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

[bcla]

The thing about puppy mills now is that they can get around many regulations like USDA licensing/inspection by selling direct. It's a lot easier these days with websites and Craigslist.

 

[sunnyday123]

The best thing to do is obviously go thru a reputable breeder. Start with finding information from the National Club for whatever breed you're interested in ( I have Newfs so the NCA is where I would start ) go to local shows, see if there is a breed ambassador you can talk to. I can't stress enough to be so careful when looking online-anyone can make a website and make their back yard breeding setup look "official." See who tests their dogs for genetic/hereditary issues that can crop up within the breed. Trust me when I tell you spending the money up front is far less expensive than through out the dogs life, and it will save you a ton in heartache.

Or rescue. There are tons of dogs in rescue that need a home. But never, ever, a petstore or byb.

 

[tzolkin]

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?

I know you have already rethought buying a puppy from a pet store, but I'm really curious why you (and anyone else who chooses that route) wanted to in the first place.

I can understand buying from a reputable breeder if someone has reasons for seeking out a certain breed. But for the average person just wanting a puppy, I can't see why adopting wouldn't be the better option. Even aside from the whole aspect of "rescuing", they are less expensive (both the initial "fee" and the fact that the cost of immunizations and spay/neuter is already included) and you have the rescue as a resource if you have any serious issues or concerns. There are always lots of puppies available for adoption, so it wouldn't require spending a lot of time finding the adult dog who is the right fit for your family (we spent 6 months searching for our most recent dog).

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.

In my experience the rescues that are nearly impossible to adopt from are rare (and usually run by a person with some "issues"). Most truly want to get as many dogs into loving homes as possible. There may be some restrictions for a specific dog (this one really needs a fenced yard to run because he's super high-energy or that one needs someone at home because she has severe separation anxiety, etc), but those are not rules for every dog they adopt out.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Do they even sell purebreds in pet stores anymore? Everytime I see puppies, they're always mixes:
_____poo
_____bull (I saw something like a Beagle Bull or some ridiculousness)

 

[KathyTX]

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.

Thanks! I am fostering her, and she's a really sweet little girl (17 pounds). Very cute, friendly, playful and well-behaved. We had lots of guesses about her breeds, all wrong. Harrier's pretty close, though! I had her DNA analyzed, and it showed:

1/2 Chihuahua (explains her small size)
1/8 Foxhound (explains the Beagle/Harrier expression )
1/8 Australian Cattle Dog (where her pretty speckled coat came from)
1/8 Pekingese (don't see it, must be mostly recessive traits)
1/8 German Shepherd Dog (???)

I think she just demonstrates how wonderful a crazy mixed breed can be!

 

[dish rag]

A puppy in a pet store deserves a nice home as much as any other puppy.

 

[dish rag]

Do they even sell purebreds in pet stores anymore? Everytime I see puppies, they're always mixes:
_____poo
_____bull (I saw something like a Beagle Bull or some ridiculousness)

Yes people can't say mutt any more. They have to attach some silly hyphenated name to the dog.

 

[KathyTX]

A puppy in a pet store deserves a nice home as much as any other puppy.

But buying that puppy supports and perpetuates the puppy mill industry. Some earlier posts eloquently explain the heartbreaking dilemma here.

 

[dish rag]

But buying that puppy supports and perpetuates the puppy mill industry. Some earlier posts eloquently explain the heartbreaking dilemma here.

Maybe, but tell that to the puppy in the window. He/she just wants and deserves a nice home like the rest.

 

[wilkeliza]

A puppy in a pet store deserves a nice home as much as any other puppy.

They do but purchasing from a pet store continues the demand portion of economics for puppy mills. If you buy a dog site unseen online or from a pet store you are what keeps puppy mills alive. If all puppy mill dogs were killed or let lose and pick up by the pound the cost to run a puppy mill wouldn't be worth it. Sure it isn't that expensive to run but not cheap enough to lose profits on several litters of pups.

Also a pet store pup will often leave with disease not covered by the initial cost. The pet store near me says they will pay for vet visits if a disease is discovered with in 72 hours of taking the dog home (legally here all owners through breeder, pet store, or adoption have 72 hours to have their pet examined by their own vet) but they often convince people to give the puppy back to them for an exchange or only go to their very crappy vet not the new owner's preferred vet until the treatment is over. I know at least 3 people who spent between 500 and a 1,000 for the initial purchase of a pet from a store to end up spending 5,000 or more to keep the puppy alive. One spent all that money and the pup still died and the pet store basically said oops here's a new puppy.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm finding some mixed info on what happens to pups when they aren't sold. It may not be as bad as them being thrown in a river, it seems some do get sent back to "breeders" and are euthanized, or they are sent to shelters. Many are just marked down to prices where they do end up selling, and some are given to employees or friends/families of them.
That makes me feel a bit better about those dogs that had no choice of ending up in a store, and we humans deciding they are worth the sacrifice for the greater good.

 

[Magpie]

Maybe, but tell that to the puppy in the window. He/she just wants and deserves a nice home like the rest.

And then you can tell that to the puppy's mother, who is living a miserable life in a cage, being bred nonstop to churn out this puppy and all his many, many for-profit siblings.

