Each time you adopt a homeless pet, you are not only saving the life of that dog or cat. When you choose to adopt from a shelter rather than buy a new puppy from a pet store, you are fighting animal cruelty head on. 99% of animals in pet stores come from puppy mills. Puppy mills are horrible places where that cute puppy's parents are held in small cages twenty four hours a day. Many puppy mill dogs have never set foot on grass before. They are forced to breed until they are no longer able to produce offspring. When a dog is no longer able to produce puppies, the animals are unceremoniously murdered. Every time you buy an animal, or pet food, or a toy from stores like Petland or any other "live pet" stores, you are supporting cruelty to animals in some of the most disgusting and vile forms.