Maureen, I live in the puppy mill capital of the world!  They just shut down another "breeder" who has been dodging the system for years here in Lancaster County.  Unfortuantely, many of these millers will even fake the actual birthdate so that they can manage to make it in time for the required 8 weeks old in order to sell in time for Christmas, the result being many puppies who are actually much, much younger being passed off as old enough to be sold.  Oh, I could go on and on.  I've lived it, bought a puppymill dog, rescued a puppymill dog, marched against it, and shouted it out loud!  It's amazing to me how many people here in Lancaster don't even see it all around them. 

Yes, they come from "USDA Licensed" puppy mills.  Funny, they ALL brag about the "quality" of their puppies and  the great breeders that are "stringently" inspected, but they will NEVER give you the name or especially the address of the breeder so you can see for yourself, until you pay that 1200-3000 dollars for that puppy in the window.  What does that tell you?  If they have nothing to hide, why not?  I have heard them say the breeder "wants to remain anonymous".    Why?  If they're so wonderful, you'd think great publicity would be a plus, right? 

Petland buys from the Hunte Corporation, a puppy mill broker.  They claim to do inspections, but they buy thousands of puppies from the mills, see the conditions, pay for them and deliver them (most are sick and many dead on arrival) to Petland stores across the U.S.  Pure spin. 

More than a few Petlands have gone out of business with regular picketing and public educating, now the HSUS has revealed the truth, tracing back puppies to many puppy mills, and every store that sells them trains their employees to lie about it.  That's from countless ex-employees who just couldn't stand the unethical practices and the sick and dying puppies considered only as "stock".

If you have "allergies" and need or want a specific breeed, visit petfinder.com - they work with breed rescue groups all over the country.  Put your zip code in, state what breed, sex and age you are wanting and you can find a wonderful, deserving, homeless animal to fit that bill, no problem. 

Know what's REALLY disgusting?  These new "designer" dogs.  They are just a mix of two breeds, but sold at pet stores for thousands.  Labradoodles.  Bichons mixed with miniature poodles, the list is endless.  For people interested in getting those oh-so-important AKC papers, forget it.  All AKC papers mean is that both parents were the same breed.  It DOES NOT MEAN QUALITY!!!  Some of the worst bred, physically and mentally "defective" (I hate to use that term, but we're talking about breeders' "quality" here) are AKC registered.   The papers are worthless.  The sickest dogs are purebreds.  As a former obedience trainer, I found mutts to be more intelligent and definitely healthier than purebreds. 

If you are getting a companion, please wait until the holiday chaos is over; it's not fair to bring an animal into a house of chaos.  Dogs NEED routine - it's vital to their well being, mentally and physically.  Take your time to find just the right one to adopt.   An animal isn't a car or clothing; you don't have to have him/her the day you look.  If you take your time, spend some time with the animal, ask the rescue about his or her personalities/quirks, etc. you'll end up with the RIGHT pet for you and your family and you'll save a life.   PLEASE DO NOT GET A PET ON IMPULSE!  This is a possible 15-20 year committment!  Dogs need to be with people or other dogs at all times, they are extremely pack oriented.  Leaving them alone all day is like putting someone in solitary with no TV, or phone.  Then people wonder why they bark, chew, dig, etc.   Do your research on exactly what it does take to raise a happy healthy dog that won't end up killed at the shelter.  Only one of twelve dogs in this country gets a permanent home because people are too busy with work and kids to give them what they need, and then they develop behaviour problems.  Take the time to get obedience training.  (That means you have to keep working on it the rest of the dog's life; they're not computer programmed after training!).

I hope this helps.  DON'T SHOP, ADOPT!