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I was surfing the Web tonight (which is pretty difficult without any thumbs, btw), and I came across an article on MSNBC about “puppy mills” and their connection to a national retailer of pet supplies that also sold puppies to its customers, some being sold at a retail price of $3500 each.

The video below shows some of the inhumane conditions that puppy mills (commercial breeders) are known for.  Before pushing play, I strongly urge you to remove any children from the room and to grab a box of tissues.

The Humane Society of the United States held a press conference on Thursday, November 20th to disclose their findings after an eight month investigation into the source of 21 Petland stores’ puppies.  They found dozens of breeders and brokers known to be puppy mills involved in supplying puppies to the stores, many before they were ready to leave the litter.  Some stores were lying to customers, assuring them that the puppies they were purchasing were from responsible breeders.

“They are buying from puppy mills where these dogs are not treated like pets,” Michael Markarian, an executive vice president with the Humane Society, told a news conference. “They’re treated like a cash crop, where mother dogs live in wire cages, sometimes stacked on top of each other in filthy, dirty, cramped conditions, where they receive little socialization or human interaction or exercise.”

According to a press release on the Humane Society’s web page, they found puppies “living in filthy cages reeking of urine, with inadequate care and socialization.”  They also noted that many of the dogs found at the puppy mills were living in wire cages where the floor openings were large enough for puppies’, and even adult dogs’, entire legs to fall through.  The Humane Society also noted that pet stores should know not to buy puppies for resale from “abusive puppy mills,” and subsequently lying to concerned customers about the source.

Although each store is an independently owned franchise, the company’s guidelines only provide for humane care of the dogs after their purchase.  Many franchisees were purchasing from large commercial breeders, where humane conditions regulation by the USDA are a low priority.

Even purchasing a dog from a breeder who claims to be responsible can be tricky, which is why I always suggest that you adopt a deserving dog from your local shelter and rescue groups.