Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are breeding facilities that are downright disgusting, unsanitary, overpopulated and cruel. Feel free to throw in your own adjectives whenever you like. These mills, also known as puppy farms are usually stockpiled with many different breeds of dogs, including our own beloved English Bulldog.

If you EVER consider buying a puppy from a pet store THINK AGAIN and DON'T! The puppies more than likely come from puppy mills.

The dogs are used for breeding on a continuous basis with no breaks in between, producing many litters in a year. Reputable responsible breeders will only breed once, or maybe not at all in a given year.

Puppy farms don't care about the dogs. They are placed in small cages and are not let out to socialize or exercise. The cages are often stacked on top of one another and rarely get cleaned. Dog food and fresh water are given sporadically so many animals are undernourished and sick, laying in their own urine and feces.

This video gives an idea of the conditions. The conditions in these places are inhumane. WARNING: You may find some of the scenes distressing.

Why Do Puppy Mills Exist?

Money

That one word sums it up. They're big business. There's big money to be made from puppies, capitalizing on the fact that they look so cute in the pet store. They provide many of the animals found in pet stores in the United States and around the world.

The people who run these operations are not the slightest bit concerned about the welfare of the animals. They only breed to make money and treat the dogs as money making machines rather than living creatures with the right to decent living conditions, proper food, clean water and proper care.

The terrible, over crowded housing, dirty, smelly and often dangerous conditions that the dogs are kept in are a disgrace. No animal should be forced to endure being underfed with no access to clean water or proper places to sleep and exercise.

The "breeders" sell to pet shops, where consumer demand keeps them in business. As soon as they sell one puppy it's replaced with another.

Misguided buyers think that they're rescuing the puppies but in reality they are funding this sickening trade.

If no one bought the puppies there would be no business, there would be no money to be made and the cruelty would have a chance of ending.

While these puppies may look normal and cute, the fact is, most will never become properly socialized or even housebroken. The puppies' health will always be in question and even as they mature, they will be much more susceptible to illness and disease because of the poor start in life that they had.

On the positive side, many canine rescue groups and government agencies are cracking down on these puppy farms. One such organization is Prisoners of Greed (Link opens in new window).

Please be sure to visit the Prisoners of Greed website to learn more about these mills and to help them in their efforts. After reading the stories you can see why we are so opposed to the purchasing of English Bulldog puppies, or any kind of puppy, from a pet store.