What is a puppy mill? As the name suggests, a puppy mill is essentially a non-ethical breeding facility whose main focus is on producing as many puppies as possible for the sole sake of profit. Dogs are constantly forced to bear puppies despite not being healthy for them, so the parent dogs are also not well treated. Once the mother and father dogs grow old and are no longer able to keep producing puppies, puppy mills owners will usually abandon or put the dogs down, due to them not being useful anymore to make profits. Puppy mills can be found in the forms of not only breeders but also pet stores, a lot of which get their puppies from puppy mills. 

Through my Girl Scout Gold Award project, I will take a stand out against puppy mills and educate people of all ages about them. I have created a website called www.putanendtopuppymills.com as a resource to teach others about puppy mills, how to identify a puppy mill, and about better options to get a dog from such as adoption or ethical breeders. 

There are many puppy mill rescues across the United States that work towards rescuing dogs and puppies from puppy mills. They also work to spread awareness about puppy mills, alongside rescuing dogs to allow them to be medically treated and put in better conditions.

By educating people about puppy mills, the number of dogs purchased from these inhumane breeding facilities will be lowered. If more people learn about what puppy mills are, I believe that more people will opt to get a dog from an adoption shelter or a responsible breeder, rather than keep unknowingly supporting puppy mills. My name is Deeksha Prabhu, and through educating more people and spreading awareness, I will take a stand against puppy mills.