puppy mills. Plain and simple, there's no way around it. I don't care if the salesperson tells you that the dogs' health is guaranteed (c'mon, are you really going to give the sick dog back after you've had it for six months?), that he was raised with love, that he came from a reputable kennel, the truth is that if you buy a dog from a store, you are supporting puppy mills.
Take a look at this story in the Washington Post today about dogs rescued from the deplorable conditions that puppy mills are, sadly, famous for.
Yes, the puppy is cute. Yes, he's adorable. But if you buy him, you're telling the puppy mills to breed his mom again as soon as those pups have been shipped off to the store. The mom that lives in a cage, with very little human contact, whose feet never touch the ground, who lives in feces and isolation from people.
Never, ever, buy a puppy from a store. Especially when so many dogs are being euthanized because there's no room in the shelter...
