Something I get asked about a lot is grooming tips for cavaliers. I may not be the best person to ask, as I’m one of those people that shaves their cavaliers. I know, right? The horror! I personally like the look of a shaved cavalier, but prefer mine to have their ears and tails grown out long. I used to have full flowing coats on them, but found the maintenance to be a bear, so we started getting them shaved twice a year. You will often hear that shaving a cavalier “ruins” the coat permanently, but that’s really not the case. Some cavaliers have nice silky coats and some don’t. Those that grow the “Cottony” fluffy coats will always grow a cottony fluffy coat, regardless of shaving or not shaving. Those with silky coats will have silky coats. One thing that is common, though, is for spaying or neutering to change the dogs coat. The change in hormones can trigger a change in the coat. After spaying many silky coated dogs grow in a fluffy coat, and it seems to be more common in females than males. So, you have a cavalier with a long flowing coat…what’s the best way to keep that coat beautiful? Mainly and most importantly: Regular brushing! I cannot state this enough. If you want a cavalier with a long flowing coat, you will have to brush at least several times a week, if not every day, especially in summer when there are lots of sticky plants and weeds out! You will have to check in between the dogs’ toes whenever they run in an area with a lot of weeds, especially if there are foxtails around! More on that in a minute.  What is the best kind of brush for a cavalier? I prefer a double sided brush that has wire pins on one side and bristles on the other. The wire pins work great to work out light tangles and the bristles help smooth the coat. A “Furminator” type brush works great to thin out a thick, unruly coat. Be sure to brush with a regular brush BEFORE using a Furminator as they tend to pull tangles and that hurts! Always brush your cavalier thoroughly before bathing! Bathing will make any tangles tighten up and even harder to get out! If your dog does get a mat, you can use scissors to cut through the mat, then use baby powder and a comb to take the mat out. Always be careful when cutting mats so you don’t accidentally get skin! It is a good idea to keep the hair around the underside of the ears trimmed. This will help keep moisture from staying inside the ear, which causes yeast infections. If your cavalier is prone to excess ear wax, use an ear cleaner a couple of times a month. I use Epi-Otic every time I bathe my dogs. You simply pour it into the ear, rub the ear and use a cotton ball to gently wipe the inside of the ear. How often to bathe your cavalier? To keep your dog from having dry skin, it is good practice to bathe no more than a couple of times a month, and always use a good moisturizing shampoo. Conditioner works great to keep the hair tangle free (I personally use Mane-n-Tail, which is used on horses and I have always had great luck with it!). As for shampoo, there are many kinds to choose from. I prefer an oatmeal shampoo because it is less irritating, but it’s really a personal preference. Lastly, keep the bottoms of your cavaliers feet trimmed. The hair in between a cavaliers toes tends to grow quickly and cover the pads of their feet, which can cause your dog to slip on slick surfaces. Keeping the hair between the toes trimmed will prevent that! You can still keep the hair on the top of the feet long to keep the “Grinch Feet”. Trimming between the toes also helps to prevent foxtails from sticking and burrowing in between your dog’s toes. See below for an infographic on foxtails and what they look like. 
I hope that this has helped! If your dog is not used to being groomed, be sure to take things slow and use lots of praise and treats help him get used to being brushed. Many rescue dogs have been badly neglected and some have never even seen a brush, so grooming time can be very stressful. Go slow and never push your dog. Keep your grooming "training" sessions short and positive to help your dog get used to it!
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 What is a 501(c)3 charity? 501(c)(3) exemptions apply to corporations, and any community chest, fund, cooperating association or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable,scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.There are also supporting organizations—often referred to in shorthand form as "Friends of" organizations. Another provision, 26 U.S.C. § 170, provides a deduction, for federal income tax purposes, for some donors who make charitable contributions to most types of 501(c)(3) organizations, among others. Regulations specify which such deductions must be verifiable to be allowed (e.g., receipts for donations over $250). Due to the tax deductions associated with donations, loss of 501(c)(3) status can be highly challenging to a charity's continued operation, as many foundations and corporate matching programs do not grant funds to a charity without such status, and individual donors often do not donate to such a charity due to the unavailability of the deduction. The two exempt classifications of 501(c)(3) organizations are as follows:
Source: Wikipedia One of the questions I get asked the most is “Is Cavalier Crazy Rescue a 501(c)3 non-profit charity?”
