Nearly 100 pet stores throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area have signed on to the Puppy Friendly Pet Stores program sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). These principled local retailers join more than 2,000 pet stores nationwide in taking a stand against puppy mills by refusing to sell puppies.
“These stores have made the responsible decision to pledge not to sell puppies now or in the future, and some of them have even transitioned from selling commercially-raised puppies to an adoptions-only model,” said Melanie Kahn, senior director of The HSUS’ puppy mills campaign. “The Humane Society of the United States applauds these businesses for being leaders in the humane economy.”
California’s senior state director for The HSUS, Jennifer Fearing, went further, asserting, “Pet stores that profit from the cruel puppy mill industry need to step up and do the right thing by stopping their puppy sales.”
The majority of pet stores in the United States that sell puppies utilize puppy mills, mass production facilities that churn out large numbers of puppies under inhumane conditions. According to The HSUS, such stores have been found to mislead consumers with claims that their puppies are acquired from responsible breeders, when in fact puppy mills are a key part of their supply chain. In December, The HSUS released its third annual investigation of pet stores, linking dozens of pet stores in the Chicagoland area to more than 2,000 puppies shipped from puppy mills.
The HSUS encourages shoppers to purchase pet supplies at stores displaying the Puppy Friendly Pet Stores sign, which states, “We Love Puppies, That’s Why We Don’t Sell Them.” A list of all the participating stores is available at humanesociety.org/puppystores.
The HSUS provides tips on finding responsible breeders at humanesociety.org/puppy and shares these important facts about puppy mills:
- Approximately one-third of the nation’s 9,000 independent pet stores sell puppies.
- Puppy mills contribute to the pet overpopulation problem. The HSUS estimates that 2 to 4 million puppy mill puppies are sold each year in the United States.
- Documented puppy mill conditions include over-breeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor food and shelter, crowded cages, and lack of socialization.
- Dogs kept for breeding in puppy mills suffer for years in continual confinement. They are bred as often as possible and frequently are killed once they can no longer produce puppies.
- Many pet stores and online sellers use attractive websites to hide the truth and to dupe consumers into thinking they are dealing with small, reputable breeders.
- Reputable breeders never sell puppies over the Internet or through a pet store and will insist on meeting the family who will be purchasing the dog.
Bay Woof gives four paws up to the Bay Area’s many Puppy Friendly Pet Stores and joins The HSUS in encouraging our readers to adopt from local shelters or rescues as a first choice when seeking a new canine family member.
Source: The Humane Society of the United States
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Main article photo by: Courtesy ASPCApro
