there are so many lovely, sweet mixed breed pups who need homes. I've only owned 2 purebred dogs in my life (both given to me) and they didn't make any better companions than my Heinz 57 hybrids.

IMO, its a dog's personality that makes them special, not the breed.

The idea of pet leasing reduces these dogs to the stature of objects instead of wonderful living creatures.

Pet stores sell puppy mill dogs. So now they cannot lease them, but the stores can still sell them. This is how Amish and other puppy millers make money to continue their evil ways. Leasing dogs is just the tip of the iceberg.

Most, if not nearly all, of the puppies sold online are from puppy mills, too. Many operate in secret and are not subject to inspection and regulatory oversight by the USDA. The ones that have been inspected are no better than the ones who are not.

To top it off, there are so-called breeders who claim to breed and take care of the puppies they sell online, right in their own homes. This is often a lie. Their puppies come from puppy mills and they operate as a cover. Yes, you can be a backyard breeder without ever coming near a puppy until a puppy miller supplies you with your stock. Do the buyers find out? Rarely.

I found out when I registered my dog with the AKC (bought in person from a small in-home breeder who had a great reputation in my area). Turns out my dog was bred by an Amish puppy miller. He and his sibllings were handed over to fake breeder to sell as his dog's own offspring.

What is a puppy mill? https://www.aspca.org/barred-from-love

Puppy Mills: The Scientific Evidence of Harm They Cause To Dogs https://centerforshelterdogs.tufts.edu/blog/puppy-mills-the-scientific-evidence-of-harm-they-cause-to-dogs/