Where Do the Puppies Come From?
Written by Christina Ghimenti
No, I won't give you links to the horror photos of pet stores. Believe me, you would probably have nightmares. Pet Stores purchase their pups from either Puppy Mills or mill-type breeders. If you think of nothing else, please remember that Pet Store = Retail. Retail needs profit to survive. And what tugs at your heart and opens your wallet faster than a cute puppy living a sad life in a tiny cage? In a pet store, a puppy lives in a tiny cage which is rarely cleaned and is very hard. There is no soft bed to sleep or room to play. Often times they are forced to sit in their own pee and poo. The cages are built wider than they are deep to force the pup to always be faced in your direction. Their sad pleading eyes capture your heart and you part with $1000+ to "save" that puppy.
The Facts are the majority of pet store puppies get ill within the first 30 days. Facts are also the majority of pet stores do not give your money back for a "defective" puppy. And please don't even ask them to pay back the expensive vet bills you have paid just to find out what is wrong with your pup. Pet store pups are purchased in bulk like pet food. They pay a breeder a small amount to ask no questions and then sell with an incredible mark up. Sometimes they buy the pups at public auctions just like cattle. To the USDA they are classified as Livestock, if you want to be technical.
Please do not purchase that puppy thinking you are "rescuing" it. This happens all the times. People tell me they knew it was a bad thing and also that they paid way too much, but they wanted to save that puppy from such a horrible life. The reality is the pet store owner does not care WHY you bought his puppy. He is just happy you did so he can now place an order for yet another poor soul to put in that same dirty small cage. Time is money and puppies make good profit. The pet store owner has no emotional attachment. He will not screen homes and make sure you are the right family for this breed. He makes sure your money is green or your credit card clears. It is not personal; it is business.
Pet Broker
A Broker is a 3rd party resaler. They make a business out of people contacting them for a certain breed. They then go on the hunt for that dog. They have strong ties to puppy mills or mill-type breeders. They purchase a pup for say $150 from a breeder. Breeder is happy because this broker is effectively selling their pups for them so they don't have to work as hard at it and they don't have to answer those embarrassing health questions. All they have to do is keep breeding and supplying the broker. The broker will turn around and sell that same pup for $700 or more. They will make grand claims of Champion heritage and talk up the pup as if they bred it. The facts are they probably know nothing of the muliple breeds they are selling. They will brag mightily on the breeder that produced the pup but never let you meet them. They act as a shield against any type of liability. They will not ask you questions or make sure this is the appropriate breed for you. They will tell you everything you want to hear regardless of truth. They will give you no guarantees because they are not the breeder. Push comes to shove, this will be exactly what they tell you. The beauty of their enterprise is they really have to do very little to make a huge profit.
CODE OF ETHICS
Remember: All breed clubs have it in their Code of Ethics to prohibit members from selling to either a Pet Store/Retail Establish or to a broker. This means the truly reputable breeders who are breeding the true top quality dogs are not supplying the Retailers. This further means the Retailers must buy from lesser quality breeders where profit is their only motivation to be breeding. Is that the type of breeder you want to buy your puppy from?
Important Topics
[A True Pet Store Tale - Duke's Story]
[Beware Irresponsible Pet Breeders] [Beware of Pet Stores]
[Get Rid Of Your Dog?]
[Letter From Your Puppy]
[What Is A Breeder?]
[How Could You?]
Humorous
[How To Read Dog Show Advertisements ] [Dogoholics Anonymous]
[Why Dogs Don't Use Computers] [Things Dogs Must Remember] [The Puppy's Prayer]
All Content and Images © PawPrint Boxers
No material, photo or graphic may be copied from this website!