Nearly everything we post on social media carries the hashtag #adoptdontshop. What does that really mean?

WHY IT’S BETTER
The sad fact is when you purchase a pet, you’re supporting an industry that is often cruel to animals. If you buy a dog from a pet store or online, you’re almost certainly getting a dog from a puppy mill.

Puppy mills, still legal in Oklahoma, are factory-style breeding facilities that often fail to provide The Five Freedoms. Animals from puppy mills are housed in shockingly poor conditions with improper medical care. The mothers of these puppies are kept in cages to be bred repeatedly for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever joining a family.

Puppy mills continue to stay in business through deceptive tactics — customers are unsuspecting consumers who shop in pet stores, online or through classified ads. If you are purchasing your pet, you are most likely supporting a puppy mill even if the ad doesn’t say that.

Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop supporting them. When you adopt a pet, you can be certain you aren’t giving them a dime.

Buy this on a t-shirt from the Tulsa SPCA shop at Reach Clothing (reach-clothing.com/tulsaspca)and help raise both awareness and funds for our mission to improve the lives of dogs and cats, and their human companions.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Tulsa SPCA would love to match you with a dog or cat in need of a forever home. But not everyone can adopt a pet.
1. Foster – Becoming a foster parent means temporarily opening up your home and your heart to a dog or cat until their permanent home can be found. It’s a great way to enjoy a pet if you cannot adopt.
2. Volunteer – Volunteers are the heart of the Tulsa SPCA. Give as much or as little of your time (we ask for four hours per month) as you can.
3. Donate – Even if you adopt, foster and volunteer for the Tulsa SPCA, we hope you’ll consider making a donation. We are completely funded by donations like yours.
4. Educate – Share this blog post with your friends and family. Tell people what you know about the horrors of puppy mills. Use #adoptdontshop when you post images of pets you love.