All About Animals

THE PUPPY SCAM Jon Emont’s article last week in “The Wall Street Journal” about people being scammed when they try to buy puppies online only reveals part of the problem. While it’s true that they’re being ripped off by scammers with pictures of some dog or other, and sometimes sold stolen dogs, the worst thing about buying dogs online is that you don’t know where they actually come from. Almost all come from puppy mills, horrible places that abuse the breeding dogs from birth to death. Anybody who cares about animals would not knowingly support these places, but that’s what they’re doing when they buy dogs online. The ads are dressed up in all kinds of deceptive language. If you want a dog, please go to the shelter or local rescue group to adopt a homeless pet and save him/her from a needless death. If you’re absolutely set on a puppy, not the best choice for most people, go to the rescue group for the breed you want. Each breed has its own rescue group, or go to petfinder.com, which has all the adoptable dogs in the country by breed and region. People who insist on a dog from a breeder should at least make sure they go in person to see that breeder’s set up and check with the Humane Society to see if the breeder has the proper credentials.