When you buy your dog from a pet store, you are supporting an industry that cares very little for the health or welfare of your dog. This industry is only interested in profit. The industry we are talking about is puppy mills and they distribute their dogs to pet stores.
Puppies sold in pet stores are nothing more than a commodity. They are puppies that are considered merchandise and need to be sold. The sooner the better for the pet shop owner. Due to poor breeding practices and often very filthy conditions, many of the pet store pups we have seen have numerous health problems, obvious and unobvious genetic defects.
They may appear to be the fittest pups you ever saw and may even come with a health guarantee. For what, maybe 10 days, or even 30 days? Many congenital and hereditary problems may not surface until the dog is much older. When you start seeing serious aggression problems due to an unstable temperament or lameness in the hips at six months, you and your family will be heartbroken. Your options are limited and the outcome is predictable.
Many pet store puppies can be extremely difficult to housebreak. Due to being forced to eliminate in their cages from the time they are born until they are purchased, they tend to loose their natural desire to keep their own space clean.
In the past 2 years The Pennsylvania Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement has stepped up the requirements for breeding kennels in the state. This includes no multiple stacking of cages; now they can no longer eliminate on the dogs below; regular health checks, even a daily exercise plan. Imagine that! Therefore many puppy mills have shut down and not renewed their license for 2010.
Since the puppy mills are no longer allowed to kill their own dogs - law states they must be euthanised by a licensed veterinarian (this will cost them money) - many of these dogs are being removed and end up in shelters. See our January news letter to see what we are doing to help.
You can find good dogs in the shelters but you need to do your homework. Choose the right dog for your lifestyle and be prepared to work with the dog.
If you must have a purebred dog, purchase from a reputable breeder that will stand behind their dogs. Avoid that temptation to get that cute little puppy in the cage behind the glass. Many of the folks that we have met that bought pet store puppies have told us they felt sorry for the pup. So, without putting much thought or homework into their decision they bought him/her at the spur of the moment. Although they fell in love with the dog, most have regretted their decision.
There will always be dogs shipped from puppy mills from other states with lax laws to fill the demand for this industry. Please, don’t support a despicable industry looking for a quick buck.