Have you ever seen those cute little puppies in the store window? They seem happy and healthy, but they most likely aren’t. 99% of the puppies that you see in that store window are from puppy mills ("10 Things to Know about Puppy Mills | Facts and Statistics."). A puppy mill is a large scale breeding operation, where profit is given priority over the well being of a dog ("Puppy Mill FAQ.”). The puppies in mills are exposed to harmful diseases, year-round. They also must learn and adapt to the weather and climate of the area. They are kept in cages with wire bottoms that harm their legs and paws. The dogs are also ripped away from their mothers at just six weeks of age, long before they have learned the habits that they need to survive. Puppy mills have been hurting and killing innocent dogs for years on end and national lawmakers must take a stand against them before they kill off any more harmless dogs.

They are surrounded by harmful and fatal diseases at every moment of their entire lives. These dogs contract diseases such as heart and kidney disease, eye problems, deafness, and many more (“Puppy Mill FAQ."). In 1994, Time magazine estimated that as many as 25% of purebred dogs were afflicted with serious genetic problems ("Get the Facts on Puppy Mills"). Many seem fine in the store, but as many as 100% of the dogs in a pet store have nasty parasites that no one can see, but work quickly through its body( "10 Things To Know About Puppy Mills | Facts and Statistics.").

Puppies in mills are exposed, year round, to the elements around them. Anyone who reads this knows how harsh our weather and climate can be. It can be even worse if the mill’s location is in the north, where winter is freezing and wet. It’s nice for us to have the nice comfort of heating and air conditioning. Animals in puppy mills experience all the weather outside that we run inside to escape.

These dogs are kept in unhealthy and unsanitary conditions for years on end. They eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom in cages with wire bottoms that can harm their legs and paws. Their waste falls through the holes in the bottoms of the cages and onto the animals below it. The cages are stacked one on top of another, where they can hear each other, but can never see another dog except for the first few weeks of its life (“Puppy Mill FAQ."). This can lead to bad habits because the puppy feels alone.

The stages of life are especially important to a young puppy, but puppy mill owners don’t have a care in the world about that. Puppies are ripped away from their mothers at about six weeks of age. The first few months of life are important to a puppy, so that it can learn to be social. Puppies in puppy mills never get to experience the joy of playing with its littermates or owner, never going on walks, and never experiencing treats. This leads to the puppy developing bad habits such as shyness, anxiety, aggression, and/or fear of anything (“Puppy Mill FAQ."). When you buy/adopt a dog, you want one that is a family dog. Most puppies from puppy mills aren’t family oriented. They hide behind furniture instead of running around playing. That isn’t the kind of dog you would want for your family.

Those who disagree with this information believe that puppies in mills are kept in healthy conditions, but as I stated above, the conditions aren’t even close to that. They may say that the dogs are kept in cages near other dogs so they don’t feel alone. They are kept in cages that don’t collect waste. Yes, the dogs are kept in cages near each other, but they can’t see each other and they can’t be with each other. They can’t play or run around and get the exercise they need to be healthy dogs. The cages they are kept in don’t have bottoms to them, which are not even beneficial to the dogs at all, even if the waste doesn’t collect in them. The waste falls down through the cages hitting and landing on the dogs and puppies below it. As you can see, these conditions are nowhere near suitable for a dog to live, let alone the fact that they are outdoors all year round.

Puppy mills must be stopped, whether it is by national lawmakers or just a simple, random citizen of the United States. Wayne Pacelle says, "Puppy mills create misery for dogs and pain for the unwitting purchasers of the animals, and they indirectly deny suitable homes for animals in need. There are millions of healthy, adoptable animals available from shelters and breed rescue organizations." (Pacelle) Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws that should prevent neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, such laws are seldom enforced (“Get the Facts on Puppy Mills.").We need to stop the pain that is caused to both the unsuspecting buyer of that cute, fluffy, little puppy from the window at PetSmart and the poor dog that spent its entire life left in a wire cage outside.