Information Library > Information for Pet Owners > Puppy Mills, Pet Stores & Designer Doggies

Puppy farmers found guilty

Magistrate Kay Ryan today found “puppy farmers” Frederick Dart and Megan Hajridin guilty on all counts in the Townsville Magistrates Court this morning. They will be sentenced on November 22nd.   Read more...

Port Stephens puppy farm owner pleads guilty

A Port Stephens puppy farm owner who surrendered more than 50 dogs to the RSPCA following two raids on her property, has pleaded guilty to 10 cruelty charges relating to dogs with conditions ranging from dental disease to urine-soaked fur. Carolyn Hudson, of Kindee Kennels, denied being a puppy farmer but conceded that having more than 100 dogs in two sheds could be considered "intensive"...   Read more...

(NSW) Pet shop owner pleads guilty

A Bringelly man has been charged with 36 offences under the NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Regulation. The proprietor of Pets R Us and Grooming in Narellan, Ivan Pasquali, appeared for sentencing at Camden Local Court on March 30 after pleading guilty to the offences at an earlier court appearance.   Read more...

Guilty pair's animal shelter

A Townsville couple responsible for what has been dubbed Queensland's worst case of animal neglect is setting up a charity animal shelter. The Bulletin understands a new shelter, recently registered with an ABN and trading under the name Aussie Animal Haven incorporating Dinkum Aussie Dog Shelter, is being run by Megan Hajridin and Fred Dart.   Read more...

The darker side of pet shops' puppy love

They are the "puppy farms", the dark secret behind the tens of thousands of cute little dogs sold through pet shops, classifieds and websites every year. Despite their well-documented existence, authorities are almost powerless to collar puppy farmers.   Read more...

100 hounds must go

A port Stephens woman accused of keeping 100 dogs too many has defended her business, saying honest breeders can be targeted through malicious tip offs. She said she was not a puppy farmer, but had sold dogs to stay afloat financially after a family business collapsed.   Read more...

Undercover in a suburban pet store

"Pet shops are a business, they exist to make money and for no other reason. They don't exist to take care of animals, they don't exist to find loving homes for animals. they exist to make profit."   Read more...

The caged puppy crisis

The best way worried consumers can ensure they are not supporting puppy farms is to adopt a puppy or dog from a pound, vet or animal shelter. The benefit is that the animal’s life is saved, it is checked by vets, de-sexed, vaccinated and costs a fraction of the price a breeder or pet shop would charge.   Read more...

Wendy Matthews chats with The Circle about pet stores and puppy farms...

Wendy Matthews chats with The Circle about pet stores and puppy farms...   Read more...

Dogged line over pet shop sales

The Queensland government has rejected a proposal to ban the sale of cats and dogs from pet shop. Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin formally dismissed the push this week, saying it could drive illegal puppy farms further underground.   Read more...

Puppy farm crackdown

Geelong animal campaigners have backed plans that would drive rogue puppy farm operators out of business. The Geelong Advertiser has reported a string of shocking discoveries, including a July investigation into a Beremboke puppy farm, north of Anakie, where conditions were so bad dogs were dead on chains or were living in pens coated in their own filth.    Read more...

Baillieu vows to stamp out puppy farms

The Victorian Opposition has promised a strict crackdown on puppy farms if it wins the November state election. Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu says a Coalition government would give RSPCA inspectors greater powers to enter and investigate breeding facilities and to seize dogs from operators who are breaching welfare laws.    Read more...

Moorabool council rejects Ballan puppy farm

?1300 submissions against a puppy farm development has lead to Moorabool Shire Council refusing the planning permit for the farm in Ballan.   Read more...

Mowgli gets back on his feet

The RSPCA also urges consumers to boycott pet stores, whose animals, they claim, come mainly from puppy factories."We believe most animals that are bought from pet stores, newspapers and the internet come from puppy factories," she said. "Animals raised in puppy farms often suffered serious physical and behavioural problems, we quite commonly see dogs that have long term chronic health conditions or defects."   Read more...

Underbelly: cute pups' cruel origins

Say hello - and goodbye - to Nobby, the beagle who has become the sad face and birth-battered body of the RSPCA's new campaign against the factory-farming of puppies. When this photograph was taken in 2004, Nobby was a breeding bitch on a puppy farm at Learmonth, near Ballarat, owned by Dr Ron Wells, the former Victorian MP and vet.   Read more...