The answer is no, at least not yet. The reason why we have not gone that route yet is because when CCR started up with our first rescue in 2010 we were just a small rescue. For the first 2 years we only had a small handful of dogs come in. We paid for everything out of pocket and were reimbursed by the adopter as their adoption fee. Starting in 2013 the rescue started getting bigger and we had more and more dogs come in, and last year, 2014, was our biggest year to date, and we had a several medical cases come in. As stated above, you need to have public support, from a variety of donors. So far most of our donations have come from a handful of people. What does this mean to you, as an adopter? Not much. Contrary to a common belief, you cannot write off your adoption fee for a dog, even if it’s paid to a 501(c)3 charity. Because you are receiving “goods” (ie, the dog), it is not a donation. What does it mean to you as a donor? We cannot provide you with a receipt to write off your donation on your taxes at this point. We do very little fundraising and try to raise most of our money through purchases of our yearly calendar and other goods such as notecards and prints. 100% of the profits made from these items go to helping the CCR dogs. As it stands, we pay taxes on every penny we “make”, be it from donations or from our calendar sales. Like most rescues, we lose money on our senior dogs and our dogs with medical issues. At CCR we do not like to charge high adoption fees for our sweet senior dogs, but we want them to get all of the vet care needed. From spaying/neutering to dentals to ear cleanings to treating them for heart conditions, we want ALL of our dogs to have the best medical care possible and be in tip top shape before going off to their forever homes. We take in seniors, medical cases, puppy mill rescues, shelter dogs and owner releases. We take in cavalier mixes as well, not just purebreds. As I talked about in my previous blog post, we try to make up those losses by asking a higher adoption fee for our young, healthy dogs. Be assured, though we are not a non-profit charity, we are not for profit. Your adoption fee, your calendar purchases, all of that money goes to help the dogs. I do not get paid a penny to do what I do. Transports, home checks, interviews, all of that is done by my because I care deeply for the welfare of these dogs. Likewise my wonderful helpers and fosters do what they do because they love these dogs. All of our dogs are fully vetted; spaying/neutering, shots, microchips, grooming and dentals are all included in your adoption fee, along with any other medical treatments the dogs need. All of our dogs go home with a brand new leash and collar and a goody bag of treats and toys. We are currently looking into options and weighing the pros and cons. Starting up a non-profit is not only time consuming, it is expensive. And funds we would use for that are funds we are currently using to help dogs in need. I am looking into whether we qualify, based on the size of the rescue, and if not what we need to do. As with everything, it is up to you as an adopter/foster/supporter, to educate yourself decide where you stand on all of this. If you want to donate to help cavaliers in need and want a receipt for tax purposes there are many 501(c)3 cavalier rescues you can donate to including, Treasured Pals Small Spaniel Rescue, Cavalier Rescue USA, Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue and Cavalier Rescue Florida among others. If you would like to help support Cavalier Crazy Rescue and cavaliers in Utah, you can buy a calendar or notecards! Click on the link for Calendars and More or visit our Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CavalierCrazyRescue If you want to donate to CCR, we do have a PayPal account. You can email or message me. As always, thank you for your support! 
The prices that rescues and shelters charge for dog adoptions is a pretty sensitive and heated topic. I'm hoping to shed some light on the subject.
