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STAND UP FOR THE PUPS! 75 people gave their time on 4/5/14, and 9/20/14 to lend their voices to those who have none, those poor animals languishing in the 10,000 puppy mills across the country, enslaved in a life of torture and misery.

Our message was clear, this is not acceptable and we want our elected officials to do something about it by ending the sales of dogs, cats and rabbits in retail stores. Puppy Mill Free Reno/Sparks/Washoe!
Kittens & Rabbits, too! ♥

With its world-renowned "no-kill" policy for which it has received major national funding, it only stands to reason that Washoe County becomes like ♥♥ other counties and municipalities ahead of it, a puppy, kitty and rabbit mill-free zone. South Lake Tahoe was the second municpality in the country to end the sale of mill animals six years ago.

Watch our Video of in-store puppies who appear to be sickly, uncharacteristically lethargic, uncared for and in unkempt conditions, yet again! Seems like Animals Services should be called Business Services since that's what they appear to care more about! Restricting puppy, kitty and rabbit sales (reports show that nearly 100% of animals in stores are from these factory-farms) would help reduce animal suffering, protect the consumer and could reduce the tax payer burden for feral animal programs in the future. Acquiring animals from the many accredited non-profit shelters and rescue groups in the area, or from a reputable breeder, are the best ways to welcome a new companion into your home as promoted by the City of Boston website.

Many national animal welfare organizations report that mill animals are constantly kept pregnant, birthing and nursing. To keep costs down these dogs rarely get medical treatment, see the light of day, know a kind hand or enjoy the loving atmosphere most humans would like to provide.

For more information including in-depth articles, reports and videos, see our What Is A Puppy Mill? page.

Animals in stores usually cost hundreds of dollars—sometimes $1000 or more—and are often a credit card-enabled impulse purchase. After such an outlay, new owners may forgo the added expense of a spay or neutering operation risking pregnancy and an unwanted litter down the line, increasing the chance of more animals ending up in a shelter. Estimates are that as many as 2,000,000 dogs are bred in puppy mills each year, while 2-4,000,000 are killed in shleters. (See video on this page.)

Big box stores PetCo ("Think Adoption First®" ) and PetSmart (PetSmart Charities® Adoption Centers) long ago stopped selling puppies, kitties and rabbits. Most of the locally owned pet shops have taken the pet out of the pet store and offer everything you need for your new companion to thrive under your guardianship while leaving the care of the animals to accredited non-profits.



"Dog by Dog is a documentary that aims to wake up the American public to the horrible realities of puppy mills by following the money trail across the United States and confronting those that have maintained this corrupt and irresponsible system."


According to reports, animals from mass production breeders ("mills") that are most often sold in retail stores ("Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills." —ASPCA), of which there may be as many as 10,000 in the US) can be prone to illnesses. Accredited non-profit adoption and rescue agencies perform a medical examination on the animals, provide shots, de-worming and spay/neutering and offer the animal for low cost (typically between $45 and $100).

Because dogs and cats begin socialization in the first few weeks of life, animals sourced from mills have been found to have behavioral problems. See, RGJ article Puppies from pet stores more likely to have behavioral problems, study finds. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association study of May, 2013, concludes, We cannot recommend that puppies be obtained from pet stores.

For more information about alternative ways to aquire a companion for life, see Shops & Adopt.

While animals sold in stores are required by law to be seen by a veterinarian, there are many reports of animals that are sick and altogether too often, mortally so.

Because animals purchased in pet stores are often bought on an impulse enabled with a credit card and targeted financing, some new owners find the expense of a veterinarian visit a hardship. These animals are rarely spayed or neutered or de-wormed when sold, requiring consumers to spend up to a few hundred dollars more after purchase. Some consumers may forgo the expense of a spay/neuter operation, which could add to the feral animal problem in Washoe County.

Passing a new ordinance could help protect the consumer and might reduce costs of taxpayer funded feral animal control programs in Washoe County.


Please Sign Our Petition to protect animals and the consumer.
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Please sign our petition to end puppy mill sales in Washoe County.