Thanks to people's, "aw... lookit the widdle puppy in the window" sentimentality, that puppy's mum will likely continue to suffer. Along with a whole lot of other dogs. Exactly how much cruelty are we willing to ignore, just so we can feel good about making an impulse purchase?

Rescue a dog from the pound, instead. If you're dead set on having a puppy-mill puppy, most pounds will be happy to provide you with one. They're not exactly in short supply!

(Full disclosure - my dog came to me as a gift from a friend who was irresponsible about getting her dog neutered in a timely manner, and who ended up having to look for homes for all the "oops" puppies that resulted.)

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Maybe, but tell that to the puppy in the window. He/she just wants and deserves a nice home like the rest.

Of course they do. But so do the dogs trapped in cages in their own filth at the mill that puppy came from. Paying for a puppy only helps keep the mill profitable and in business. That unsold puppy will either be price marked way down or will just be given to shelters/given back to the mill/given away for free. Maybe some are killed but that is obviously a brutal and illegal method. If enough people stop paying for puppies the mills will stop.

 

[dish rag]

And then you can tell that to the puppy's mother, who is living a miserable life in a cage, being bred nonstop to churn out this puppy and all his many, many for-profit siblings.

Thanks to people's, "aw... lookit the widdle puppy in the window" sentimentality, that puppy's mum will likely continue to suffer. Along with a whole lot of other dogs. Exactly how much cruelty are we willing to ignore, just so we can feel good about making an impulse purchase?

Rescue a dog from the pound, instead. If you're dead set on having a puppy-mill puppy, most pounds will be happy to provide you with one. They're not exactly in short supply!

(Full disclosure - my dog came to me as a gift from a friend who was irresponsible about getting her dog neutered in a timely manner, and who ended up having to look for homes for all the "oops" puppies that resulted.)

Just for the record my one dog that stays in Fla due to his age and medical condition I picked up on the side of the road after seeing him thrown from a car. He was malnourished and it took a lot of time and expense to get him well again. He's been a good pet and it feels good to have given him a good life. Our other dog is a very tiny chihuahua that we got from a breeder in Ontario. We take her back and forth we us and she too is a very nice companion and a well traveled dog. I understand the puppy mill thing. But again that doesn't mean you punish the puppy.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Just for the record my one dog that stays in Fla due to his age and medical condition I picked up on the side of the road after seeing him thrown from a car. He was malnourished and it took a lot of time and expense to get him well again. He's been a good pet and it feels good to have given him a good life. Our other dog is a very tiny chihuahua that we got from a breeder in Ontario. We take her back and forth we us and she too is a very nice companion and a well traveled dog. I understand the puppy mill thing. But again that doesn't mean you punish the puppy.

It's just a catch 22. Yes it's very...VERY sad for the pups in the stores. But eventually, if people stop buying them, the mills will stop cranking them out for retail.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

It's just a catch 22. Yes it's very...VERY sad for the pups in the stores. But eventually, if people stop buying them, the mills will stop cranking them out for retail.

Exactly! Not to mention the puppies that are an impulse buy because they're just too cute up in that cage.. just for them to realize that the puppy grows into a dog, they don't have the money for its care, the breed doesn't suit them, etc.. and they end up in a shelter anyway, possibly to be euthanized.

I was at a county fair recently and there was a stand for sugar gliders... multiple people bought them just as we were standing at the booth. I couldn't believe that people were handing over $300 for an exotic pet I doubted they knew was going to be for sale there. I can only imagine how many people impulsively buy the cute pups in a store window.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Exactly! Not to mention the puppies that are an impulse buy because they're just too cute up in that cage.. just for them to realize that the puppy grows into a dog, they don't have the money for its care, the breed doesn't suit them, etc.. and they end up in a shelter anyway, possibly to be euthanized.

I was at a county fair recently and there was a stand for sugar gliders... multiple people bought them just as we were standing at the booth. I couldn't believe that people were handing over $300 for an exotic pet I doubted they knew was going to be for sale there. I can only imagine how many people impulsively buy the cute pups in a store window.

My family owns a small chain of pet stores. I know those types all too well...
No we didn't sell cats/dogs. Mostly specialized in fish and birds. Luckily my family and their employees are very knowledgeable and encourage their customers to be as well.

 

[bcla]

Of course they do. But so do the dogs trapped in cages in their own filth at the mill that puppy came from. Paying for a puppy only helps keep the mill profitable and in business. That unsold puppy will either be price marked way down or will just be given to shelters/given back to the mill/given away for free. Maybe some are killed but that is obviously a brutal and illegal method. If enough people stop paying for puppies the mills will stop.

People are of course free to make their own choices, which includes an informed one to avoid dogs from puppy mills. You're certainly right that not perpetuating the cycle of deplorable conditions and unhealthy breeding practices would be a preferable outcome. On top of that, puppy mills have a well-deserved reputation for inbred and poorly socialized animals.

 

[CarolAnn856]

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.

It saddens me, too, when I see constant FB posts about the dogs available from local rescues, knowing that many of those very rescues have, IMO, excessively restrictive rules on who can adopt. We got our rescue almost 7 years ago, and the restrictions some groups placed on who could adopt were absurd. No kids under 12 for one, another wanted any adults in the house to have been previous pet owners, another required a fenced in yard (I wondered about people living in a city...I guess they wouldn't adopt pets out to urban dwellers), etc.

 

[CarolAnn856]

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