Adopt vs. Shop: adopting an animal could mean saving a life

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A dog adopted from Thomas J O Connor

Emilia Caney, A&E Editor

In the town of West Side, the majority of us have seen or have been to The Puppy Place, located in the Riverdale Plaza. The Puppy Place sounds like a fantastic spot where dogs can play, have lots of fun, and are taken care of properly, right? Wrong. The Puppy Place is a pet store that gets their puppies from puppy mills and breeders. The puppies are kept in cramped cages with a glass window for all to see. Little kids and parents alike go into the store to gawk at how cute the puppies are. They tap and hit the glass, as if the puppy is a marine animal in an aquarium, and they want the animal to notice them. The Puppy Place, like many other pet shops, get their dogs from puppy mills. The puppies are stuck in these cages, day in and day out. They have to drink out of a water bottle that is the same one you give to a rabbit or guinea pig. They sleep and lay on a hard floor with just newspaper (some of the puppies do have beds, but only if there’s more than one). The odor of the place when you walk in hits you like a punch in the face. It smells of dirt and must. Pet shops, such as The Puppy Place, may seem like a fun-filled place, but where the puppies come from, and how the shop is run, is a whole different story.

Puppy mills are huge commercial dog breeding facilities where profit is given priority. They are overcrowded, unsanitary and don’t take the dogs’ health into account. The mills constantly breed the female dogs, giving them little to no time to recorporate between liters. Then, when these mothers reach the point they can’t reproduce anymore, they are killed instead of put up for adoption, or even sold along with the puppies. This is because the breeders, the people who breed dogs at puppy mills, believe no one will want an older dog over a puppy, so the older, used dogs don’t matter to them. Mills then sell the puppies to pet shops, over the Internet, through newspaper ads, at swap meets or flea markets as young as 8 weeks old. Since these mills don’t pay attention to health issues of these animals, the dogs are often bred with little regard for genetic quality. Puppies from puppy mills often have congenital and hereditary conditions, including heart disease and blood and respiratory disorders. Regardless of the health of the animals, puppy mills will sell their puppies with diseases ranging from parasites to pneumonia. Additionally, puppies are removed from their littermates and mothers at a young age, they also often suffer from fear, anxiety and other behavioral problems.

According to an ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) article written this past year, there are 10,000 puppy mills existent in the United States. This is mainly due to the fact that people continually buy puppies from breeders and pet stores instead of adopting from shelters, such as DAKIN Humane Society in Springfield and Leverett, Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Shelter in Springfield, or even petfinder.com. Instead of endorsing puppy mills, adopt a new family member! Adoption, although a bit of a longer progress, is cheaper because the dog’s vaccination, microchipping and neutering/spaying are included in the adoption fee. Adopting is also safer than buying the animal because you know what you’re getting into with each puppy (you get their licenses and other important papers, whereas breeders and pet shops either giver false information or no papers at all). Adoption centers also tend to make sure the dog is a right fit for you. Adopting has a longer process because they make sure your home and family are ready to take on the dog of your choice. Although the application and adoption process may take a few days or a little over a week depending on where you adopt from, it’s 100% worth it in the end. Everyone wants that special best friend dog bond, and when you adopt, they will be so thankful because you’re giving them a home and love. Give love to a pup that may have been in a horrible situation before, instead of paying dog abusers who just want your money and don’t care about the animals. When you adopt, whether it’s a non-kill shelter or kill shelter (which are just as bad as breeders), you save that dog from being one of the 1 million dogs euthanized a year, according to dosomething.org.

California is the first and only state to take a step in the right direction for our four-legged friends. On October 13th, 2017, California created a law making it required that pet stores sell animals up for adoption instead of puppy mills. This law will begin in 2019, since the transition process will take a long time. Any pet store that doesn’t abide by this law must pay a $500 fine. Although there are many more animal rights that need to be approved, this is an amazing step in the right direction. The rest of the states should follow California’s lead. If you truly love animals, adopt a dog and save a life. Next step in improving animal rights: making all shelters non-kill shelters.