For many people, getting a new puppy is a joy—and a cinch! A quick trip to a pet shop and in minutes you have your dream dog...or do you?

For thousands of people, getting a puppy at a pet shop often turns out to be a nightmare—for them and for dogs. That's because most pet shops get their dogs from puppy mills. Puppy mills are places where purebred dogs are bred in poor conditions to produce puppies for the pet trade.

Sad Tale for  Sale

Hundreds of thousands of puppies are born in puppy mills each year. Puppy mill owners sell their dogs online, in newspapers, and to pet shops around the United States. Because the main purpose of the puppy mill is to make money, little thought is given to the well-being of the dogs. To save money, puppy mill owners keep dogs in crowded cages. The animals seldom get exercise, attention, or veterinary care. Their cages are often dirty, with little protection from the sun or wind.

Many puppies born in puppy mills are taken away from their mothers early and shipped cross-country to be sold in pet shops. The moms left behind are then bred again to produce more puppies. They'll spend their entire lives in a wire cage producing litter after litter. They'll never see a bed, a treat, a toy, or a kind pat on the head. When they can no longer produce puppies, they'll be killed, abandoned, or sold to another mill.

Many of the dogs bred in puppy mills have serious health problems. Although the puppies may seem healthy, those problems can show up when they're full-grown dogs—sometimes even sooner. Some of the puppies die within days or weeks of purchase.

A Cause for Paws

KIND kids and their families can help. In the future, don't buy puppies from pet stores. Even if a pet store claims they don't sell dogs from puppy mills, chances are they really do. And don't trust newspaper or website ads where you never get to see where the puppy and his or her parents were raised and housed.

If nobody buys their puppies, puppy mill owners won't be able to stay in business. When your family is ready for a dog, your best bet is to adopt one from an animal shelter. Animal shelters have a variety of dogs—including both mixed-breed and purebred—just waiting for homes. By adopting, you're in the business of helping pets!

You can also help by doing the Mission: Humane A Cause for Paws project—click here for details!