RSPCA calls for boycott of pet shop puppies

How much is that doggie in the window? The RSPCA says too much, considering it is probably a bitzer cleverly marketed as a designer dog. It has probably come off a puppy factory production line and could be prone to a range of costly health and behavioural problems.   Read more...

No way to treat man's best friend

Generally, most of the pups from puppy farms have not been socialised enough, with their own litter, their mums, humans and other animals. A majority of them are sold around the five-to-six week mark, which is too young. The may have not been fed correctly, which can lead to health problems.    Read more...

(WA) Pet shop warning

Pet stores are selling diseased cats, dogs and birds, with more than 100 complaints received by Consumer Protection so far this year.   Read more...

RSPCA swoops on pup farms: Rivergum and Woodpark

The RSPCA has investigated two puppy farms names in a story in the Sunday Telegraph, finding breaches in the industry code of practice. The inspections of Woodpark and Rivergum breeders in Barham in the Riverina, along with another backyard breeder in the area, followed a May 30 article revealing the first two farms had been selling to big pet store chains.    Read more...

Outcry at 'battery' dog farms

Pet owners are paying thousands in veterinary bills for chronically sick dogs bought from pet stores supplied by puppy farms. The RSPCA is warning buyers to avoid pet shops if they want to ensure their animals do not originate from large-scale breeding operations in which dogs are treated like battery hens.   Read more...

Call to ban pet factories

Puppy factories are commercial operations that are mostly unregistered (although some registered breeders also fall in the category), with an emphasis on profit and little consideration of the animals' welfare. Dogs may be housed in heavily soiled, cramped cages, with minimal lighting, deprived of food and veterinary care, and exposed to potentially fatal infections and disease, with mortality rates running as high as 50 per cent, according to the report.   Read more...

Making oodles

“People now, they just do it for the money. They don’t give a damn. You’ve got somebody who’s got a labrador and somebody else who has got a poodle, and they say, ‘Let’s put them together - we’ll make a fortune!’    Read more...

Puppy factories alarm

Designer dog breeds could be the cruel product of rural Gold Coast operators who are breeding and then killing their 'factory-line' mother dogs. These mothers are continually mated, caged with their pups in their own filth and never allowed out to exercise or play. The Animal Welfare League public relations manager Gabrielle Wheaton said there were several dodgy puppy farming operations on rural areas of the Gold Coast.   Read more...

It's not just puppies; kitten farming a sad situation for pets

Cat Haven staff fear a backyard breeder is responsible for the shocking neglect of Persian kittens being dumped at the shelter. A litter of Persian kittens and two adult cats in "appalling condition" dumped at the Cat Haven Shelter overnight is the third in twelve months.   Read more...

RSPCA "de-sexing marathon" week

The fallout from a massive rescue of more than 244 dogs and puppies from a property at Wondai last September is still being felt as RSPCA Queensland undertakes a massive “de-sexing marathon” this week. Due to so many of the females being pregnant, the RSPCA ended up with more than 400 dogs.    Read more...

Animal groups call for breeder to register business

Australia's leading animal protection group wants the City of Greater Geelong to force an Anakie dog breeder to register his business. RSPCA chief executive Maria Mercurio also demanded the council apply the relevant legislation to ensure Robert Adamo's Demotts Rd property met the basic requirements of other dog breeding establishments.   Read more...

Anakie creatures killed

Four Macaque monkeys, including two babies, were euthanased after they were seized from an Anakie property by Department of Sustainability and Environment officers, a court heard yesterday. Prosecutor Emily Gibson told Geelong Magistrates' Court that DSE, RSPCA and police officers searched Robert Adamo's De Motts Rd property on December 5, last year.    Read more...

'Designer dog demand fuels cruel trade': Puppy farms feature on ABC's 7.30 Report

A puppy mill or puppy farm is a large dog breeding facility created to mass produce puppies for profit. See the show from the ABC's 7.30 Report last night.   Read more...

