The notion might seem backward, but Stephanie Shain knows the puppy-mill business as director of outreach for Humane Society of the United States.

Shain spoke Monday to United Against Puppy Mills, a newly formed local group aimed at cutting into Lancaster County's infamous puppy mill industry.

Shain told a group of 50 gathered at Quality Inn & Suites on Oregon Pike that it's people who think of dogs only as pets and companions who keep the mills profitable. "There are other things out there that are cruel to animals, but they don't depend on people's love of animals to continue," Shain said.

The key, Shain said, is educating people about that doggy in the window and from where it came.

"Walk away. Just walk away," Shain advised those tempted to buy a dog, fearing what might become of it if it doesn't sell. "If you buy that puppy, you will guarantee another puppy comes in behind it. You will guarantee that puppy's parents will spend the rest of their lives in cages."

Shain said puppy mills must maneuver around new legislation to curtail inhumane conditions, so mill owners are becoming inventive in getting their product out.

"The Internet is a puppy mill owner's dream," Shain said, because a current loophole allows large-scale kennels to sell directly to consumers without inspection or regulation.

Shain said a woman called her, convinced she had done everything necessary to avoid buying a purebred dog from a mill. The woman said she answered an ad in her local newspaper that only advertised one breed. The seller questioned her exhaustively about her knowledge of dogs before agreeing to sell her a puppy. When she showed up at a mall parking lot where she was to meet the seller to pick up her dog, she wasn't alone. Fifteen other families had answered similar ads for all types of dogs. When the seller arrived from several states away where his kennel is located, he had 15 other dogs packed into his van.

"People who run puppy mills are getting smarter," Shain concluded. "I really think (consumer) education is going to be the only thing that (impacts puppy mill businesses) in the long haul. These places have been operating for decades."

Shain had other advice for the fledgling group: Battle the problem realistically and make allies when possible, even if the ally could be construed as part of the problem.

"I used to have a bumper sticker on my car that said, 'Dog breeders are pimps,' " Shain said. "I'm not going to say I like breeders, because I don't. I don't think people need purebred dogs just to sit on the couch and be pals, especially when there are millions of dogs in shelters that need homes. But one of your most powerful allies is the small breeder."

Shain found her own work battling puppy mills at Humane Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., was easier when she enlisted help from small-operation breeders who also oppose aspects of milling.

Shain enthusiastically spoke about the Pet Animal Welfare Statute, federal legislation proposed May 26 by U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

The idea behind the legislation is to close loopholes, including those allowing unregulated Internet sales, by requiring more breeders to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"I'm supposed to say 'We're cautiously optimistic,' " Shain said Monday. "But the fact that we have Pennsylvania represented in the House and the Senate makes us very optimistic. We feel really good about the chance of this passing."

For more information about puppy mills from Humane Society of the United States, log on to www.hsus.org.

For more information about Lancaster County's United Against Puppy Mills, visit www.unitedagainstpuppymills....

Susan Lindt's e-mail address is slindtlnpnews.com.