Letter: Shelters, not shops, best for finding a pet

Friday, Dec. 17, 1999 | 9:08 a.m.

Nearly half a million dogs are sold in pet shops each year. Most of them are raised in "puppy mills" -- breeding kennels located mainly in the Midwest, which are infamous for their cramped and filthy conditions. States notorious for their puppy mills include Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Puppy mill kennels consist of small wood or wire-mesh cages, usually kept outdoors. Female dogs are bred continuously, with no rest between heat cycles. Both mothers and puppies often suffer from malnutrition, exposure, and lack of adequate veterinary care. The females are killed when their bodies are worn out and they can no longer produce litters.

Puppies are taken from their mothers at four to eight weeks of age. They are then sold to brokers, who pack them in crates for transport and sale to pet stores. Ten or more puppies are often crammed into a single cage. Transportation conditions are often abysmal -- lacking adequate food, water or ventilation.

Conditions at many pet shops are often not much better. Pet shop owners try to keep veterinary bills and other animal care expenses down in order to maximize profits. Even those animals who survive poor conditions rarely get the kind of attention they need to become suitable companions. They are not properly socialized with humans or other animals, having spent most of their time either in cages or display cases. For that reason, they are often "returned" or killed when they fail to perform as a perfect "pet."

If you are ready for the lifetime responsibility of adopting an animal, do the right thing and adopt from our local humane society or shelters. The unconditional love animals give us is sometimes more than we as a society deserve.

LINDA FASO