Don't buy puppies from pet stores.

Back from vacation and off and running on the next project, which happens to be an ethics presentation on "designer dogs". Because an awful lot of these very expensive mutts come from pet stores, and therefore large-scale puppy mills, I have spent the last two hours digging through articles about all the awfulness that is the pet trade. This makes me angry. Therefore I feel the need to explain my position on puppy mills to anyone who will listen, because we need as many voices as possible raising the alarm about pet store puppies. If you've already heard my rant, please feel free to tune in next week for... uh... Bovine Foot Care? Ok, there might not be anything interesting for a while (finals next week). But you can take the free pass anyway ;)

*climbs on soapbox*

Do not buy puppies from pet stores. Ever. Under any circumstances. I do not care how cute it is. I do not care that you have spent MONTHS looking for a puggle or a malti-poo or teacup schnoodle or whatever and CANNOT wait any longer. I do not care that you think that ONE puppy needs saving, because when you buy that dog you have assisted in the killing of countless others in the hell-camps known as puppy mills across the country. If you have already purchased a pet store puppy, I am sorry for you. I am sorry that you paid far too much for a dog that's probably riddled with disease, behavioral problems, and congenital defects that will crop up down the line. I am even more sorry for the dog. Still, you probably didn't know what was going on. Unfortunately, it seems like a staggering amount of people in this country are completely unaware of where those puppies in the window come from. That is why I, along with countless other animal lovers, have sworn to denounce this embarrassment to humankind to our very last breath.

Ok. I feel slightly better now. Hopefully, somebody, someday, somewhere will listen to me and the thousands of other rabid anti-puppy mill crusaders and adopt instead of buying into cruelty. Please be one of them. And if you're not getting a puppy anytime soon, please join the rest of us in educating anyone who will listen about these animals... because the knowledge needs to be spread.

For more information... (there are an infinite number of resources out there, these are just a few)
The Modern Kennel Conundrum (The New York Times)
ASPCA Puppy Mill Information Page
HSUS Stop Puppy Mills campaign