Consumer alert: Christmas puppies

Odds high that puppies bought as Christmas gifts come from puppy mills

Every holiday season brings its share of must-have gifts. What other time of year do people willingly line up--sometimes in bitter cold--for computer games? But puppies have been Christmas crowd pleasers for decades running. And just as gaming companies race to meet the end of the year demand, so does a business that animal welfare groups call cruel: puppy mills.

"This is the big money-maker time of year for puppy mills," says Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The uptick in breeding extends to so-called backyard breeders as well, as a glance at the classifieds will prove. "People are marketing dogs as "Christmas puppies" because it helps them sell," Shain says.

This year's "hot" breeds? Popular lap-warmers such as Lhaso Apsos, Yorkshire terriers, and Maltese, says Shain, all of whom, not coincidentally, get lots of ink in today's tabloids. But plenty of lesser-known breeds come from the mills as well. "I can't think of any breed of dog out there that's free from the tortures of puppy mills," she says.

The source of many purebreds

In fact, the challenge of finding a reputable breeder, who's motivated by love of the breed rather than profit, is greater than most potential new owners realize. "People don't understand that if you buy a purebred dog it probably came from a puppy mill," an HSUS undercover agent told Newsweek. He says he's constantly surprised by the number of people he meets who think puppy mills are a thing of the past.

It may be because most of us assume conditions as terrible as what he observed would be outlawed. His investigation turned up case after case of dogs crowded into small, dirty cages with no protection from harsh weather, isolated from people, and given little or no medical care.

"Breeding stock" may spend their whole lives in these cramped cages, churning out litter after litter until their fertility wanes and they're sold, killed, or abandoned. Sadly, laws governing these mills are loose and rarely enforced.

Both pups and owners suffer

The owners pay a price for their new pup's suffering. Mass bred pups are more likely to develop behavior problems, such as fear or aggression around people, because they miss out on socialization, or early exposure to humans. And because medical care in the mills is often lacking, many arrive in their new homes with [Continued]

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Humane ways to get a puppy

So how do you know the money you pay for your Christmas pup isn't going into the pocket of a puppy mill owner?

Don't buy puppies online, in pet stores, or through newspaper ads. These are the ones who often come from puppy mills. This goes for even the sleekest website or the swankiest store. An HSUS undercover investigation found that puppies sold at the upscale store Pets of Bel Air--who promised their customers that all the dogs came from "private breeders"--actually came from puppy mills.

Find a reputable breeder--and wait for her next litter. This probably means you won't have a pup by Christmas, unless you've been on a waiting list for several months beforehand. But a reputable breeder is selective about the dogs bred, offers medical care, and socializes a puppy in its critical early weeks of life.

Adopt a mutt. Since they come from a broader genetic pool they can be healthier than many purebreds. In humane societies and the best shelters, they've also been screened for many of the problems the pet store won't tell you about.

"Our animals have been vaccinated and evaluated for health and temperament problems," points out Jan McHugh Smith, president of the San Francisco SPCA. "They've also been sterilized, so they won't contribute to the pet overpopulation problem."

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