Anonymous
“Most people will never step foot into an animal shelter. Most animals will never step out.”
Most of us are guilty of walking into pet stores and feeling overwhelmed with the adorable, designer puppies that are wagging their tails practically begging to come home with us. What a lot of us do not realize is the pure torture other dogs went through for those puppies to be there. Nearly 95% of those purebred and designer breeds in pet stores, come from one of the 15,000 puppy mills in the United States.
Puppy mills are where hundreds to thousands of dogs are stuffed into wire cages, more like tiny jails, that are stacked on top of each other. The dogs are forced to produce litter after litter and later killed when they no longer are of use to the facility. These beautiful, kind creatures are stuffed in cages so small that they have no room to move around, all they can do is lay in their own and other dogs feces and hope they get let out soon; which rarely, if ever, happens. They are often kept “in sheds with no temperature control; they are exposed to extreme heat and cold as well as dangerously high levels of ammonia that arises from urine build-up” (Puppy Mills, 2019). The dogs not only experience physical and emotional tolls from these jails. These conditions commonly cause those cute puppies you catch yourself drooling over, so many health issues down the line, which will not be cheap or fair to a puppy (Adopt, 2017). On top of that, these facilities do not give the dogs nearly enough water, food, and rarely any veterinary care at all. One can only imagine how much this can affect a pregnant mom; a pregnant, overworked and overwhelmed mom.
Animal shelters, on the other hand, have so many amazing and beautiful benefits. When you adopt, you are giving a very deserving creature a second chance at life and they will be so grateful for that. Dog shelters offer medical intervention, doggie necessities, and training, all for one cheap price; compared to the thousands of dollars that pet store puppies cost (Adopt, 2017). They socialize their animals with each other and humans, unlike puppy mills or stores. This also helps give you an idea of what personality the shelter dog may have and if he or she will get along with other pets or kids. Shelters offer a helping hand that consists of support, guidance, and unconditional love. Most shelters have the same, ultimate, goal. That goal is to pair a loving family with a healthy dog and give you both a shot at a happy life.
The process of adopting a scared, skittish, skinny, shelter dog, that could even be from an old puppy mill, and watching them blossom into a happy, healthy, and trusting puppy again is truly something so beautiful that no amount of money can buy.
When you adopt a dog you become a small but very important part of the fight against puppy mills. Adopting a dog brings business away from pet stores, which in turn brings business away from puppy mills. Approximately 670,000 dogs are euthanized each year, due to over population caused by puppy mills.
With everything being said, all dogs, all animals, deserve a happy and healthy life. The sad reality of this all is that puppy mills are legal and will continue to breed these animals in pure hell until they are no longer of use or any financial benefit. The beauty of it all is that you have a choice, we all do. You can choose to adopt and give a second chance to a more than deserving dog, or you can go to a pet store and choose to spend thousands of dollars on a tiny puppy that your kids fall in love with the second their tiny hands feel his or her fluffy fur run through their fingers. Whatever decision you make, whether you support the horrifying facilities or not, at least now you know the cold truth behind the puppy and its past.
I was honored to interview Scott Poore, who left his corporate job behind three years ago and completely dedicated his entire life to helping shelter pets. Through Scott’s brand ‘Mission Driven’, his extensive volunteer work, and many fundraisers; he spends seven days a week and endless hours being the voice homeless dogs need. When asking Scott why, his response was simple; “shelter pets ask for so little, yet are willing to give so much.” All of Scott’s profits from his online brand goes to his travel expenses and donations to shelters. Scott’s talented video and photography skills help find loving homes for his four-legged friends. The nationally recognized brand offers clothing, hats, and even wine tumbles, all in the most unique styles. Scott’s brand is not only meaningful in so many ways, it is his passion and has donated $250,000 to shelters in the last three years. Visit his page – https://shop.missiondrivengoods.com/main.sc – to become a small part of the very important fight against puppy mills and backyard breeders.
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References:
“Adopt, Don’t Shop: A Phrase Worth Thousands of Lives.” CanineJournal.com, Canine Journal, 7 Dec. 2017, http://www.caninejournal.com/adopt-dont-shop/.
“Puppy Mills.” Animal Rescue Corps, animalrescuecorps.org/learn/puppy-mills/\.
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