What is puppy price jacking? That is a term used when shelters and rescues charging a higher adoption fee for puppies and/or purebred dogs. Some rescues and shelters charge a flat fee for all of their animals, regardless of age or breed. Some breed specific rescues charge fees depending on the age of the dog. And some all breed rescues charge a higher adoption fee for puppies/young dogs/purebred dogs. Sometimes they call these "VIP" dogs. What does all of this mean? Well, it depends. Is this a good thing? A bad thing? It depends entirely upon the rescue/shelter. Reputable rescues take in a variety of dogs. If they are breed specific they may only take one breed, or sometimes dogs mixed with that breed. But either way, a reputable rescue takes in senior dogs. They take in shelter releases. They take in sick dogs that need medical treatment. In most cases, senior dogs and medical cases cost the rescue far more in vet bills than they can ever recoup in an adoption fee. That is just part of running a rescue. The difference between the medical bill and the adoption fee can be made up in fundraisers or donations. Some rescues do a lot of fundraising and collect a lot of donations, others don't. But another way to make up that difference is by charging a higher adoption fee for a young, healthy dog, one that didn't need much medical treatment. Many times people want puppies or young dogs. Many people are looking for a specific breed. Though the fees for these dogs are higher than other dogs, it is usually far less than "buying" a puppy or young purebred dog. This makes an advantage to both parties. The adopter is rescuing a dog in need rather than buying a dog, and the rescue is able to get extra funds to help with the next senior or medical case they get in. What does that mean to you, as an adopter? It is obviously your choice whether to support rescues/shelters that do this. But there are red flags to look for in a rescue that does this that you want to be aware of. Some questions to ask: Does the rescue take in ONLY young, purebred dogs? Or do they also help shelter releases, seniors or dogs with medical needs? If their adoptable dogs consist only of young purebred puppies and not any older adult dogs, they could possibly be a puppy mill broker posing as a rescue. This does happen! Does the rescue make sure every single dog/puppy is spayed or neutered, up to date on shots before they are adopted? If they are adopting out dogs that are not spayed or neutered, this is a big red flag! Some rescues and shelters do a voucher type program for getting the animal fixed, but in those cases you HAVE to provide proof that it is done with in a specific amount of time or the rescue can take the animal back. If the rescue doesn't spay or neuter and doesn't require it, that is a big red flag! Does the rescue follow an adoption protocol? Do they have an application process? Do they have a contract? Are they concerned about a good placement of the dog? Or do they just let anyone adopt any dog as long as they will pay the fee? If the rescue is reputable and is open about their adoption fees and processes and you are okay with paying a higher fee to get a puppy or breed of dog that you want, then go for it! But do your homework and make sure the rescue is reputable. If a rescue has an adoption fee listed but then when you inquire about the dog they tell you it's actually more, don't hesitate to ask why! There are lots of different rescues and shelters that are run a variety of different ways. It's up to you as an adopter to be informed so you can make the decision that is right for you!  Flynn: The Chicken Coop Dog. A good Samaritan saw the condition Flynn was in and purchased him to release to rescue so he could get the help he desperately needed. What is dog flipping? Dog flipping is the practice of people getting a free dog and then selling it for profit. They find "Free to Good Home" dogs on classifieds ads, pose as a loving owner, take the free dog and then days later sell it at a profit. People do this with purebred dogs at shelters, too. They "adopt" them for the small fee a shelter charges, then puts them up for sale for hundreds of dollars. The dog flippers don't care who the dogs go to, they just want their profit. The dogs are not treated well while they wait to be "bought".
What is dog rescue? Dog rescues are people or organizations that take in owner surrender dogs and dogs from shelters, get them vetted and then adopt them out. Usually the dogs live in foster homes, but some have dedicated facilities where the dogs are kept. Rescues go to great length to make sure the dogs are spayed/neutered, up to date on shots, microchipped and have any other medical treatments then need (like dentals) before they are adopted. They have strict application and adoption contracts. They keep in touch with the adopters and will provide support to the adopters for the life of the dog. If the adopter ever can't keep the dog, the rescue will take it back. So why do some rescues/rescuers get called dog flippers? Because of the practice of "buying" dogs into rescue. What is that? Buying dogs into rescue is when a rescue or individual pay for a dog to go into rescue. Some situations include the puppy mill auctions, retired backyard breeder dogs, or older puppies that are at risk of becoming puppy mill breeders. Sometimes they are dogs that are neglected or abused that the owners want money for and refuse to turn over to rescue. Sometimes the rescues use donations to get the dogs, sometimes they just pay for them. Sometimes they are able to make up the money in the adoption fee, and sometimes they lose hundreds of dollars because the dogs typically need extensive vet care. The people selling these dogs don't care who the dog goes to, they don't care if a rescue gets them. They just want money for the dog. The dog is a commodity, nothing more. There was a big auction of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels recently. A puppy mill was closing down and used an auction to sell off their "stock". There was a public campaign to raise money to buy these dogs. Because of the publicity, the prices skyrocketed and dogs went for hundreds or thousands of dollars more than they normally would have. most rescues that deal with auctions do so behind the scenes, posing as a buyer, not a rescue. The big puppy mill auction, while wonderful for the dogs saved, proved to breeders that kind-hearted rescuers will do anything and spend any amount of money to save dogs. The answer is to shut down puppy mills, but that is easier said than done when so many organizations make millions off of mills. There is no easy answer. Rescues do what they think is the best thing. Some refuse to pay for dogs, some have no problem with it. It is up to you as an adopter, volunteer or foster to think about these things and decide where you sit. 
