Is it really not a good idea to buy a puppy for a pet store?

[bcla]

There is a local pet store that has this on their website:



What does that mean? Nothing? Or are they one of those rare, acceptable pet stores?

The USDA has a PowerPoint presentation on that.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_w...animal-care-and-regulatory-process-slides.pdf

Looks like any breeder that has at least 4 breeding females and sells to a reseller must be licensed. However, most of the places that we'd recognize as puppy mills are licensed and possibly have been inspected.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

In Canada, it's regulated on an individual municipal basis. But many cities have already banned the for-profit sale of cats and dogs by pet stores, and many more are following. Even in my town, where it's not yet technically illegal, there are apparently only three pet shops (out of about 20) that will sell for profit. The rest have all partnered up with adoption agencies and rescue organizations. And there was a bylaw passed recently that means the remaining three stores will have to phase out their sale of cats and dogs in the next few years.

We're on the right path!

That is great news! Music to my ears. The only place left in the UK until last year was Harrrods in London. But it was a top breeder but it still wasn't right. People protested and now they are gone.

 

[brockash]

My DH and I have decided we want a puppy. We have an almost 12 year old Yorkie that we got from a "breeder". Since we have decided on doing this I am kind of wanting him "yesterday". So I got to wondering what people think of pet store puppies? Is it really as bad an idea as I feel I have heard?

We've had many dogs over the years and I'll just say we only got one from a pet store and he ended up severely sick (almost died) and we had huge vet costs to save him.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

They still have puppies for sale at pet stores in our shopping malls!

Oh my gosh! Mind you for us from the UK we are shocked by the guns.. I cannot imagine a gun, puppy and soda in my cart!

 

[bcla]

That's what I was going to say. USDA doesn't ensure humane conditions whatsoever. It basically means that when USDA did their inspection, there weren't dead animals sitting on the floor or rats wandering around etc. I used to work for a facility that was USDA inspected and had to be familiar with the manual and what inspectors might issue citations for. It's really nothing major. Animals could be in deplorable conditions but the facility could still pass USDA inspection.

I'm pretty sure their inspectors are spread out pretty thin.

 

[Magpie]

Oh my gosh! Mind you for us from the UK we are shocked by the guns.. I cannot imagine a gun, puppy and soda in my cart!

You forgot the fireworks!

 

[wilkeliza]

Oh my gosh! Mind you for us from the UK we are shocked by the guns.. I cannot imagine a gun, puppy and soda in my cart!

If it makes you feel better I don't know anywhere that you could easily buy a gun and a puppy at the same time. If you buy a gun from a store you have to do the background check. Now it isn't unheard of for backyard breeders to set up shop in the parking lot of a gun store so you could leave with a gun and a dog with little to no thought.

I'll never forget the dog we got in a wal-mart parking lot that was a lab/chow mix. My mom got him for me just to piss my dad off and he was a great dog not the brightest bunch and was a little dopey but he was sweet and loyal.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

You forgot the fireworks!

Lol

 

[brockash]

These two rescues are wrestling and climbing on me as I try to type this now.


View attachment 224259

So cute, can I ask if your vet had any idea as to the type of dog the one on the right is (shorter hair)? She/he looks a lot like our dog (although smaller) that we also got from a shelter...as far as we know she's a lab/harrier mix.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

My problem with adopting from a shelter was the crazy requirements to even be considered. We have a 7 year old Mini Dachshund. My DD was 6 when we got her. We WANTED to rescue a dog, but no one was willing to place a small breed dog in a home with a 6 year old, period. We knew a small dog would fit our home and our lifestyle and we didn't have the time or space needed for a larger breed, and that we could adequately supervise and instruct DD to be safe with a small dog. We ended up going to several local breeders and looking at a couple of different breeds before deciding on the one we purchased from. We got an older puppy from her (4 months) that she just hadn't found the right home for. Our Bella was on the timid side and just didn't do well in a loud, chaotic environment. We are the same as people. She was a perfect fit for our household.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

If it makes you feel better I don't know anywhere that you could easily buy a gun and a puppy at the same time. If you buy a gun from a store you have to do the background check. Now it isn't unheard of for backyard breeders to set up shop in the parking lot of a gun store so you could leave with a gun and a dog with little to no thought.

I'll never forget the dog we got in a wal-mart parking lot that was a lab/chow mix. My mom got him for me just to piss my dad off and he was a great dog not the brightest bunch and was a little dopey but he was sweet and loyal.

That dog sounds super cute! Don't get me wrong we have illegal puppy farms here too. Exactly like this people advertise online pretend they have had the puppies at their house, meet you in some parking lot. Puppies for cash. There are constantly raids on them but they just pop up somewhere else.

