Many of the puppies sold in pet stores or online originate from puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial breeding facilities that mass-produce dogs for sale through pet stores or directly to consumers through classified ads or online. About 90 percent of puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills.

Owners of puppy mills often focus on profit with little regard for the health and welfare of the animals. While they are legal in the U.S., most of them are not regulated, and practices and conditions in most puppy mills are unethical and appalling. Dogs live in filth without adequate food, water or veterinary care. And female dogs are bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters. Inbreeding is also a huge problem.

As a result, dogs born in puppy mills often have serious health problems which could mean steep vet bills for you. Also, many pet stores don’t socialize their animals, which can lead to potential behavioral problems.

Adopting a dog comes with many advantages. So before you shop for your next pet, consider rescuing one from a shelter.

You’ll save two lives. Over 3.3 million dogs enter shelters each year. Sadly, only half of them are adopted while most of the others are euthanized. When you rescue a dog from a shelter, you open up a slot for another one looking for its forever home. And, you’ll feel great knowing you did a wonderful thing. In fact, many people say that rescuing an animal gave them a new, positive outlook on life. So maybe we should say three lives are saved?
You’ll get a great dog. It’s a myth that dogs in a shelter are bad. Many are there through no fault of their own. Often it’s because their owner’s living situation changed or they got out of their fence. Most of the dogs in a shelter are mixed breeds, and it’s been proven that mixed breeds are generally healthier because they are less likely to have genetic issues that plague some breeds, such as allergies and hip dysplasia.
It will cost less. While adoption fees can be as high as $150 or more, costs for spay or neuter surgeries, microchip, vaccines, and flea, tick, and heartworm preventative will total a lot more. Many animal shelters include these expenses in their fees, making adoption much more affordable.
It takes less work. If you don’t know much about training a puppy or don’t have the patience, you can find the perfect adult rescue dog who’s already house trained and knows his basic manners. But if you like a challenge, you can often find puppies at a rescue.
Know the animal’s personality. Rescues and shelters want to make sure that every dog goes to a good home. Finding the right fit is very important to be sure the animal is well cared for and doesn’t return to the shelter. Shelters will give you as much information as possible about each dog’s personality, activity level, how they behave with children, other pets and strangers, and other factors that make for a good fit.