We recently got in a couple of young dogs from a puppy mill. They aren't our first mill dogs, though. Our boy Finny (was Flynn) came from a local mill/hoarder. I already did a post on puppy mills, and why buying puppies from pet stores is a bad idea.
Today I'm going to talk a little bit about what it means to foster or adopt a puppy mill dog. Most mill dogs come into rescue in horrific physical condition. They are filthy, matted and have over grown nails and rotten teeth. The young ones that make it out of the mills before they get in that condition are still usually filthy and stained from walking in filth. Grooming and vet treatment can treat the physical ailments, and sometimes that's the easy part. The thing that many people don't realize is that these puppy mill rescues aren't just in bad physical shape. They are in bad mental shape as well. Most mill dogs live their lives in wire cages, or cement kennels. Many have never touched grass, or carpet. Our recent mill pups had never felt grass. One of them just crumpled when his feet touched the grass. The other freaked out, bucking and kicking, terrified. They are not used to being touched, and shy away from human hands. The lucky ones are just not used to being touched. The unlucky ones have been beaten or kicked. These dogs don't understand things like stairs, or beds, or couches. They don't know what toys are and usually have to learn from other dogs how to play. We are lucky to have gotten our newest arrivals, Collin and Sullivan, at a young age. They have not spent years like that, and will hopefully in time learn how to be a member of the family. They will learn to want affection and human interaction. Fostering or adopting a puppy mill dog is hard. It's definitely not like fostering or adopting a regular pet that has been released to rescue. These dogs need a lot of time and patience. It's not for everyone. Some puppy mill dogs have been so broken they never truly recover. Before you decide to adopt a former puppy mill rescue, do some research. There are many wonderful websites devoted to teaching people what they need to know about a puppy mill rescue dog. One of the best is Best Friends. Fostering or adopting a former puppy mill rescue is one of the hardest and most rewarding things you will do. To watch the dog learn to trust and open up is priceless. But be sure you are ready for the task before you jump in. These dogs have had a lot of upheaval in their lives and the last thing anyone wants is for them to come back in to rescue. We want them in their forever homes! If you are interested in adopting a former puppy mill dog, check with local breed specific rescues. Many times they will get them in or will know where you will find a rescue that gets mill dogs in. 
2014 was a banner year for Cavalier Crazy Rescue. We took in more dogs than all our previous years combined!
We took in a whopping 22 dogs and one kitten in 2014. We had 19 adoptions. We welcomed many new foster homes. Our dogs went to several different states including Nebraska, Texas, Arizona, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington and of course, Utah. We have made new friends and have gotten to see some amazing transformations! 2015 has started with us welcoming 4 dogs into the CCR family so far and it's only 1/2 way through January! Fun Facts about the 22 dogs we got in 2014: 9 of the dogs were female (40%) 13 of the dogs were male (60%) 5 were mixes (22%) 8 of the purebreds were tricolor (47%) 5 of the purebreds were blenheim (29%) 1 of the purebreds was black and tan (5%) 1 of the purebreds was ruby (5%) Thanks again to everyone for your support. We couldn't do this without you! These are some of the photos I've received recently of some of our former Cavalier Crazy Rescue pups. It warms my heart each and every time I see the photos of these pups in their new forever homes, being so very loved and adored! Most of these pups came from really sad backgrounds and it is just wonderful to see them being so spoiled now!
