Puppies are adorable, aren’t they? They steal our hearts with their little paws, wet noses and forever-wagging tails.

We browse through pet stores like we scroll through social media and don’t stop till we’ve found the perfect pup. And then we pay thousands and thousands of rupees to make that pup a part of our families.

But do we ever wonder where this pup came from? What about his canine ‘family’? The store owners inform you about the mother and her health for your pup’s medical history but that’s about it.

These adorable puppies are a consequence of constant abuse. Female dogs start mating at 6 months old and there’s no going back for them for a long time.

According to experts, it is not advisable to mate a female dog during her first, or at least a couple of heat cycles. Just like human beings, dogs also need to develop fully before they’re ready for their first mating.

Since dogs don’t really go through a menopause phase, there’s an unwritten rule that claims that a female dog should not mate after the age of 8.  

Breeders and puppy mills pay no heed to the rule. They not only exploit female dogs sexually, but also disturb their mental state.

Female dogs are kept in harrowing conditions at these breeder farms and puppy mills. They are forced to produce litter after litter to provide puppies to pet stores. Their bodies and reproductive systems get so exhausted that at some point it’s too painful for them to bear.

And once the breeders are done with them, they are either abandoned or put to sleep. Their whole life is spent confined in one place, sometimes without any proper resources, and forced to reproduce against their will. 

At times, their puppies are snatched away from them before they even open their eyes. It’s heartbreaking to know that a miracle like childbirth has become a money game.

According to PETA, these puppy mills and breeding farms are as bad as illegal sex trade. If the dogs do not cooperate during the mating, there are machines called ‘mating stands’ that force them to carry out the process even if they don’t want to.

These puppies aren’t even given any proper medical attention. A lot of them end up catching diseases and falling terribly sick.

These dogs are nothing but money-minting commodities for them. That puppy you love so much comes from a mother who has been through trauma to give birth to it.

Forcing impregnation on a living being is as inhumane as it can get.

While the people who run these farms and mills are to be blamed, we need to have a look at ourselves too. The reason this industry exists is ‘us’. They are supplying what we demand – cute puppies.

We should pay attention to the fact that we contribute to this atrocity too. The industry exists to cater to us and until we don’t understand the magnitude of the problem, it will never cease to exist.

There is a reason that ‘adopt, don’t shop’ is something you hear so often. This money-minting industry needs to be put a stop to. It is unethical, to begin with, and we should focus on helping the needy instead of helping these breeders make money.

There are so many dogs out there that need loving families. Instead of going to a pet-store to ‘buy’ a puppy, do a good deed and adopt one. We have homeless dogs in large numbers. We don’t need more.

No living being should have to go through such a traumatic life. Let’s work towards ending this once and for all.

#AdoptDontShop

To volunteer or reach out to NGOs regarding animal welfare, read this.