Oh, this is hard...I don't want to discourage you, BUT, as a few other here know, I am strongly opposed to ANY pet store that sells dogs or cats. Yes, many of these dogs and cats come from puppymills but many also come from so called "breeders," and NO reputable breeder would EVER sell their dogs/cats to a pet store...none! They care about their dogs, their puppies, who they go to and want to be assured that the dog is returned to them if the family no longer wants him/her. Disreputable, backyard breeders are no better than puppymills; just smaller in scale. And the fact that these dogs come with pedigree papers means nothing! One of the major issues dog lovers have with the AKC is that they promote and help to support puppymills by issuing "papers" to all pedigrees, even those from puppymills!! They are merely interested in the fees they obtain from issuing them. So many dogs and cats sold in petstores go home sick with untreated illnesses and are often returned to the store. Often these dogs are eunthanized by the pet store instead of treating them. I don't want to discourage you. I know you are the most responsible, caring, loving pet parent and animal lover and you have a heart of gold. Is there any possibility you could find a job in a pet store that does not sell dogs and cats? I'm not sure there is any way for you to find out truthfully where these dogs/cats come from. Perhaps by working there, in a sense "undercover," you can find out more, how they are obtained, see how they are cared for, what are the conditions attached at the time of sale, WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM WHEN THEY GROW TOO BIG AND OLD TO BE SOLD, and if you find them to be disreputable/if the conditions under which the animals are kept are unacceptable, you can leave. Up until recently, there were no pet stores here that sold dogs or cats. A Debbie's Petland (notorious for selling puppymill dogs) opened recently and it's been picketed/protested since it's opening. Do you have a Petco or PetSmart in your area? You'd be around a lot of smaller animals and you'd be there to see the great work they do in helping to adopt out dogs. Most of the Petco's and PetSmart's allow rescue groups to come in on weekends with their rescue dogs for adoption/"Meet the Dogs" days! Whatever you decide Prima, I wish you luck!!!