|  To those thinking about getting a dog, caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware. Without doing your homework, you could easily end up with an animal from a puppy mill. What can that mean exactly? Puppy mill dogs often come with a host of problems, both physical and psychological — including aggression. Often these problems show
up within days of the animal arriving home.
For those puppies who do make it through the first year, there are hidden dangers possibly lurking ahead — genetic problems that no quality breeder would ever allow to be passed from one generation to the next. For the owner, these genetic problems can translate into expensive veterinary bills, sometimes totaling thousands of dollars. Then there are the emotional costs: the trauma of watching your new canine companion suffer and the guilt of knowing you supported a puppy mill.
~How to Buy a Puppy~
But with a little research beforehand, you can save yourself a lot of financial and emotional hardship. After all, no pet store or online dealer will tell you that their dogs are from a puppy mill. Such an admission would ruin their business. The burden is on you. You can start by educating yourself on how to buy a puppy. You’ll need to know what places to avoid and how to interpret certain pieces of information, such as USDA licenses or purebred “papers.” If you decide you want to purchase from a breeder, we can help there, too. We’ve created an important checklist that you should take with you when purchasing a puppy. It’s designed to evaluate breeders, but it’s really applicable to anyone selling a dog.
Of course, no matter what kind or what age of dog you want, you can probably find her at your local shelter or breed rescue group. Adopting from your local shelter is the best way to beat puppy mills at their own game. To find an adoptable pet near you, search the database at the Pets911.com web site.
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