You are already doing good by not shopping there. Pet shop employees are liars. The always say "we don't buy from puppymills." If the pups come from Missouri, then how could an employee possible know it's not a puppymill? Puppymills are perfectly legal. All the USDA does if make sure the place is clean on the day of inspection and that the dogs have food, water and shelter. If a breeder is USDA licensed, they are supposed to keep their dog in a separate kennel building. That's not the kind of environment I want any of my pets to come from. Dogs, especially toy dogs belong in the house with their families. Failing a USDA inspection usually results in a warning or a slap on the wrist. There is also wide spread corruption among the investigators. I've even heard that many of them run puppymills themselves. If these tiny babies are only 8 weeks, how old were they when they were shipped to the broker and then again to the petstore? I can't believe that person had the nerve to say yorkies don't bark. Wait, yes I can b/c I once heard a petstore employee tell someone Jack Russels were great apartment dogs "just like on Fraiser." WTF? The best thing you can do to stop puppymills is to educate the public, good luck! |