Puppy mill puppies that aren't just kept to breed on are what you see in pet stores. For most of the mills, those stores are their biggest outlet -- not directly, they sell to brokers who deal with the stores. Pet stores that claim their puppies don't come from mills are lying. If the puppies don't sicken before sale, they are the lucky ones. They get sold to suckers who fall in love with them, pay the vet bills, and try to do whatever else the dog needs. It's the ones kept for breeding that have godawful lives.
That said, how can you be "stuck" going to an Amish breeder, which is pretty much certain to be a puppy mill? You think they aren't smart enough to know what signs put people off and make sure nothing like that shows? Even states with high concentrations of puppy mills have lots of actual ethical breeders. Or do you mean you aren't willing to wait and deal with an ethical breeder but want a puppy like yesterday?
You know that old saying, "Marry in haste, repent at leisure"? It applies to acquiring a dog as well as a spouse, although in my personal opinion, any puppy is a gamble to some extent. You either raise or lower the risk of health or temperament problems or of just a bad fit by choosing carefully.
That said, how can you be "stuck" going to an Amish breeder, which is pretty much certain to be a puppy mill? You think they aren't smart enough to know what signs put people off and make sure nothing like that shows? Even states with high concentrations of puppy mills have lots of actual ethical breeders. Or do you mean you aren't willing to wait and deal with an ethical breeder but want a puppy like yesterday?
You know that old saying, "Marry in haste, repent at leisure"? It applies to acquiring a dog as well as a spouse, although in my personal opinion, any puppy is a gamble to some extent. You either raise or lower the risk of health or temperament problems or of just a bad fit by choosing carefully.
