Letter: Help close the door on puppy mills

When the temperature reached the minus 20s I worried about the dogs in puppy mills. There are over 250 puppy mills with about 15,000 adult dogs in Iowa. Many of them live in small wire cages their whole lives. They don't have bedding. They are treated as commodities, not as living beings. Imagine what they endure on cold winter nights and days.

These dogs only receive enough care to keep them breathing and breeding. There is no socialization, exercise or veterinary care. This industry is just about money.

Please do not buy a puppy from a pet store or an internet site. Reputable breeders do not sell puppies that way. They actually care about the welfare of the animals. Do not be fooled by internet businesses telling you their facilities are 'USDA” inspected or that their puppies are AKC registered. Those things mean nothing about how the dogs are treated. We need to stop this industry. Communities are enacting laws to ban the retail sale of dogs at pet stores. We should join this movement. If you want to find a canine companion, please consider adopting. There are many shelters and rescues that will help. Open your heart to a dog in need and help close the door on puppy mills.

Lynn Gallagher

Solon