Just to follow up on the puppy mills.
My son once worked for a chain of stores tht sold puppies. They market the dogs as if they DO come from breeders. People off the streets, especially those that have never had a dog, BELIEVE the store owners when they're told(or should I say lied to) about their dogs coming frm breeders. I was in several times, without their knowing who I was. I would ask where the dog came from, and they would bring out the "papers" and tell me about the breeder in Missouri....we're from NY. They have a routine they spit out and it's all to convince innocent people who don't know any better that these dogs are not from mills. Some people buy into it..they feel like they asked if it was from a puppy mill and the store said "no". They aren't aware that NO breeder of pups would place them in a pet stores. People fall in love with the puppy they have in their arms, and go ahead and buy anyway. Sometimes knowing what kind of "breeder" the dog really came from, and many times not. Just knowing that they want the pup that's right in their arms regardless. Sometimes, it works out fine. Other times(and there are lots of them)...these poor people are at the vet a few weeks later with a dog that develop a serious condition. Their only recourse is that the store will take the dog back...and give them another. Only that one is from the same type of "breeder" the first one came from. The store owners know that likely the person is so attached to the puppy by this point, that they simply keep the dog and wind up paying for thousands of dollars worth of vet bills, if they're lucky. If they're not..they have a dead dog. Many times, my son would come into work in the morning and find dead puppies in the cages. They have rooms in all of these "pet stores" where they keep sick and dying animals out of public sight. It's very common practice. I won't even repeat here what they look like. My son was only 16 at the time, and this was his first job. He didn't want to tell us what really went on there. I guess he didn't want us to think he was quitting his first job. He worked there for quite a while, and I did see a change in his demeaner and character. He finally did quit. He gets annoyed if he knows we've even visited the puppies at the store. He's 27 now, and we get the lecture of how we are putting money in the hands of people who abuse animals...and by even entering the store we are enabling them to continue to do so. I also didn't realize until our vet told us, that if you already have a dog at home, you are endangering them when you visit these puppy stores. So many of these pups are sick..and when you touch them you are bringing home and exposing your pets to these same diseases.
Okay..off the soap box now. Sorry I know it wasn't the intention of the original post, but figured with the Oprah show on today regarding the mills..I'd chime in with our experience regarding these places.
