Last year, two million adorable puppies were purchased online and in pet stores. Almost every one of those dogs came with a dark secret: they were products of inhumane puppy mills operated by breeders with no regard for animal welfare.

As its Creative and Media Agency of Record (AOR), we launched the next iteration of our campaign in HSUS’s continued fight against puppy mills. Titled ‘Don’t Buy Into Puppy Mills,’ this latest work contrasts the innocently imagined origins of puppies with the hidden reality that is the still-thriving puppy mill industry.

To create awareness around this very serious issue, we gathered a group of children’s imaginative responses to the question: “Where do puppies come from?” Their optimistic and creative answers formed the basis of our animated film.

Consumers have become hyper-aware of where their food and clothes come from, but what about their pets? It’s pretty hard to believe that most dog purchasers don’t know that they’re buying from puppy mills. Puppy love blinds us from the truth. By asking this one question, we hope to spur people to think more critically about where puppies really come from.

The campaign focuses on two of the most deceptive outlets for puppy mills: puppy-selling websites and pet stores. These venues don’t allow the buyer a chance to see where the puppy was raised before making a purchase, often helping to conceal inhumane conditions.

Commentary by Sean: Following the first year's effort for the Humane Socitey, we needed to bring another angle to the problem of puppy mills. I thought it would be really revealing to do some research with people out on the street and ask them a simple question. "Where do puppies come from?" The raw video of their responses helped inspire our creative teams to turn the camera on the most innocent and imaginative voices of all, kids.