While it would be nice for adopting a pet from a shelter to be on everyone’s radar – that isn’t always a good fit for everyone, and we don’t think it helps to judge people for making other choices – e.g. the “should” word. Us seeking out a reputable breeder of field-type Irish setters is a perfect example.

The broader question of “supply and demand” when it comes to pets is quite a complicated one involving many factors – way beyond what we can discuss here. We’ll try to do a few posts on some of the releveant population articles we’ve seen about this. I think we all would love to see puppy mills – however one defines that – go away.

Thanks for your comment
Suzanne and Dan

I’m sorry to say that going to someone’s house to see the puppies is not quite as secure a situation as you say. Unscrupulous people are getting more and more “sophisticated” in their ways to sell pups.
There are now people who bring puppies from mills to their homes, where they allow people to come see them and then say that the parents aren’t available to be seen. Sometimes they will say that an adult dog is the parent of the puppies on the premises but have no proof of it.

There are far too many homeless dogs in the U.S. Adoption from a shelter has it’s risks and problems, but if someone is truly prepared to meet the challenges of giving a dog a good life (any dog from anywhere), choosing a dog from a shelter or breed rescue should be at the top of the list.

The less people buy from shops and places that may be getting their pups from mills, the sooner they will hopefully put mills out of business.

Thanks for all you do to make the world a better place for these innocents.