Surprised Sharon hasn't chimed in on this yet - as a BRAT Rescue Coordinator, she has undoubtedly seen many many puppy mill dogs. I remember just a couple of years ago here in Fresno a puppy mill was closed down - our vet, who owns one of our Basenjis, took 2 of the dogs to foster. They were a mother/daughter pair. The mother had been bred several times and when they were rescued, both dogs were living in a 200 size Vari-Kennel which had about 10 inches of compacted feces in the bottom, making even less space for them. They took weeks to learn to walk properly. They had never been in a house, were terrified of people, and didn't even know how to eat from a dog dish - apparently what food they got was just tossed into the crate on top of the poop. Fortunately, dogs, even Basenjis, are incredibly forgiving of humans. The mother was adopted, and our vet kept the younger girl. They are both doing well now, but they definitely don't have the same irreverent, happy attitude of Basenjis from healthy loving homes.
We had a miniature poodle from a pet shop before our Basenjis. I know where Jill is coming from when she says she thought dog show people bred for dog show people. We thought similarly - we thought if you wanted a show dog or a breeding dog you went to a breeder, if you wanted a pet, of course you went to a pet store! We learned. And another part of being a breeder is educating everyone you know about why buying from a breeder is a better idea.
Terry