My sister finally shut down her puppy mill...

[cynatnite]

That's basically what it was even though I never said it to her face. She bred dogs, sold them on the internet and made a living off of it. While she wasn't as bad as some others, the conditions were cramped for the dogs.

I do know she made sure they were healthy, took great care in how they were bred and made sure the dogs were properly socialized so as to not cause problems for the new owners.

Those were the good things she did and I give her credit for that.

But there were some things I really hated such as owning dogs strictly for breeding, the tight conditions and how the dogs only had monetary value rather than the friendly and loving companions they could be.

She got angry with me once because I wouldn't buy from her. She promised me a puppy at a reduced price (from the inflated one she normally charged) and I told her if we got a dog we'd go to the humane society. I couldn't explain without upsetting her that I couldn't financially support something that I think is wrong.

She finally decided that ten years was long enough and she wasn't making as much money as she liked. She cut a deal with another breeder and sold most of the dogs.

Either way, I'm glad it's done.