What You Can Do

• Adopt from an animal shelter or rescue group; never buy from a pet store. Remember that 25% of shelter animals are purebreds 
• Do not shop at stores that sell animals 
• Volunteer at your local animal shelter or rescue group 
• Ask your elected officials to outlaw puppy mills. Urge them to demand that the USDA enforce the Animal Welfare Act. For your senators’ and representatives’ contact information, visit www.vote-smart.org
• Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers about the horrors of the puppy mill industry and its connection with pet stores 
• Distribute brochures about puppy mills and pet overpopulation outside of pet shops 
• Ask shopping mall managers not to renew the lease of the pet store on their property 
• Report pet store abuses to whoever is responsible for enforcing anti-cruelty laws in your town. Write a detailed statement of the abuses and take photographs, if possible 
• Educate others about the cruelties of puppy mills and the importance of adopting from shelters