Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Lauren

Hi, I was wondering whether it is bad to buy a pup from a petshop? If so,why?Thanks,

DISCUSSION:

Lauren, The majority of petshop pups come from breeders who have dogs living in filthy cages and pens designed for other animals. Sometimes these dogs are crammed several to a crate and may even have bodies of dead dogs in their confined areas. Most of the time there is no water, and they are walking through feces and urine and are disease infested. Most of these dogs never leave their enclosure and frequently die from exposure to the elements. No water or shade when it's 100 degrees, no shelter when it's 30 below. Their coats cannot protect them because they are covered and caked in mud and have mats literally to the skin. Under these mats are open lesions, in some cases maggots, and oozing skin. Air cannot get to the skin so the skin literally rots underneath all the mud and feces that has collected for months and sometimes years.

No genetic testing or any thought is given before breeding the animals. The sole purpose of breeding these dogs is to crank out as many puppies as possible for a monetary gain. These "breeders" will sell a dog or puppy to anyone without determining if they will be a responsible home or if it is the right breed of dog for that specific buyer. They do not educate buyers about the specific breed they are considering. They offer no help once the puppy has been sold. They don't care about the dogs as living creatures in any way. All they care about is making money at the expense of their dogs. No concern for the heartache many of their customers go through as a result of their thoughtless breeding. Dogs from "breeders" like this fill up the pounds and shelters on a daily basis. Enough said?

-Courtesy of The National Organization of RESPONSIBLE ANIMAL OWNERS
-Jay

Please visit this site and you will get the answer to your question. http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/CAPS/index.html They can explain it better than I can.
-Marsha A.

No reputable breeder will ever sell a puppy to a pet shop. Pet shops are in business to make a profit and must buy their puppies cheaply from people that aren't concerned about the health, temperament or well being of the dog, producing puppies like livestock, breedng litter after litter until the female can no longer produce. After its usefulness as far as generating puppies ceases, the female is often killed. Often, you will spend more money to get one of these puppies well, if they don't die beforehand. Everytime a puppy is purchased from a pet shop, it encourages this inhumane business of puppy mills to flourish. Buy from a responsibile breeder who will be your friend and will help you throughout the life of your dog. Puppies are often less expensive than pet shops and you will be sure to have a puppy that has been raised with a lot of thought and loving care behind it!
-Linda Coleman

Every Maltese puppy I've seen in pet stores has a tear stained face and their coat just looks grungy. To me that indicates unsanitary living conditions. Lily never developed tear stains until she was 8 mos. old and still it's minimal. These puppies faces are black at 8 weeks old. God only knows what's wrong that you can't see. My instinct is to go in debt and rescue all these precious little guys, but I know that would only encourage these breeders to "make more." My heart literally gets ripped out every time I look into the eyes of these helpless little angels.
-Cindy