Puppy mills are dog breeding facilities that put profits ahead of the welfare of dogs. They don’t care about filth, disease, socialization, overcrowding. They don’t care about inbreeding or genetic defects. They don’t care about who adopts the puppies or about wearing out the breeding moms. They just care about making money. It’s a sad truth, but it’s the truth.
Sadly, the vast majority of puppies purchased online come from puppy mills with terrible conditions. Documented abuse at puppy mills includes forced over-breeding, inbreeding, disease, overcrowding, filth and hunger. Puppies purchased from puppy mills frequently suffer from severe illness and behavioral problems.
And conditions only get worse for the moms, who are forced to breed over and over again with little, if any, veterinary care. Once they can no longer reproduce, they are usually killed. Often, this is at the young age of four years old.
Don’t be fooled by websites. If you can’t visit the puppy first, you may very well be getting one from a puppy mill. There are lots of great dogs out there. Know where yours is coming from.
Sometimes it can be pretty hard to determine whether you’re getting a puppy mill dog, which is why we always recommend adopting from a shelter or rescue instead. That being said, here are some sure-fire puppy mill signs:
No purchase criteria: Reputable breeders may do an extensive interview with potential applicants and may only let people that have been recommended by prior buyers have an opportunity to get a dog from their litter. They are very choosy about selecting the right families for their puppies. Puppy mills don't care who you are as long as you don't ask too many questions and have cash or credit card available.
http://www.sfspca.org/sites/default/...akinghands.jpg Advertising: Reputable breeders generally don't need to advertise. They find their adopting families by referrals. Puppy mills place lots of ads online, often times under the guise of being reputable. Some online postings will go so far as to use the term “adopt” instead of buy.
Reluctance for an inspection: Reputable breeders will gladly let you meet the parents of the dog, see where the puppies were born and how they’ve been treated since birth. Puppy mills generally will not let you see any of the living conditions.