NQ duo loses appeal after 698 pets seized

RSPCA inspectors seized 113 dogs, 488 rats, 73 mice, 12 guinea pigs, 11 birds and a cat from a north Queensland property, a court heard. The Court of Appeal in Brisbane was refusing an appeal by Frederick Dart and Megan Ann Hajridin who a magistrate originally fined $12,500 each after pleading guilty to the 131 charges of breaches of care.    Read more...

Puppy farm raid on RSPCA Animal Rescue

RSPCA Animal Rescue Wed 10 Feb, series 4 episode 2 shows the behind the scenes raid of a internet puppy farmer   Read more...

RSPCA raids property already fined for animal offences

RSPCA inspectors have seized more than 400 animals after the third raid on a property near Townsville in north Queensland this year. The RSPCA seized 600 animals from a property west of Townsville in July this year and charged a couple with 131 offences. In court this month, Frederick Dart and Megan Hajridin were fined almost $80,000 and ordered not to own animals for trade for two years.   Read more...

Pups left to die - Falls Creek man’s hefty penalty in cruelty case

A FALLS Creek puppy farmer has been hit with fines and costs totalling more than $155,000 after being convicted in Nowra Local Court on Friday of several counts of animal cruelty.   Read more...

Court shock at images of puppy hell

Puppy farmer Dario (David) Baena was ordered to pay more than $155,000 in fines and costs, and banned from owning animals for 10 years after being sentenced on multiple counts of animal cruelty in Nowra Local Court on Friday.   Read more...

Cruel trade: thousand of puppies euthanised

Meg Dobson from Gippsland in Victoria operated a puppy farm from 1995 to 2005. "I classed our place as a dog breeding business, but really, they are puppy farms, because it was a very sad life for the little dogs that were making you that money," she said. "They are being treated like breeding machines and some are being treated worse than others. And that's why now I cringe at puppy farms."   Read more...

Court shock at images of puppy hell

A NSW puppy farmer has been banned from owning dogs for 10 years and fined $155,000 after RSPCA inspectors seized 185 malnourished dogs from his home. Puppy farmer Dario (David) Baena was ordered to pay more than $155,000 in fines and costs, and banned from owning animals for 10 years after being sentenced on multiple counts of animal cruelty in Nowra Local Court on Friday.   Read more...

RSPCA gives seized poodles a new start

After myriad court cases and more than $1 million in veterinary treatment, food, boarding, medication and legal bills, more than 100 poodles seized from a puppy farm in January last year are looking at bright futures. The dogs were found in filthy conditions, with their long hair dirty and matted, at a puppy farm at Waterford, south of Brisbane. A total of 104 were seized but this number quickly grew to 147 because many of the bitches were pregnant.   Read more...

New homes allowed for 149 dogs

ALMOST 150 dogs that have cost the RSPCA more than $1 million in care can now be given permanent homes after a court threw out a last-ditch appeal by their former owner. RSPCA officers seized 104 dogs from Geraldine Robertson's kennel at Waterford, in Brisbane's south, in early 2008.   Read more...

Qld woman loses damages bid

A Queensland woman accused of neglecting more than 100 dogs has lost her bid to sue the RSPCA and the State Government for damages. The RSPCA seized more than 100 poodles from Geraldine Robertson's unlicensed kennel at her Waterford property south of Brisbane last year.   Read more...

Pregnant dogs crowd RSPCA shelter

Puppies born to dogs seized from a central Queensland property last week may soon be given homes if the State Government successfully gains ownership of the newborns. Of the 244 malnourished and diseased dogs seized from a South Burnett property during an animal welfare raid last week, more than 20 are pregnant.   Read more...

Poodle X's, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels - 200 dogs removed from net breeder

More than 200 dogs have been removed from a property in one of Queensland's biggest animal welfare operations. The breeders are believed to have sold dogs, mostly poodle crosses, cavalier King Charles spaniels, samoyeds and beagles, through the internet and local contacts.   Read more...

Australia's shame - Puppy Farm Awareness Day!

Puppy farm awareness day is held on the 19th of September and is designed to raise awareness of puppy farming in Australia. Many people are unaware that this cruel industry is alive and well in this country and each year hundreds are duped into paying, sometimes thousands of dollars for an unhealthy farmed pup.    Read more...

