Today, I walked into a pet store to see the puppies, as I always do when my sister and I are in that area of town, and when I left, I felt more discouraged by the pet store's treatment of animals. This place was crowded and filled to the brim with cages. There were multiple puppies in one cage, a bloodhound in a cage that was too small for it, chinchillas in cages on the floor and birds jammed in dirty and small cages. Two of the puppies looked sick and like they did not want to move and the bloodhound was trying to figure out a way to turn around in the cage she was crammed in.

Walking into that pet shop made me realize the importance of supporting shelters and rescues. Although I am deeply concerned about the well-being of the animals in that store, I could not give them money to take dogs and support the cruelty that they provide. Pet stores, like the one I visited, could be being supplied their puppies by unqualified breeders, or, worse, puppy mills.

When my sister bought her dog from this same pet store last year, she had not been expecting the problems that ensued. Within a couple of days of being in his new home, my sister noticed that her new puppy was lethargic and could not hold in his poop. When she took him to the vet, he was diagnosed with Parvovirus and she was told that he had a slim chance of surviving due to his young age. As her dog was being treated, my sister did research about where her puppy had come from and found that he had come from a "breeder" in Missouri. Unlike many of their other dogs, the pet store did not provide my sister with the name of her puppy's mother or sire, leading us to believe that he came from a puppy mill in Missouri. The "breeder" he came from even lied about his vaccinations as was supposed to have received his Parvo vaccine prior to arriving at the pet shop. Due to his illness and the store's negligence, the store paid for the puppy's treatment and he thankfully survived. Unfortunately, puppies from mills are not always so lucky. It has become a theme that puppies from mills will arrive sick with an illness, such as Parvo, to a pet shop and infect the other dogs, leading to an outbreak that can kill multiple puppies.

Situations such as my sister's happen to unknowing people all over the world. They see a cute face and take whatever the person at the counter has to say at face value. When that happens and people are given dogs with unidentified histories, temperaments and health, we get even more inundation at local shelters from people that did not expect so much effort to come from that cute face.

When thinking of getting a pet, whether in the near or distant future, please keep in mind all of your options and do your research. There is always adoption of a wonderful pet looking for a second chance at your local shelter or rescue. And if you do go the breeder or pet shop route, make sure to know where your puppy or kitten is coming from.

Just think about it: where will your next fur-baby come from?