Pet Store Supports Puppy Mills

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

It is very rare to find a breeder like this.

Well, most of the breeders I've researched do this, so I guess it's how hard you're willing to look. I agree some (many?) "breeders" don't, but then I wouldn't really call them professional breeders.
And yes, barnyard mutts do make great pets, and cross breeds do seem to avoid many of the inherent problems of either of the parents, but if you're looking for a purebred, like I am ( I need particular abilities), I need to research and find suitable breeders.

[Ephraim]

So even though maximizing the exposure of the dog is part of the system that got it rescued in the first place, this should not be done? If this wasn't done, Pets for Life would not be able to rescue as many dogs. There is not alot of people that are going to drive all the way to the acreage to view these animals and adopt them.

And BTW, you would be surprised the amount of people that would be willing to adopt a 3 legged dog, even for a small adoption fee that does not even cover the vet expenses to bring it back to health.

[Aquattro]

My point is there is often better ways to maximize exposure. Most rescue societies have a web site and a large circle of contacts. I have some friends involved in pitty rescue and they do a great job of exposure, finding temporary home settings and getting dogs adopted. This gets them out of the pound and into real life settings.
Sure, it might work out better this time for this dog, but in general, I, at least, feel dogs should not be sold in pet stores, and in fact, I do not shop at stores that sell dogs, period.

[EmilyB]

There were four dogs in the litter btw. All for sale.

The Humane Society has advised a letter to the head office which is about all I can do.

BTW, I also know an employee of *edit*. No, ex-employee actually, he resigned.

Thank you Brad for not letting the wrong words be put in my mouth. My husband does that enough....

[EmilyB]

Originally Posted by Ephraim

There is not alot of people that are going to drive all the way to the acreage to view these animals and adopt them.

That would be terribly inconvenient. And pretty much sums up the mentality of many of the puppy buyers.

We drove to Seattle and back to adopt a greyhound. Do you see the difference?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by EmilyB

That would be terribly inconvenient. And pretty much sums up the mentality of many of the puppy buyers.

We drove to Seattle and back to adopt a greyhound. Do you see the difference?

I've got a line on a pup that is currently in Illinois...ya, that's inconvenient, but well worth it for the right dog..

[Patrick1]

Wow,

I thought the MH vs T5 was a hot topic on here. But serisouly, the common ground here seems to be that fact that you all care deeply about the welfare of animals. I think that is the most important part. And it would be a good idea for everyone to just keep that in mind. I would hate to see friendships turn sour after this debate. It looks like everyone has the same end goal, the best care for an animal in mind. And if things get heated just keep in mind every one here wants the best outcome for any animal. Right Tang Police?

[dsaundry]

Well I have watched this thread with interest and my question to Emily still hasnt been answered. What proof do you have that this store supports "puppy mills"? I dont care whether you drove to Mexico to buy a dog, the thread you started states that this store?? supports "puppy mills" I am neither affiliated with this or any pet store but if you are going to accuse a company of this, you better back it up with facts. Whether it is someone smuggling parrots, or fish, or whatever, the accusation has been made by you. So what proof do you have? Have you seen this "mill"? I would stand behind you 100% if you actually have some proof and not hearsay from a disgruntled employee. Is this employee willing to swear about what he has actually seen? If you don't agree that dogs should be sold in pet stores, then what about other animals? Cats?? Ferrets?? Hamsters?? Reptiles?? even Fish?? it boils down to the type of care that both the pet store provides to the animal. I don't deny there are pet stores I would like to see crumble to the ground, but there are still a select few that actually provide good care to all their animals. Maybe not many, but there are a few. So my question which you have still not answered remains. What is your proof that they support "Puppy Mills"? Simple question..maybe not a simple answer.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by dsaundry

What is your proof that they support "Puppy Mills"? Simple question..maybe not a simple answer.

Yup, pretty simple answer. Reputable breeders of dogs DO NOT sell their puppies to pet stores. Pet stores DO NOT pay the price charged by reputable breeders. What is left is discount high volume breeding kennels, commonly referred to as puppy mills, because they can pump out the dogs at wholesale prices. The other source of pups for the retail stores comes from the private backyard breeder who either can't sell privately or doesn't want to take th etime to find suitable homes for the pups they may or may not have planned on.
Neither of these sources are good sources for a quality dog. Not gauranteed to get a "bad" dog, but certainly not gauranteed to be a good dog. Example. My parents bought a dog from the pet store that (eventually) was confirmed to have come from a "mill" at 5 months of age, it's heart exploded. The dog died in my dad's arms. The pet store stated that it was not the only dog from that litter that died of heart problems. Parents out one dog.
A reputable breeder would have worked hard at avoiding this ever being intorduced into their breeding line, and should something like this have happened, their would have been a gaurantee to either replace the dog or refund the purchase price.

So yes, although we may not have video footage of the dark alley puppy transaction, we can be well assured that "most" dogs from a pet store did not come from a reputable breeder.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by dsaundry

I dont care whether you drove to Mexico to buy a dog,

There is an agency that will assist Canadians in adopting Mexican dogs if you want one, no need to drive all the way there