Woman leaves 28 dogs to die

A GREVILLEA woman described as 'a highly regarded dog groomer', who had 120 dogs living in her home, has pleaded guilty to a series of animal cruelty offences against 28 dogs in a case brought against her by the RSPCA.    Read more...

Dodgy dog breeder

Demonstrating an overwhelming disregard for the welfare of humans and animals alike, this Adelaide dog breeder sells sick puppies to unsuspecting families through newspapers and pet shops.    Read more...

The plight of puppy farm mums - when motherhood means suffering

Mother’s Day is meant to be a time of joy and appreciation. But for the countless canine mothers cruelly trapped and exploited in 'puppy farms', it's a day of suffering like any other. Find out the simple steps you can take to stop puppy farming in Australia.   Read more...

Puppy Love

A pet rescue organisation and a pet supply store are taking a stand against puppy farms. PetStock supply stores will provide an adoption service for abandoned and unwanted animals as an alternative to shops selling kittens and puppies. Vickie Davy, from the umbrella animal rescue organisation Petrescue, said it had teamed with PetStock to increase awareness about puppy farms which she said are like battery-chicken farms but for dogs and are prevalent nationwide.   Read more...

Puppy farms activist has charges dropped

An Animal Liberation Victoria activist has vowed to continue her campaign against puppy farms, after several charges against her were dismissed in court yesterday. Deborah Tranter, 43, was part of a raid on the ACA Breeders Kennel Farm, at Stradbroke, last April.    Read more...

Dog breeder faces 150 cruelty charges

A South-East Queensland dog breeder will face 149 animal cruelty and duty of care charges following a year-long investigation by the RSPCA. Geraldine Robertson is accused of failing to treat disease and properly provide for more than 100 animals, mostly poodles, under her care.    Read more...

Too cute for their own good

The number of animals surrendered to RSPCA shelters always surges over the festive season as pet owners find they can't care for their animals while on holidays, don't want their pets at home over Christmas or realise the enormous responsibility of owning a cat or dog that's been given them as a gift. Pet shops, meanwhile, play on our emotions by having the cutest little creatures tumbling over one another in their windows, enticing us to buy.   Read more...

Sydney Morning Herald puppy farm article; A grim end for Christmas puppies

It would be a hard heart that could resist the sight of puppies tumbling over one another in a pet shop window. But behind this heart-warming scene a venomous debate is raging about the way puppies are bred and sold. Opponents claim it is a profit-driven, inhumane business that indirectly causes the destruction of more than 60,000 unwanted dogs a year. Vickie Davy is a dog trainer, campaigner and creator of the website Where Do Puppies Come From? She and other campaigners claim many of the thousands of puppies required to supply pet shops come from so-called "puppy farms".   Read more...

The real cost of an internet pup

The Saunders family of Sippy Downs claim they have been sold a pup in every sense of the word. They followed up a classified advertisement on a pet sales website, but instead of buying a 10-week-old rottweiler of pure breed, excellent quality and temperment (sic), as the ad claimed, the female pup, which they have called Loki, has extensive jaw and dental problems requiring up to $2000 in veterinary bills.   Read more...

Public warned against online puppy purchases

Animal welfare authorities have warned the public to beware of the burgeoning - and unregulated - industry of selling pets over the internet. RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said the unregulated sector of online dog breeding would continue to produce cruelty cases as long as consumer demand remained high.   Read more...

Puppy farmers fined for mistreating dogs

In the RSPCA's biggest Queensland raid, inspectors seized 113 dogs, one cat, 488 rats, 73 mice and several guinea pigs and birds from the couple at their property south of Townsville on July 31. The RSPCA described to the court how the animals were kept in small transport cages piled up on top of each other in the defendants' shed.   Read more...

Backyard puppy factories just waiting for the next bitch on heat

The illegal supply of appealing, often fluffball, crossbreeds by unregistered backyard breeders is booming. Maltese is mated with shihtzu, Labrador with poodle, ishon frise with schnauzers to produce aesthetically appealing puppies, often without regard for genetic defects or temperament. Claims are made about pedigree, usually without supporting papers, along with glowing predictions of adult characteristics - "ideal children's pet", "special companion", "nonshedding coat" and "won't be a yapper".   Read more...

(NSW) Pet Shop Bill needs your help!

