Ohio has joined a number of states who have made the shelter pet the state’s official animal. This is designed to raise awareness of how to do pet adoption in a way that is better for animals. The untold misery caused by puppy mills is something that is at odds with the image of a cute, new puppy. The animals packed into overcrowded shelters and euthanized before they can find a home are the hidden tragedies behind the choice to buy within the pet industry.

Many people don’t realize that the pet they buy from the store is the substitute for an animal in a shelter that loses their life. Many pets are euthanized at animal shelters as the shelters can’t cope with the numbers of abandoned pets. This is a move that shines a public light on the problem of shelter animals. After the publicity fades people need to remind friends and neighbors that there is only one responsible way to get a pet – adopt from an animal shelter.

Puppy mills are a particularly cruel alternative to shelter adoption. Adult dogs are kept purely for breeding at puppy mills and often killed when they are no longer viable. Puppies are treated as “farmed” animals and are kept in poor conditions. You can read more about puppy mills on The Humane Society’s website, and also about how to support the WOOF Act, a law that would defend against cruel puppy mills renewing their USDA license. https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/stopping-puppy-mills

When we’re dealing with the oxymoron “Kill Shelter”, we may be shocked and disgusted at the way unwanted animals are disposed of. If an animal isn’t adopted after a few days from a Kill Shelter, the animal is killed. These overcrowded shelters are usually more like death-row for animals than the haven that the word “shelter” would suggest.

However we must be mindful that these shelters in themselves aren’t the reason why animals are being killed. As animal and pet-lovers we are part of the problem. It is our appetite for pure-bred pets that means underfunded shelters kill animals to reduce overcrowding. Puppy Mills are breeding factories that supply pet stores with puppies that were born and raised in conditions often unknown to the consumer or pet-store owner. Breeding dogs for profit is a cruel and pressured industry, where female dogs are forced to breed year after year. As well as the cruelty, the fall-out from this industry is that unwanted animals end up on the scrap-heap – where “kill shelters” take in animals and dispose of them when they can’t find a home for them.

So what can you do if you’re a dog lover?

The first thing to do is to adopt and to encourage others only to adopt rescue animals. Don’t buy from a pet-store or breeder as you will only be encouraging these industries.

You can also get involved in advocacy to raise awareness and fight against puppy mills. New York recently banned puppy mills, so legislators are waking up to the problem.

Here’s some more information from the ASPCA about puppy mills and why they are harmful to dogs: https://www.aspca.org/barred-from-love/how-avoid-cruelty/responsible-breeders