales of canine antics), and making it easy to post and share through the social media, they can reach people who haven't yet been reached, "and we can begin to help close the gap."

The ASPCA also has launched a billboard campaign in Columbus, Ohio, largely because of the area's "density of pet stores, proximity to puppy mills, legislative interest and mill dog auctions" to see if saturating certain cities with information begins to alter knowledge, perceptions and buying practices.

As for the hundreds of dog-selling pet stores that are being zeroed in on — ("Don't Shop 'Til They Stop!" is the battle cry), the ASPCA isn't aiming "to see them go under," Bershadker says. The organization simply hopes the economic pressure will persuade said stores "to convert their business model to not selling puppies, but allowing rescue groups to bring adoptable pets to the premises."

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The Blood Diamonds of Animal Welfare

Go back a couple of decades. Imagine yourself walking down the street. You pass a jewelry store with a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet in the window. You go in, negotiate a price and off you go with a diamond studded bracelet for yourself or loved one. You have no idea that you’ve just funded a war in Africa and the unimaginable horrors associated with those wars.

Fast forward to present day. You’re walking down the street. You pass a pet store with beautiful, happy, clean puppies in the window. Some are sleeping; some are playing…the picture of innocence. You go in, negotiate a price, and off you go with a brand new pup for yourself or a loved one. You have no idea that you’re probably funding the unspeakable horrors of a puppy mill.

I’m always astonished to discover how many of my friends and family members, at one point or another in their lifetime, have purchased a dog from a pet store or a backyard breeder. The conversation nearly always concludes with an ‘I had no idea.’ It’s a simple fact that most folks don’t realize that the cute little fuzzy puppy in the pet store most likely came from a puppy mill.

It was Global Witness, Amnesty International and other groups that brought the unbelievable dark-side of the diamond industry to the forefront of the mainstream public. Through a brilliant awareness campaign and a business embargo on targeted wholesalers by retailers like storied jeweler, Tiffany & Co., they made ‘blood diamond’ a common catch phase throughout the American lexicon. They had people thinking twice before buying just any diamond. Now, educated consumers everywhere were asking their local diamond retailer thoughtful, intelligent questions about the origins of their precious stones.

What most people didn’t know was that behind this shiny consumer bauble was a trail of blood, death and suffering. That was the case for the conflict diamonds that funded wars, child soldiers and human dismemberment.

In a similar way, those beautiful puppies in pet stores across America are a type of blood diamond. It’s estimated that 95% of all puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills (breeding factories) and the majority of consumers have no idea. What’s riding on the backs of these cute little pups is a house of horrors. Mom dogs are bred and bred, sometimes with the use of breeding or rape racks, until their little bodies can’t take anymore, and at which point they are either killed or turned over to an auction to be sold for pennies, dumped in shelters or simply abandoned to the hands of fate.

High volume commercial breeders that sell to these bling-filled pet stores are supposed to be registered with the USDA, but even those regulations allow for appalling conditions and standards of care. A dog the size of a beagle can legally be kept for its entire life in a wire bottom cage the size of a dishwasher without ever touching the ground, let alone grass.

The business calculation of a puppy mill is mass production and low cost per unit shipped. Profits are made or lost at the margins and the margins are trimmed at the expense of the animals. Costs are saved on quality of food, vet care, heating, and staff to provide basic care – like keeping the cages cleaned. It’s a cruel and inhumane factory-type setting that’s inappropriate to apply to a living, breathing creature.

In No More Homeless Pets terms, puppy mills crank out over 2 million puppies per year. It’s estimated that every year 4-5 million animals die in our shelters. It doesn’t take a genius or an activist to understand that over 2 million puppy mill dogs are displacing wonderful, adoptable, healthy animals that are being killed in shelters across this country. Approximately 25-30% of shelter dogs are purebred and likely come from mills or irresponsible breeders.

This November a very important proposition is on the ballot in Missouri, home to 40% of the puppy mills in this country. Best Friends is supporting this ballot initiative, along with 61 other animal welfare and protection agencies including the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA.

We don’t believe dogs belong in any type of factory, but this proposition is an important start in turning the tide on this horrific industry. Whether they’re well run or poorly run, a puppy mill is still a puppy mill. Dogs don’t belong there; they belong in loving homes as family pets.

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10 Ways You Can Help Fight Puppy Mills

1. Do Not Buy Your Puppy From a Pet Store
That puppy who charmed you through the pet shop window has most likely come from a large-scale, substandard commercial breeding facility, commonly known as a puppy mill. In these facilities, parent dogs are caged and bred as often as possible, and give birth to puppies who could have costly medical problems you might not become aware of until after you bring your new pet home.

2. Make Adoption Your First Option
If you’re looking to make a puppy part of your family, check your local shelters first. Not only will you be saving a life, but you will ensure that your money is not going to support a puppy mill. There are many dogs waiting for homes in shelters all across the country—and an estimated one in four is a purebred! Your second option is breed rescue. If your heart is set on a specific breed you haven’t been able to find in a shelter, you can do an Internet search for a breed-specific rescue organization.

3. Know How to Recognize a Responsible Breeder
If you’ve exhausted your options for adopting and are choosing to buy from a breeder, remember that responsible breeders have their dogs’ interests in mind. They are not simply interested in making a sale, but in placing their pups in good homes. A responsible breeder should screen you as thoroughly as you screen them! Read the ASPCA’s responsible breeding statement to find out more about how a responsible breeder behaves.

4. See Where Your Puppy Was Born and Bred
One sign that you are speaking to an unscrupulous breeder is that they will not let you see the facility in which your puppy was born. Always ask to see the breeding premises and to meet both parents (or at least the mother) of the puppy you want to take home. You should also ask for an adoption contract that explains—in terms you understand—the breeder’s responsibilities, health guarantee and return policy.

5. Internet Buyers, Beware!
Buying a puppy from the Internet is as risky as buying from a pet store. If you buy a puppy based on a picture and a phone call, you have no way of seeing the puppy’s breeding premises or meeting his parents. And those who sell animals on the Internet are not held to the Animal Welfare Act regulations, and so are not inspected by the USDA.

6. Share Your Puppy Mill Story with the ASPCA
If you have—or think you have—purchased a puppy-mill puppy, please tell us your story. Every bit of evidence gives us more power to get legislation passed that will ban puppy mills.

7. Speak Out!
Inform your state and federal legislators that you are disturbed by the inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills, and would like to see legislation passed that ensures that all animals bred to be pets are raised in healthy conditions. You can keep up-to-date about current legislation to ban puppy mills by joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade.

8. Tell Your Friends
If someone you know is planning on buying a puppy, please direct them to our puppy mill information at ASPCA.org. Let them know that there are perfectly healthy dogs in shelters waiting to be adopted.

9. Think Globally
Have a webpage, a MySpace page or a blog? Use these powerful tools to inform people about puppy mill cruelty by adding a link to our puppy mill information at ASPCA.org.

10. Act Locally!

When people are looking to buy or adopt a pet, they will often ask the advice of their veterinarian, groomer or pet supply store.

Download and print our flyers

(pdf) and ask to leave them in the offices of your local practitioners.