09/21/2025
Today is Puppy Mill Awareness Day.
Behind the cute photos online and the irresistible puppy faces in pet store windows, countless dogs are suffering.
In puppy mills, dogs live in cramped wire cages stacked on top of each other, surrounded by filth. They never get to run on grass, feel a kind hand, or know what it means to be loved. Mothers are bred over and over again until their bodies give out. Puppies are taken from them far too early, often sick, afraid, and weak from lack of vet care or even clean water.
Most never see sunlight.
Most never feel safe.
And most are never shown compassion.
Puppy mills exist purely for profit—at the cost of unimaginable suffering. Many are hidden in plain sight, and far too many states have little or no laws to stop them.
💔 How you can help
• If you plan to get a puppy, always research the breeder thoroughly. Visit in person, meet the parents, and ask for full, verifiable vet records.
• Never buy puppies online or from pet stores.
• The safest way to avoid supporting puppy mills? Adopt from your local shelter. Shelter pets are given love, medical care, and the chance to start over in a home that truly wants them.
• Most importantly, speak out. Share what you know. So many people don’t realize the pain behind puppy mills,and awareness saves lives.
Together, we can break this cycle of cruelty.
Give a loving pet a forever home by adopting from Humane Society of West Michigan💙
📖 To learn more, visit the World Animal Foundation:
https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/puppy-mills-statistics/
Humane Society of West Michigan does not endorse any specific business and its goods or services referenced.