On Friday 14th November, Clover re-tabled her amended Pet Shop Bill to parliament. PetRescue urges all NSW pet-lovers to sign the petition to support this life-saving legislation.   Read more...

PetRescue applauds ACA expose on newspaper puppies

PetRescue applauds ACA's expose on newspaper puppies and warns unscrupulous breeders are selling puppies that are a time bomb of health and behaviour problems by the hundreds across the country.   Read more...

Backyard breeders - continue to con pet buyers

People naively believe that answering an ad in the paper is still a good way to buy a family pet. They just don't realise that, at best, people trying to make money by breeding their pet are completely irresponsible and at worst, they are supporting a cottage industry that leads to hundreds of dogs just like Lily.    Read more...

Mixed breeds can fool you

Lots of us have wondered what different breeds of dogs together might look like, but most of us are not in the habit of playing these games and conning people into believing they have something rare and priceless.   Read more...

Puppy farms under fire - Today Tonight

Puppy farms are the hidden industry behind the pet shop window. This is where pet shops get there supply from. And with half a million dogs sold in pet shops across Australia each year and prices ranging from $500 to $1400, it's a lucrative business.   Read more...

Channel Nine's Sunday program - Death Row Pets

A showdown is looming between the RSPCA and the Australian Veterinary Association on puppy farms and how they should be regulated.   Read more...

Australia 'puppy mills' under fire for cruelty

A public appetite for accessory dogs has encouraged the growth of "puppy mills", where animals are bred in cramped conditions before being transported across long distances. The farms, which are legal in Australia, keep puppies in conditions comparable to those suffered by battery hens, critics say.   Read more...

Cruel puppy-farmer Patrick Doran to pay $90,000

A 65-year-old Queensland puppy farmer has been fined and ordered to pay more than $86,000 in compensation for failing to properly look after 67 chihuahuas and chihuahua crosses.   Read more...

The reality of the backyard breeder

Many of the dogs were suffering conjunctivitis, fractured bones, skin problems and the living conditions were "unacceptable", RSPCA inspector Graeme Crowdon told the court. The floor was covered in dog faeces up to 10cm thick and the only source of drinking water found for the dogs was a tyre filled with sludge. There was no food.   Read more...

Ban shops from selling cats, dogs

Animal welfare workers rallied today in support of a bill to ban pet shops from selling kittens and puppies.   Read more...

Want a designer dog? Check the pound..

Ever hear of a floppy-faced Jujitsu? How about a King Daley shepherd? A Germox retriever? Those are just a few of the creative monikers that clever dog owners have come up with to label their all-American dogs mutts, to people with less imagination.   Read more...

Dogs faced 'appalling' cruelty

Dogs on the property including pure-bred poodles, labrador pups and a pomeranian were in filthy enclosures with matted faeces and urine in their fur and maggots in their orifices.   Read more...

Must see Australian "dogumentary" launches

When most people think of animal cruelty, they don't necessarily think of puppies. But that's exactly what William Wolfenden's documentary is about. b"I'm a dog lover myself so felt compelled to tell the story. There's a huge ignorance in the community about the issue."   Read more...

Pet store blocks Christmas impulse buys

A pet store has made the unprecedented decision to stop selling cats and dogs before what is traditionally the busiest time of the year. The Melbourne store, Pets at Home, has decided to remove all puppies and kittens in an effort to prevent impulse buying of pets and will instead work with the Lort Smith Animal Hospital to encourage people to adopt and "re-home" animals.    Read more...

Lort Smith and Pets @ Home join forces to save pets!

Pets @ Home eliminate pets in store and work with rescue to save the lives of pets!   Read more...

Scales of injustice: meet the 'torture box'

RSPCA Victoria president Hugh Wirth said that despite the fighting fish's ability to breathe air from the surface, the tank was far too small for it to receive adequate oxygen. Dr Wirth said the iPond should be banned but did not expect Pets Paradise to co-operate. "Pets Paradise has had a chequered history with respect to selling live animals from their premises," he said.   Read more...

(US) Expose on puppy mills

An excellent CBS interview with Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society about what a puppy mill is. Includes comments from vet Dr. Debbye Turner, about the health problems associated with puppy mill puppies.   Read more...

