The saying “Dog is man’s best friend” rings true for many Americans. But when these humans go buy their adorable little puppy, that puppy’s parents are likely suffering from malnutrition, medical issues, and lack of human affection. In many cases, pet stores get their animals, mainly dogs, from pet mills. The article “Top Five Reasons to Adopt” by Wayne Pacelle from the Humane Society says “Puppy mills are ‘factory style’ dog-breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs” (Pacelle 2). Pet mills, or puppy mills, are only in the business for the money. People should stop supporting pet mills and start buying from pet shelters.

By buying from pet stores, people are supporting the pet mill industry. According to The New York Times article “Humane Society Traces Expensive Pups to Pet Mills” by Rebecca Cathcart, often times pet stores deceive customers by telling them their dogs come from reputable breeders when really they come from pet mills (Cathcart 2). This not only means that pet stores are lying to their customers, but also that they do not care about the pets they sell. Pacelle says that animals that come from pet mills often have behavioral and/or medical issues. These problems can end up costing families thousands of dollars. All of this is a result of reckless care of the animals (Pacelle 3).

Pet mills could be permanently eliminated if people would adopt dogs from pet shelters rather than pet stores. Pacelle says that between three and four million dogs and cats are euthanized every year because there are simply too many of them (Pacelle 1). Unlike pet stores, pet shelters take a vested interest in their animals. They are normally run by volunteers that have no financial concern in the organization. By adopting from a shelter, a person really saves two lives: the one animal he or she adopted and the one of the animal that the shelter now has room to take in. Maybe this year that three to four million can be reduced and pet mills can be put out of business for good.?