Don't buy your puppy from a pet store or backyard breeder!

Soiled, pest-covered surroundings and maggots crawling under the skin and feeding on dry tissue and confinement to cramped cages and the feeling of feet struggling to balance on wires but never touching solid ground: these are everyday realities for newborns and breeding mothers in puppy mills. Or at least, a reality until they are auctioned to puppy brokers, shipped out, and put out on display to unsuspecting pet store window passersby going gaga over the perfectly poised and pretty puppies. In my opinion, it is truly baffling how anyone could justify putting a living creature through such misery and degradation in exchange for a few hundred bucks.

People love puppies. In fact, there will always be a huge demand for these fuzzy little creatures. Their soft fur, affection, irresistibly expressive round eyes, undying loyalty are just some of the reasons why they make great companions. When I think of a cookie cutter family, the first thought that runs through my head is a perfectly-molded household that consists of the following: mother, father, son, daughter, and of course, a cute little puppy. Fast-forward a year from the day they innocently took home that cute little puppy from the pet store, and they’ll find a new surprise; genetic and emotional problems overwhelm the puppy as it grows ill and eventually passes away. A sad, but true, reality in many pet store and backyard breeder purchases.

I assume that most pet store customers have no idea what sort of an environment the puppies were raised in prior to being shipped out to the store. It’s a simple thought to disregard when you’re busy watching a teacup terrier melt you with its glowing stare and button nose . But most people are ingenuous to the fact that a considerable amount of these puppies have previously lived in horrendous conditions, and these animals are at great risk of disease and congenital defects.

Puppy mills and backyard breeders thrive on profit. They are negligent, ruthless, and inhumane. Consequently, this means that the animals are the ones who suffer while lacking proper nutrition and exercise and hygiene and social contact . Fleas, maggots, and other pests eat away at the puppies’ malnourished bodies. Dogs painfully sit in the summer heat, their exposed bodies cooking on wired cages. Their vocal cords are ruptured with metal poles. Their bodies are covered in their own feces. Their lives are taken away by greed, left aside to rot and decay among countless skeletons. Some manage to survive; many don’t.

Although puppies are exposed to such an abhorrent environment, adult breeding mothers have it worse; these adults—many living only to five years of age—are alive solely to breed. Many mother breeders suffer from hernias with their internal organs fallen down, but they are still forced to reproduce during each heat cycle. Their bodies, decrepit and too weak to reproduce, are killed, smashed, tossed to the side along with all the other unprofitable animals. The commercial dog industry not only fills me with disgust but also makes me wonder how so many people can lack basic moral responsibility and ethical behavior.

These puppies are without freedom, without love, without a voice, without a chance of a future if we do not raise awareness and assume the responsibility to take action against this vile industry. With the overwhelming population of loving animals in shelters, it should be a no-brainer to adopt a pet instead of purchasing one that may support the disgusting ambitions of backyard breeders, puppy brokers, and puppy mills. It is truly a shame that breeders are able to evade the consequences of abusive animal practices. Although the USDA tries to enforce rules and regulations on commercial breeding , thousands of puppy mills are both overlooked and located in remote regions of the country. If you would consider adopting a pet rather than purchasing one from an unknown or disreputable breeder, this decision would spare one puppy’s life, and take away one wrongful breeder’s gain.

I know this is such a random post for a beauty blog, but commercial pet breeding is an issue I take a strong stance on, and I hope this has informed you guys of something you may or may not have already heard about. You'd be surprised by how many pet stores buy from disreputable sources and either work their way around customer questions or blatantly lie to them. Be especially cautious of those puppy stores in the mall. Same thing goes for backyard breeders, who are even more difficult to spot since many of them think of themselves as hobby breeders. Many of these people do not understand that backyard breeding is a problem. In fact, they may be a friend, neighbor, or maybe even you. Backyard breeders actually happen to be the number one cause of pet-overpopulation in the U.S. and account for 2/3 of pets. Ask questions and be informed. Better yet: adopt.