After loosing my Alaskan Malamute cross of 13 years, I adopted an 8 month old Corgi mix. This came with some pro's...already house broken, knew basic commands, had been around children and he is eager to please. Con's he was left to his own devices and has what we call "spastastic moments". But with consistant training and positive reinforcement he is coming along very well. Adopting an older puppy or dog can have advantages. It really depends on your activity level and what you expect and want in a pet. Adopt, adopt adopt.

Never go to a Pet Shop and buy your puppy there or backyard breeder.Go to a rescue or a reputable breeder whom is licensed with the AKC, UKC or CKC.Last but not least, do your homework before you get your dog of your dreams.

do not buy puppiees that people sell on the side of the streets in parking lots...i have seen alot of puppy mill dogs being sold from these people who set up on the road or in parking lots..a lot of the set up near a pet store IE...petsmart...etc... I have seen real sick dogs tying to be sold. you can tell they are mills if there is ALOT of puppies of different or same breed. if the seller has a problem with you coming to their place to inspect for puppy mill conditions. i have worked with the local spca here and i have made signs and sat right in frong of people selling puppies ad my sign says...DO NOT BUY A DOG FROM THESE PEOPLE THEY POSSIBLY RUN PUPPY MILLS DO NOT BUY! it ticks them off to no ends but if they can sell i can protest....my right as a citizen of USA.

It's not about 'saving puppies' from pet stores. You're giving THE PUPPY MILLS MONEY BY SHOPPING THERE. IF you stop the demand goes down. Adopt. Adopt. Adopt

you need a better commercial so that people don't think that you are so pathetic. i rescued my dog but ur commercial seems like too much like one of those poor needy african advertisments

JUST SAY NO TO PUPPY MILLS

Why do people just assume that you have to get an older dug from the shelter? Puppies are born in shelters all across the united states....and they stay there till they aren't puppies anymore and people pass them up for even younger puppies. I despise the fact that most people won't give an older dog a second glance. Think about the back story that you have given them in your mind.is it fair? Would you look at that older dog in the same way if it were in your neighbors back yard instead of a shelter?

I'm afraid I agree w/ Destiny. Rules have to change to make it easier for ppl to adopt. I have a friend who ended up buying a puppy cuz she couldn't adopt cuz she had not previously owned a dog. That's just crazy. And I have to agree w/ Shera too. What happens to the puppies @ the store? It's a double edged sword. All puppies deserve good homes, whether or not they come from the store or are adopted. It's not the puppies' fault that they're in a store. so are we going to punish them? There must be other ways to fix the problem. I agree that puppy mills suck. But punishing the puppies isn't the way to go.

I see great dogs up for adoption across the country - I literally mean across the country in CA. I am in MD and that does me no good. I like to get a puppy to raise and train to suit me. A friend of mine just adopted a great dog but one in a million happens that often. As for pet store puppies - quit buying from them. There has to be a demand or the dogs wouldn't be there. The laws of supply and demand dictate it to be so. If a trailer trash breeder has no market he/she will cease operations.

I had the opportunity to adopt a pom from a puppy mill. She was used for breeding. When I resuced her she was aleady bred again. Had litters 2x a year her whole life. She was 5 years old and had very few teeth left of which most were infected. She was very ill with a severe uterine infection. After several hundreds of dollars and a year and a half later she is a very happy health dog who enjoys playing with her fellow poms. Something she had never had the opportunity to do when she was in the mill. Her pups were taken as soon as they were old enough. It took her a very long time to learn to play but today enjoys her freedom. She lets ot a grateful sigh everytime I pick her up! I am glad I have her in my life

We can go to our congress people as much as we want but they proved in the Missouri Prop B Plan that they dont care at all of what the people say. Frankly, this is just step one in a war and frankly, everyone who cares about animals knows what to do when they adopt. Its people who dont care or are ignorant and havent been educated who create the problem and its the economy. There are several reasons and not all puppy mills are meant to become puppy mills. I think and hope that sometimes it just may have been what happened and people dont know how to fix it.

Not buying the puppies is akin to going "child abuse is bad, so just cut off all resources to abusers and it will fix the problem because they will see the error of their ways." They might, but you might also create a more stressful environment with less resources, leading to the further harm of innocent creatures. The appropriate suggestion to make is "contact your lawmakers, support no-kill shelters, and by god, overhaul the ASPCA adoption rules that keep so many people going to puppy mills to begin with, and leave more animals without help in kill shelters. {Pointing fingers only works if you are doing everything you can to help, not helping create the initial problem} At least in the Louisiana SPCA, you cannot adopt if you have children, are pregnant, are elderly, own another animal, do not have a past history of owning an animal, cannot provide a recent local veterinary reference, and submit to home visits AND choose one of their approved veterinarians. Honestly? I am buying a puppy, because I will be a good parent and a good pet owner, but the SPCA views my pregnancy as a precursor to animal neglect.

Ho ho, who wludoa thunk it, right?

I hope to see a big differance in the way animals are sold as in a course in education, a license, and routine inspections.

I think this is a great article and I fully support shelter 100%, but I question what will happen to the poor animals stuck in the pet shops if we turn our backs on them?

You know, any place that FARMS animals is cruel including places that do that to birds. I hate that you guys feel so strongly a out exotic pets that you'd petition to BAN them. I wish I could change your mind about that. I have an 11 year old blue and gold macaw, she's been in my family since I was six. She is my lifelong partner and friend and we devoted just that kind of time and money into vet appointments food without corn or sunflower seeds baths take g her out in spring and summer to see people, she LOVES people we socialized her early on and bought her from a very established breeder, we did ALL of the research including the stuff about them eating egg. She is the healthiest bird our vet has EVER seen. and I think that other owners should be able to experience this love and adoration for those animals

Yes but unfortunately there are many animals still sitting in cages neglected. Do you just chalk them up to casualties of a war that they are unwillingly a part of... no clearly something has to be done @ a much higher level. use your brain folks. I will gladly sign something to stop it but its a legislative decision that will fix this.

I know it's hard but every time you "help" a puppy by "rescuing" (aka buying) it from a pet store then you are directly supporting puppy mills. Nothing can be done for the unfortunate puppies at pet stores or backyard breeders that will not hurt future puppies. So buy one from a reputable, licensed professional breeder or, even better, adopt a wonderful older dog from a shelter.

There are just so many animals waiting in shelters for loving families. A lot of them now are pedigree dogs that their owners can no longer care for. Please consider one of those animals for adoption.

THANK YOU for this campaign!! Years ago I first realized this problem in Phoenix Arizona Fashion Mall. I was shocked - and nobody cared!!! I immediately signed - thank you in the name of the dogs!!!!!

This animal situation is very distressing. So many animals to be adopted, then the puppies from the puppy mill, its all overwelming.

I don't understand why nothing is done about pet stores!! How can they keep these places open? They should allll be shut down, it is so cruel :(

But what happens to the poor little things at the pet store if nobody helps them?

you misspelled "buy," just thought you should know! But great article!

Think you mean "Don't Buy Puppies" not "Don't But Puppies"