(US) Humane Society: Upmarket pet store uses puppy mills

The HSUS said that employees at Pets of Bel Air told customers that the puppies sold at the store were raised by private breeders and assured customers that they do not buy puppies from puppy mills. The HSUS then visited these and claim that these "private breeders" are actually puppy mills that house 100 to 300 dogs.   Read more...

(US) Puppy Mill Action Week: Nov 25 - Dec 1

During Puppy Mill Action Week, learn how animal care organizations are working to put puppy mills out of business and get resources to educate your community about this cruel industry. How much is that doggy in the window suffering?   Read more...

(US) Victories, little by little, mark rescued dogs' new start

Gerti was one of dozens of dogs taken to local animal shelters after officials raided a large-scale puppy mill. "Just the conditions they had to live in, those rabbit hutches out in the cold. . . . Dogs shouldn't be out in the wintertime," Grewe said. "I felt like I could give her a good home."   Read more...

Fury over controversial puppy trade - Australian puppy mills

"It's a factory, a production line with rows and rows of breeding mums," ALV spokeswoman Debra Rigaldi said. "Puppy farms are the ultimate betrayal of man's best friend." ACA Breeders Kennels in Sale, where the pictures were taken and an estimated 300 to 400 dogs are kept for reproduction purposes, have denied the exploitation.    Read more...

Puppy mill raids: the shock + horror of Aussie puppymills

Think puppy mills are just something they have in the United States? Sadly not - everyone needs to read this interview with dog rescuer Debra Tranter about her experiences raiding Australian puppy mills and reminds us exactly why people should say no to animals in pet shops.   Read more...

Today Tonight story - designer dogs

Like Gucci and Armani, dogs have become fashionable brands, such as the labradoodle and the spoodle: "designer dogs" marketed to yuppies. The clever marketing of these designer dogs is the reason unscrupulous puppy farmers are mass-producing dogs like they're going out of fashion. But don't be tricked: none of the breeders for these dogs can legally be registered.   Read more...

Designer dog breeding disaster

"Our records over the last seven years show a dramatic increase in these designer dogs ending up at our shelter with all kinds of defects." Mr Carter said puppy farms had become money-making ventures where thousands could be paid for "what is essentially a mongrel. We're talking hip dysplasia, eye problems, temperament problems - all kinds of things. These people have no conscience - they aren't dogs to them, they are animals," he said.   Read more...

Clover Moore's pet shop bill

Like any commercial enterprise, pet shops exist to make profits. Site location and shrewd marketing are as essential to a pet shop as they are to any other retail business. I cite a pet shop guide produced by the Entrepreneur Business Centre: "The scenario is simple: Someone will walk by, fall in love with an animal and buy it. These sorts of impulse sales can add dramatically to your profits".    Read more...

Bred to death

Now think about costs over the span of a dog's life, and add up how much hard-earned cash goes into caring for a pet. We pay this because we love our pets, and it would be impossible to put a price on the love they give back. But in the world of commercial dog breeding, the money flows the other way. Dogs are there to make money. Riddled with congenital defects, arthritis, infection, tumors, and advanced age, the dogs are kept breeding anyway.    Read more...

MP tries to ban dog and cat pet shop sales

Ms Moore said pet shops promoted this impulse buying and irresponsible breeding for profit, and led to the backyard breeding and puppy farms. She said animals were often kept in appalling conditions where they are forced to breed until they cannot breed anymore, before being killed.    Read more...

What does a puppy mill look like?

More than 240 dogs seized from puppy mill - amazing footage from a puppy-mill in Texas.    Read more...

Think puppy-mills don't happen in Australia?

More than 70 mistreated and sick chihuahuas have been seized by RSPCA inspectors in a raid on a property in south-east Queensland. The RSPCA shelter at Fairfield is feeling the strain of a number of mass raids. "This is the third lot of over 50 dogs we have had in a month, which puts a huge strain on our resources," he said.   Read more...

(US) Vick case brings attention to abused puppy-mill dogs

The Michael Vick case has prompted outrage among animal lovers everywhere. But many people do not realize that dogs are abused every day in what are known as "puppy mills." When you go to buy a dog, you may find a litter of cute, healthy puppies. But what you don't see are their parents -- abused and neglected animals who've been turned into breeding machines.   Read more...

