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Dear Editor, A recent program on NBC's Dateline revealed the connection between pet stores that sell puppies and the puppy mill industry. I am still haunted by the graphic footage of dogs living in absolutely horrible conditions cramped in small wire cages for THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. Thousands of dogs, many with severe health problems from unforgivable neglect, are bred until exhaustion. When breeding is no longer possible, they are sold at auctions, sold to labs, or shot to death. Laws created to regulate puppy mills are rarely enforced. Each year, puppy mills and pet shore are breeding and selling hundreds of thousands of puppies and kittens simply for profit. At the same time, millions of dogs and cats are killed or 'euthanized' annually in our nation's shelters for want of a good home. It doesn't take a genius to realize that something is very wrong here. I implore your readers who are interested in caring for a new cat or dog to go to their local shelter, animal rescue group, or Humane Society instead of buying animals from pet stores. I know it is very tempting to buy that 'puppy in the window' but patronizing those pet shops which sell cats and dogs will only continue to support the horrific and needles suffering and death for the sake of the almighty profit. Steps that your readers can take are boycotting pet stores that sell companion animals. Do not support them in any way. Petland is one of the pet shops, which help maintain the puppy mill industry. PetCo., on the other hand, provides space on Saturdays to various animal shelter groups where pets are made available for adoption. I am a guardian of two kitties, which I recently adopted from my local animal shelter. Knowing that I saved two lives gives me great pleasure. The love I receive from these guys add greatly to my daily life, not to mention their ability to keep my blood pressure down. The expense (or donation) to adopt is animals. Vaccinations and neutering/spaying are included in your donation. Some shelters provide little starter kits. If you already are a caretaker of a cat or dog, I implore you to have them spayed or neutered. Pets that are spayed or neutered usually remain in better health, particularly females and you will not be adding to the population of the many homeless. In one short sentence - don't breed or buy while homeless animals die. To find a shelter or rescue group, Petfinder, on the Internet is a good place to start. Sincerely,