But my pet shop says... "We buy only from midwest breeders and they are not puppy mills"
The true is. The Midwest is a puppy mill belt region where you will find a large concentration of puppy mills. The red areas of the map represent the puppy belt. The yellow areas areas which are active in commercial dog breeding. The pink areas contain some commercial dog breeders, but show a pattern of growing concern. Missouri is called the puppy mill capital.
To read more, go to
The Puppy Belt
Remember Puppy Millers also sell their puppies online and in newspaper ads.
NEVER BUY PUPPES ONLINE
.
Some of the “puppy mill” sites are: puppyfind.com, livedeal.com, craigslist.com, oodle.com, kijiji.com, hoobly.com. Stay away from breeders that breed more than one or two breeds. Multiple breeds are one of the big red flags of puppy mill. A reputable breeder would not sell to just anyone online. Some reputable breeders will have websites, but they will want to know a lot about you and the home you will provide for their puppy before even thinking about accepting a deposit. A online pet store that will sell and ship you a puppy, no questions asked is not someone who cares about their pups! Please note: In our state we ALSO have a large concentration of puppy mills!!! They use same sites.
PS: in WA