I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of my supporters. You are the reason we have been able to help so many dogs (24!!) in 2014. Whether you are an adopter, a foster, bought one of our calendars or helped share the photos and bios of our adoptable dogs, you have ALL made a difference in these dogs lives! Without you, there would be no Cavalier Crazy Rescue! I hope you all know how very much you all mean to me! I hope you all had the happiest of holidays and here's to a very Happy New Year! 
First Cavalier Foster, Chloe My first exposure to rescue came from my mom. She rescued countless dogs from the streets when I was a kid. If the owner wasn’t found we gave them a home. She was always stopping to pick up strays and take them to the shelter. When a family moved from our neighborhood and left their two unaltered cats, our neighborhood soon became overrun with cats. We would trap the kittens; I still remember using a fishing net to scoop up unsuspecting kittens off our front porch. We would take them to the vet and then find them homes with the help of our vet. We used live traps to trap the adults and take them to the shelter. It was rough. The adult cats were sick and often injured. But we did what we could. We eventually moved out of the neighborhood. After I got married and we got Danny, our first Cavalier, I got involved with a local rescue. I was a “socializer”. I would go to the shelter and visit with the dogs and the cats. I did adoption events and finally ended up being a foster for several dogs. Mostly Chihuahuas, but some other breeds as well. It was then that I really learned about the importance of fostering. Every dog I took into my home was one more dog the rescue could pull from the euthanasia list at the shelter. They never stayed too long, but I still remember all of them. The cute pair of Chihuahua’s that liked to burrow into the laundry and shiver. The Jack Russell that ran circles around Danny and the cats. The Pomeranian mix that had been so badly abused that she would urinate when she got nervous, and cowered from a hand raised near her. Of those dogs I only am still in contact with one of the owners and recently they sent me a photo. She is happy and spoiled! When I first started Cavalier Crazy, it was a one woman operation. I had no fosters, so every single one of our early dogs was fostered by me and my ever patient (for the most part anyway!) husband. There were owner releases and a shelter dog. I remember all of their stories. As CCR got bigger I started having other people foster. But there are always more dogs and more fosters needed. I cannot emphasize enough how important fosters are to a rescue, any rescue. Every foster home means one more dog that can be saved, one less dog that ends up in a shelter or as a breeding dog. Without the wonderful fosters I have, we could never have saved 22 dogs so far in 2014. Fostering isn’t easy. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Some of the dogs come from loving homes that for various reasons can no longer keep them, but not many. Those dogs, while usually having training and attention, are bewildered and don’t understand why they are no longer with their families. But most of the dogs come from awful situations. Many of them are abused or neglected. They cower when you try to pet them. They have been kept in crates, or tied outside. They are matted and have rotten teeth. Some have never been a pet and have no concept of what that means. They do not know how to trust people. But until you’ve experienced it for yourself, I can’t explain the joy that you feel when you start to see these dogs change. When they start to see that people are okay. When they play with a toy for the first time, or seek out your lap. When you suddenly realize that you have lost a piece of your heart to this little dog that is going to move on to a new home and a new life. Saying goodbye to a foster is one of the hardest things, but ultimately the most rewarding. When you get to see the happiness in the new family’s face or see the once shy dog run to greet them. It’s bittersweet, knowing they are going to leave you. But each dog that you take into your home, and into your heart, means one more dog that a rescue can save. When they move on to their new family there will be another dog that needs a temporary home until its forever home comes along. Foster dogs may not stay forever in your home, but they stay forever in your heart. You will remember all of them, and most times will get updates from the new family! If you have never fostered, please consider it. Please consider opening your home to a dog (or cat!) in need. Rescues cannot survive without fosters. If you’re interested in fostering for Cavalier Crazy, please send us an email. We will send you a foster application and keep it on file. Be honest about what kind of dog you are willing to foster. We will strive to make a good match and try to make the experience as easy as possible. More information can be found on our “About” page. 