 

[SharonZ]

I've had rescue animals, and have himalayan cats from a reputable breeder. I was on her waiting list for quite a while, because she only had a couple of litters per year. Before I could even see the kittens, we had an extensive phone interview. She also asked for my vet's name for a reference (and called him). I can't imagine a reputable breeder even considering selling healthy pets to a pet store. Even quality shelters have you fill out an application and they usually do a home interview.

 

[bcla]

Oh my gosh! Mind you for us from the UK we are shocked by the guns.. I cannot imagine a gun, puppy and soda in my cart!

I'm not really into guns, but I have been to one of the mega outdoors retailers (Cabela's). It might actually be possible for two of the three since they have snacks by the checkout. I went in out of curiosity. They have museum quality mounted animals lent by collectors/hunters. The one I went to even had an African elephant and a Cape buffalo.

I think Walmart used to be the biggest firearms retailer in the United States. They may still be even after giving up selling handguns decades ago.

 

[prprincess]

I had such a hard time adopting our dog last year (there's a thread on here about it!) that for just one split second, out of sheer frustration, I thought of going to a pet store. Thankfully I didn't, stayed patient, and finally found a rescue organization that approved our application and gave us our choice of dog to adopt.

So I say, if you can, please try your best to rescue. Again, it's not easy all the time, but it's definitely worth it! Our Poe is healthy, well-behaved, and out of sheer luck, he was a stray dog from Puerto Rico (a Sato), so I got to help out the island!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I'm not really into guns, but I have been to one of the mega outdoors retailers (Cabela's). It might actually be possible for two of the three since they have snacks by the checkout. I went in out of curiosity. They have museum quality mounted animals lent by collectors/hunters. The one I went to even had an African elephant and a Cape buffalo.

I think Walmart used to be the biggest firearms retailer in the United States. They may still be even after giving up selling handguns decades ago.

This is where we first saw the guns in Walmart! We thought we were dreaming.

 

[bcla]

This is where we first saw the guns in Walmart! We thought we were dreaming.

It depends on the location. The ones in my area might have ammunition, but not real firearms.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

It depends on the location. The ones in my area might have ammunition, but not real firearms.

It's interestimg the differences between countries. Here you can buy liquer as well as beer and wine in supermarkets. We notice in some statss you have seperate stores for whiskey etc.

 

[BLAZEY]

Petsmart does that around here (maybe that's the place you were referring to?).

Yes that's one of them. Pets West, and Bosley's are smaller chains here but they also have the shelter and rescue group pets in their stores.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

My problem with adopting from a shelter was the crazy requirements to even be considered. We have a 7 year old Mini Dachshund. My DD was 6 when we got her. We WANTED to rescue a dog, but no one was willing to place a small breed dog in a home with a 6 year old, period. We knew a small dog would fit our home and our lifestyle and we didn't have the time or space needed for a larger breed, and that we could adequately supervise and instruct DD to be safe with a small dog. We ended up going to several local breeders and looking at a couple of different breeds before deciding on the one we purchased from. We got an older puppy from her (4 months) that she just hadn't found the right home for. Our Bella was on the timid side and just didn't do well in a loud, chaotic environment. We are the same as people. She was a perfect fit for our household.

I do think some rescues go overboard with their rules. I've seen a rescue that required a fenced backyard, someone home most of the day, etc. I find it frustating that so many dogs are being euthanized in shelters, and you'd think they'd want to get as many dogs in homes as possible. Obviously nobody wants a dog to end up in a neglectful or abusive situation, but some of the background checking is excessive.

 

[bcla]

I do think some rescues go overboard with their rules. I've seen a rescue that required a fenced backyard, someone home most of the day, etc. I find it frustating that so many dogs are being euthanized in shelters, and you'd think they'd want to get as many dogs in homes as possible. Obviously nobody wants a dog to end up in a neglectful or abusive situation, but some of the background checking is excessive.

We didn't need to go through any background check, but the contract language authorizing the shelter to make unannounced visits and reclaim the dog at any time seemed a bit heavy handed. The one that made the news was the dog that Ellen Degeneres adopted but determined didn't get along with her cats. Apparently it wasn't her dog under the terms of the contract, and the rescue group pulled it from a family that she trusted.

It seems ludicrous that someone can go through all those hoops and in the end it's not really your dog. I'm not surprised that so many people give up and go through a pet store or perhaps through a puppy mill that doesn't grill the customer. Who wants to go through a humiliating process that might result in rejection?