Puppy mill survivor - a good ending - but still too many animals in shleters

The Humane Society of the United States: Email - Meet puppy mill survivor Tyler; celebrate shelter pets

          Tyler is a puppy mill survivor - but there are far too many dogs and cats that are not.

Tyler spent 9 years in a puppy mill and suffered numerous medical problems, But now, he loves running around and laying on his back wagging his tail to get picked up.

I'm proud to say I'm joining with The Humane Society of the United States to help stop puppy mills. Puppy mills are large-scale operations that confine breeding dogs to tiny cages, forcing them to produce litter after litter to pump out puppies for the pet trade.

Most people are unaware that when they buy a puppy from a pet store, via the Internet, or any place they have not visited in person, they are often supporting a cruel and inhumane industry.
You can help, especially during the holiday season, by choosing not to buy your next pet or any pet supplies from retail stores or Internet sites that sell puppies or kittens.

Please choose pet adoption as your first choice. There are so many loving animals waiting for you at your local Humane Society or pet shelter.

Here are some startling statistics from the ASPCA  Pet statistics about animal shelters

• Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those animals relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state.
• According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.
• Twenty-five percent of dogs who enter local shelters are purebred. (Source: NCPPSP)
• Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. About 75 percent of owned pets are neutered.
• The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. About 15 to 20 percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, and 10 to 20 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues. (Source: Ralston Purina and NCPPSP)
• More than 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter. (Source: NCPPSP)
• Five out of ten dogs in shelters and seven out of ten cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them.