No Pet Store Puppies Day Date in the current year: July 21, 2024

Puppy mills (puppy farms) are commercial dog breeding facilities where dogs are bred in large quantities, typically in poor conditions. It is generally thought that they became widespread after World War II due to an increased demand for household pets and crop failures in the Midwest. To compensate for loss of profit, many farmers stared breeding puppies as an alternative source of income.

Puppy mill owners and operators value quantity over quality. In order to maximize profits, they may keep female dogs pregnant and nursing until they are unable to produce more puppies. Puppy mills can have a large number of dogs, sometimes up to 1,000, under one roof. Since there is not enough space, these dog are kept in wire kennels, which may be stacked on top of each other. It’s very common for puppy mills to have unsanitary conditions and be too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

Dogs at puppy mills suffer from continuous confinement, lack of environmental enrichment and human contact, malnutrition, untreated injuries and diseases, and parasites. Due to poor breeding conditions, puppies from mills often have various health and behavioral problems.

The vast majority of puppies from mills are sold to pet stores by intermediaries (“brokers” or “dealers”). Although some pet stores are ethical and only sell puppies provided by rescue organizations, most puppies at pet stores come from puppy mills. When people buy puppies at pet stores, they inadvertently support puppy mills because where there’s demand, there’s supply. It is believed that purchases from pet stores reduce adoptions from shelters and lead to higher numbers of rescue animals being euthanized.

No Pet Store Puppies Day is actively promoted by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), a not-for-profit animal welfare organization that works to protect animals from cruelty throughout the United States. Its main goal is to raise awareness of puppy mill cruelty and highlight the fact that people inadvertently support puppy mills and unethical breeding practices when they buy puppies at the pet store.

How can you observe No Pet Store Puppies Day? If you’ve been thinking about getting a puppy, adopting one from your local animal shelter or researching responsible breeders in your area is the best way to support the campaign against puppy mills. If you’re a pet owner, take a pledge to never buy any supplies from pet stores that sell puppies from puppy mills because don’t deserve your support, and encourage fellow pet owners to do the same.

Other ways to celebrate include donating to the ASPCA or any other animal welfare organization of your choice, volunteering at a local animal rescue, signing or starting a petition to ban puppy mills in your area, and spreading the word on social media with the hashtag #NoPetStorePuppiesDay.