The Humane Society of the United States has released a video that blows the snazzy front doors off Pets of Bel Air, a tony "pet boutique" catering to spoiled celebutants from the Paris Hilton mold. Turns out most of these pups destined for the laps of luxury are the “products” (which is exactly how the people who raise and sell these animals see them) of puppy mills. The video cuts between the store, which is crammed with designer pet totes and doggy duds, to the Midwestern kennels, where dogs with bleeding feet and sores are crammed into wire cages. There, they spend their miserable lives pumping out litter after litter.

Puppies born under these conditions, not surprisingly, are more likely to have congenital illnesses or skeletal deformities. The Bel Air employees, while denying the operation is supplied by mills, also talk about how they never are allowed to tell customers when a potential pet might be seriously sick. “If anything, we just say he has the sniffles,” giggles one. “It’s cuter.”

There are similar pet stores in South Florida, which has a celebutant culture of its own. If you patronize them, you’re part of problem. Stop it. It’s a dog — a living, breathing creature -- not an accessory.