The Puppy Project

IT'S TIME TO TAKE ACTION

Don’t support puppy mills

The first and most important thing that you can do is to not support the puppy mill industry. Please do not buy your next pet from a pet store. It is widely estimated that nearly every puppy sold in a pet store has come from a commercial dog breeder or puppy mill. Responsible breeders carefully screen their buyers and do not sell to pet stores.

Consider adoption as your first option

Nearly every community has a local shelter. In Monmouth County, we have many wonderful shelters and rescue groups. We encourage you to visit shelters or rescues. There are wonderful dogs of all sizes, breeds, and temperaments.

If you do have your heart set on a particular breed, there are breed-specific rescues for almost every breed. About 25% of dogs in shelters are pure breeds.

Research breeders

Finally, if you do wish to go to a breeder, learn how to recognize a responsible breeder. A responsible breeder loves their animals and will carefully screen buyers. They will allow you to come onsite and see where the dogs live and how they care for them. You should be able to meet both of the parents. If the breeder will only meet you offsite and will not let you see the facilities or meet the puppy’s parents, this is not a responsible breeder.

Do your research

Please be careful when purchasing a pet through a website. Puppy mill operators can create beautiful websites to make you feel like you are purchasing your pet from a responsible and kind place. Please make sure that you can visit the puppy and the facility first.

Support our efforts

Tell your friends and family about The Puppy Project and share your knowledge about puppy mills. If your friend, or a member of your family is planning to buy a puppy, please share the information on our website and encourage them to consider adopting from a rescue or shelter.

Help us spread the word to local schools.

Donate online at thepuppyproject.org

A trip to your local puppy store can result in an hour of joy with a few four legged furry friends or the discovery of a life long companion. Just like any friend you acquire in your lifetime, you want them to live a happy life with little complications. When making a new friend you have the power to change their life for the better but poor treatment of animals can create problems that a loving family will not be able to solve. Before the animals are up for sale at the puppy stores or online they are living in an environment which focuses mainly on the profit to be made and not the welfare of the animals. These environments are nothing like the pictures advertised on the brochures for puppy farms. In reality the animals are fed the bare minimum, crammed into small cages, shown no love and given to open space to get much needed exercise. Buyers are convinced that the high price of puppies online or from puppy stores means a high quality of life before being sold. The conditions are never seen by buyers from pet stores. Pet stores swear their puppies come from local puppy farms, but this is rarely true.

This is where they are coming from (puppy mills)

Mother's of adorable pet store puppies are abused

Mothers are forced to live in terrible conditions and constantly reproduce

Breeders exploit dogs of all breeds to supply pet stores and online sites that sell puppies. Puppy mills come in various shapes and sizes however, the common themes are that of filth, cruelty, inadequate vet care, suffering and greed. Profit is the goal, suffering is the result.

Adopting pets is the way to go!

Shelters don't lie. What you see is what you get. They have a screening process to ensure the future safety of the animals, unlike common pet stores. Most people believe if an animal ended up in the shelter that means there is something wrong with them, but this is NOT true.

Watch the video to find out why!