For further links and information visit the UCARE (United Coton de Tulear Association for Rescue and Education) web site at http://www.cotonrescue.us/and talk to the people who see firsthand the condition and care of Cotons and other breeds in the puppymills. These puppymills, also called "large volume breeders", are the source of pet store dogs. The dogs are shipped across the country in large trucks stacked to the ceiling with crates containing puppies. Sometimes these puppies are torn away from their mothers before they are weaned. The puppies that survive are cleaned up to make them presentable in the pet stores.
You can make a difference! The puppymills feed the pet stores. No reputable breeder ever places puppies in a pet store to be sold to someone they haven't carefully interviewed. If the pet stores in your home town sell puppies, kittens and other live animals, don't shop at that pet store and let the owner know why. Write to your local newspaper, find other concerned people through your local humane society, picket the pet store and find other ways to let them know their business will improve if they stop selling puppies. Join the growing number of pet lovers throughout the U.S. Counties like Santa Cruz and Santa Clara in California have convinced pet stores, including chains like Pet Smart, that it is not smart to sell puppies. If the pet stores stop selling puppies, the puppymillers will go out of business. Pet stores are their major outlet.