DON'T BUY THE DOGGY IN THE WINDOW: ENDING THE CYCLE THAT PERPETUATES COMMERCIAL BREEDING WITH REGULATION OF THE RETAIL PET INDUSTRY

摘要

There are approximately seventy-five million dogs owned in the United States alone. Thirty-nine percent of American households count at least one dog as a family member. After all, it is hard to resist the round eyes, floppy ears, huge paws, and wagging tail of a puppy in a pet store window. While the appeal of a sweet, happy, and well-adjusted puppy in a pet store window is exactly what sellers are going for, it is a far cry from the reality that the majority of the dogs sold in pet stores face. Aspurebred dogs have become a sign of status, or even a fashion accessory, the production of dogs has become a part of the farming industry itself, resulting in over-breeding and deplorable living conditions of the dogs being bred—operations known as "puppy mills. While there are many reputable small breeders throughout the United States, the mass production of dogs by commercial breeders has a profoundly detrimental impact on the fate of the animals they produce. Puppy mills have been created to meet the demand of the pet industry and have resulted in horrifying deviations from proper care and treatment of animals.