Chester came in to rescue in March of 2014. He was listed in a local classified ad as free to good home. The rescue contacted the owner and they agreed to release him to rescue. Turns out the kids had all moved out to go to school or get married and they didn't want to take care of a dog any more. Chester had been kept kenneled much of the day every day and had gained a lot of weight, but from the first moment he came into rescue it was clear that Chester was a special dog with the sweetest personality! After coming into rescue Chester's forever family saw his photo on Instagram and put in an application for him. They drove all the way from the Bay Area of California in the snow to adopt Chester here in Utah! Since being adopted Chester has undergone quite the transformation! Here is the story from Chester's mom: When I first brought Chester home I knew he and I had a lot of work to do to get him down to a healthy weight. I brought him home in April of 2014 and he weighed over 25 pounds. Our goal: 16-18 pounds. I gave him a couple days to settle in his new (FOREVER) home with us, and then we got straight to work. I walk my other two dogs twice a day every day weather permitting, but I didn't want to push Chester too hard too fast, so we started with short walks once a day. It didn't take a lot to tire the poor guy out...we'd come back from a fairly short walk and he'd inhale water, and then sleep for over an hour. This process was repeated every day and as soon as I'd notice that he didn't seem as tired after his walk, I'd start walking a little further. I probably took him too soon, but there's a hiking trail that I love to take my other dogs to and I really didn't want to leave him home alone, so we packed in the car and hit the trail. Chester was so excited! He did okay for a while, but after just the third hill, he was starting to struggle so we turned around and went back to the car. Again, he inhaled water when we got back to the car, and he slept for the rest of the day. The hiking trail was definitely too much this early in the game, but he was doing great on the daily neighborhood walks, so we shortened the walks and upped it to twice a day. I took him to the vet in late June just so the vet could see how he was doing and make sure he was still okay healthwise. I'll never forget the smile on my vet's face when he brought Chester back to me and said in disbelief, "he weighs 18 pounds." I was shocked! He went on to tell me that, his heart, hips, knees, etc., were perfect, I was doing everything right, and to keep doing what we were doing. Eighteen pounds was still a little much considering his size, so now we had to get down to 16. Fast forward to November, Chester is at a perfect weight of 16 pounds and he can climb the hiking trails with ease. Now that he's at a healthy weight, he's become more playful and he's not sleeping all day anymore like he was when he had all that extra weight. Plain and simple, I've noticed that he feels good, is loving life, and he's finally happy. Now he can even keep up with his one year old Cavalier sister, Paris! 
Chester and Paris
Chester on his first hike, and then finally conqering the hill! We love to hear these happy endings! Thank you to Chester's new family for working so hard with him to get him healthy and for giving him a wonderful FOREVER home!
 Photo Credit: Dahna Bender We’ve all been there. You walk into a pet store to pick up some dog food or a collar and you walk by the puppies and fall in love. Sometimes they’re in pens in sawdust, sometimes they are in equivalent of fish tanks. You ooh and aww over how cute they are. You fall in love with them because they’re cute. You feel sorry for them because they don’t have a home and are living in tiny enclosures. You decided then and there that you are going to “save” that puppy and buy it and take it home. It is understandable. No one likes to see dogs, much less tiny puppies, being neglected or kept in small enclosures. But the problem with buying a pet store puppy is that the adorable little puppy you just bought more than likely came from a puppy mill.  Photo Credit: SAAW What’s a puppy mill? A puppy mill is a “commercial dog breeding operation”. What that actually means is that it is a large scale operation filled with neglected and overbred dogs. Dogs in puppy mills are kept in deplorable conditions. They are stacked in wire crates with no bottoms, so the urine and feces drop down onto the dogs in the lower crates. Their feet become splayed from standing on wire. Their coats become matted with feces and dirt and straw. Their teeth rot from having bad food and no vet care. They get all manner of infections; eyes, ears, urinary tract. They have no toys, no freedom. The lucky ones have no human contact. The unlucky ones are beat and kicked. They are breeding stock and nothing more. These dogs may live out their entire lives in these mills producing litter after litter of puppies. When they become too old to breed and are no longer profitable they are disposed of. Sometimes, but not often, the miller will release the dog to a rescue group. But that's rare. Often they will go to an auction where