Profit and loss - life in a puppy mill

Puppy mills and pet stores depend on each other. It's estimated that 90 to 98 percent of dogs sold by pet stores come from puppy mills, according to a Best Friends study. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council estimates that 3,700 of the nation's 11,500 pet stores are selling dogs from puppy mills - about 300,000 to 400,000 puppies per year.   Read more...

A relationship with a pet shop is like a pact with the devil... for vets, that is

"You know damn well where these puppies came from." So true. A consumer can be forgiven for his ignorance but a vet has a pretty good idea what goes on behind the scenes. There's no excuse for getting into bed with puppy mill purveyors. The devil may or may not wear Prada... but he certainly knows how to sell puppies.   Read more...

(US) A new life for puppy-mill dogs

The commercial mass breeding of dogs is not illegal, underground or small scale. Most of the dogs were suffering from severe health problems; there were dogs missing an eye or an ear, dogs with inguinal hernias from having too many litters, dogs with evidence of botched do-it-yourself C-sections. There were dogs with ruptured and missing eyes, and a standard poodle covered in mats and crusted with ticks.    Read more...

Dog shoppers should beware

Take a Labrador retriever and breed it to a poodle. What do you get after the 60-day gestation period? A Labradoodle. But what do you really get? Why a mongrel, of course. If the sire and dam are purebred but of different breeds, crossing them does not make a new and different breed. It's a mutt.    Read more...

"Puppy mills" group's pet peeve

Ms. Shain said people often want to rescue puppies from pet store cages, but she said what they consider a good deed is actually a bad move. "That $700 you spend just opens up the cage for another puppy mill puppy to come in," she said. "If people didn't buy these puppies, then puppy mills wouldn't exist."   Read more...

UK - Leading pet shop stops selling animals after welfare pressure

The country's second biggest pet retailer has decided to stop selling thousands of live animals, from rabbits to cats and parakeets, amid complaints from welfare campaigners.    Read more...

Puppy e-mills churn out sick dogs, big profits

Like almost every product, a brand-new puppy is now just an Internet connection, credit card and a click away. However, a dog is not a "product" and professionals agree that buying a dog online is irresponsible, dangerous and contributes to the problem known as puppy mills.   Read more...

US - Calling all animal lovers: take 'the pet store challenge'

'The Pet Store Challenge' - a consumer action campaign from The Humane Society of the United States, will give pet stores an opportunity to be open and honest about how and from where they get their puppies. The Challenge, which takes place from June 15 to September 15, 2006, will also empower consumers to make a difference in the lives of millions of dogs who are victims of puppy mills.   Read more...

I never knew her name - puppy mill tragedy

This article is a true story with graphic images and has been written by a person who works in the legal end of animal issues and also works very closesly with rescue. The the images that accompany this story are extremely graphic and upsetting.    Read more...

Human Society issues

We want consumers to understand that so-called "hybrid" puppies are not protected from genetic diseases. They are just as likely to have the same problems that other puppies have who come from large-scale, high-volume breeding, especially since the demand is massive and puppy mills are responding by pumping out the hybrid-du-jour as quickly as possible.   Read more...

Designer dogs, expensive mutts

But these days, dog owners are not just going to the pound. People are spending thousands of dollars for mutts. They are a cross breed just like anything you would find at the SPCA.   Read more...

Designer dogs are latest rage

All you need is the adoption fee and you can have any of our designer dogs - and, you can save a life. You see, designer dog is basically another word for mutt, and nobody has more of them than your local Humane Society.   Read more...

Senate weighs regulation of 'puppy mills'

The colorful, hand-painted signs offering puppies for sale at farms in scenic Lancaster County only add to the allure of Amish country. But animal activists say many of these seemingly innocent farms are actually a front for lucrative, virtually unregulated operations that crank out hundreds of puppies amid miserable conditions.   Read more...

Family loses pet bought at store

After Maggie's death, Loeser researched the kennel where the dog came from. What I found is that it is not actually a puppy mill, but a funnel for puppy mills, Loeser said. They take in truckloads of dogs from all across the country and ship them to pet stores. I feel like the pet store lied to us.   Read more...