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Advocate for Adoption vs Pet Shops
Many high school clubs work with their local shelters to educate
the public on the benefits of adoption rather than going to their local pet
store to purchase an animal.
Of course the overpopulation of dogs and cats is a huge problem and people should understand and appreciate the option of adopting a homeless animal verses buying one from a pet shop or breeder. But most people don't know how terrible many pet shops truly are and the related darker side of the commercial breeding.
Puppy Mills In short Puppy Mills are like factory farms for pure bred and designer dogs. The puppies are primarily kept in small wire cages, often stacked on top of each other. These conditions are often unsanitary and breeding grounds for disease and general poor health. In many puppy mills wire cages are used so that all urine and fecal matter falls through the wire to make cleaning easier. But because the cages are piled on top of each other, the puppies live in waste from the dog above them. Very often there is inadequate temperature control both in summer and winter so the dogs will be exposed to extreme cold and heat. They will stay in these often deplorable conditions for about eight weeks until they are old enough to be sold at a pet shop.
These puppies are given little affection and minimal contact with humans so socialization, so important at that age, is often absent. Although many end up being sold to pet shops, others that are in bad shape or emotionally scarred may be either killed, sold for research, or kept in the puppy mill as breeding dogs.
The breeding dogs have the worst case scenario as they spend their entire lives in puppy mills. When they can no longer breed, they are either killed or sold for research. They are no longer valuable and die having known nothing but misery their entire lives.
What can you do?
Write an article for your local or school newspaper telling your community why they should consider adopting rather than buying a pet from a pet shop or private breeder
Of course puppy mills are one of many problems that companion animals face. Also make sure to talk about overpopulation requiring the euthanasia of thousands of dogs and cats and the reasons why spaying and neutering your companion animal is vital.
For more information on these topics and on Puppy Mills visit our Animal Welfare Issues section. |