a rescue group may be able to buy them and save them, but likely another mill will buy them to try to get a few more litters out of them. (Read more about dog auctions here) But more often than not they are just killed by the miller, as that is the cheapest and easiest way to dispose of a dog that no longer brings in any money. These dogs are not humanely euthanized as they would be in a shelter. They are shot, they are hit over the head and sometimes just left to die. That is the truth behind the adorable puppy you see in the pet store. That is the truth behind the puppies you see on websites that sell puppies online. That may even be the truth behind the puppy you buy on an online classified site like Craigslist or KSL. There are puppy mills in EVERY state-yes, even here in Utah.  When you buy that puppy from a pet store or online, you are creating demand for more puppies. Every puppy you buy at a pet store because you feel bad for it means another puppy is going to be born to the parents that live in those mills. And the other side of buying pet store puppies or puppies from online sites is that these puppies are very often unhealthy. The parents aren't properly vetted, so diseases run rampant. Parvo, distemper. Genetic problems are also prevalent due to inbreeding and the breeding of genetically impaired dogs that are bred because they are “pretty” with no thought to any issues the dog may have. These puppies have heart murmurs, ear problems, eye problems, luxating patellas. They are bred for profit, not to better the breed. So oftentimes these puppies die young of hereditary issues. And another problem with impulse buys of puppies at pet stores is that it's likely that the buyer has no knowledge of the breed. They buy the puppy because it's “cute”, without any knowledge of what that dog will be like when it grows up. This leads to many purebred dogs being resold on classified sites, or released to rescues, or left in shelters. People don't know the energy levels of the dog, the care required for grooming. They don't know whether the dog is going to be hard to train. And when they can't handle the dog once it's not longer a cute puppy, they get rid of it. Pet stores don't care who buys their puppies, they just want someone to give them money. They can't tell you about the breed, the temperament of the parents. All of these reasons are why, if you want to buy a puppy, you never buy from a pet store or an online puppy store. You do your research on the breed by going to reputable sites like Dog Breed Info. You look for reputable breeders, breeders that only have a few litters a year, so they can devote time to the parents and to raising the puppies. They have parents that have had extensive health testing. The parents are certified. They are happy to let you in their home, to see where the dogs live, where the puppies are raised. You can meet the puppies parents. If the people want to meet you somewhere, if they won't let you meet the parents or tell you that they don't have the parents, those are red flags. If they don't have proper vet paperwork, health certificates, those are red flags. Even if you are set on getting a puppy, think rescue first. Many rescues get puppies in. You may have to wait for one, but you could still get one. And who knows, you may find that you find an older puppy or young adult dog that is perfect for you! The advantage of an older dog is that what you see is what you get. You can see their personality, their temperament. And the bonus is there are breed specific rescues for any breed you could want. And the people that run breed specific rescues are experts about that breed. They can answer your questions, give you advice. And when you adopt from a reputable rescue, you have support for life. They will always take their dogs back, so you never have to worry. And they should offer you support for the life of your dog. You should feel comfortable calling them with questions and concerns. Puppy mills are horrible. They should not exist, but they do exist because of greed and because of supply and demand. As long as there is a demand for commercially bred puppies, there will be puppy mills. As long as they are able to pass inspections because there are not enough inspectors to keep up with the amount of mills, they will continue to get away with their abuse and neglect. Change starts with the consumers. Buy being educated about the truth behind pet store puppies and puppy mills, consumers can stop buying those puppies. Stop creating that demand. We can all help spread the word. We can educate our friends when they say they are going to buy a puppy. We can all make a difference. Whether you volunteer with a rescue, educate people, donate money to the groups determined to stop mills, you CAN make a difference. There are many resources online to learn more about puppy mills: The Puppy Mill Project ASPCA Puppy Mill Info HSUS: Puppy Mills On YouTube: National Geographic-Cesar Milan HSUS: Reality of Puppy Mills Ella Grace: A Puppy Mill Cavalier Animal Corps Philadelphia: Puppy Mills Exposed  Photo credit: Fun Paw Care
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