Petstore Puppies vs Breeder Puppies
I think back before I lost all of my old stuff (I need to remember to back up, losing 6 years of blogs sucks) i talked about this at length, and I’m sure most of you can guess where I stand on the issue. I’m bringing it up for the umpteenth time again after reading a recent entry on Rachel’s site.
I’m a firm believe in rescuing animals, but I also realize some people want a puppy for obvious reasons. They’re playful, you can train them without worries of preexisting bad habits, and they’re just fucking cute. On the downside not everyone has time to train properly, they’re insanely expensive and most puppies end up in a pound before the age of 3 because people just don’t know what they’re getting into.
My main concern with the whole buying a puppy thing, is the puppy mill trade. In Canada it’s bad enough (Quebec has millions of Puppy Mills that have yet to be shut down) but the states is even worse. People sell puppies out of the back of vans in grocery store parking lots, Pet Stores buy puppies by the crate load then sell them for 10 times as much as they paid, dogs lie in cages too small to turn around in, sitting in their own feces with toenails so long they grow into their pads.
Tons of people don’t even know what a puppy mill is. If I had a dollar for the blank stares I got when I start on one of my animal welfare tirades I’d have been out of debt years ago. the biggest problem here is ignorance. Every puppy you buy is replaced by another. Most aren’t registered, healthy or come with any sort of health guarantee. Most are sick, abused and you don’t even notice until you’ve brought your pup home and the 24 hour health guarantee given by most pet stores is long past.
It starts out simple enough. A runny nose, the sneezes, maybe a touch of kennel cough. The new owner things to themselves, “Well this puppy would obviously be better off with us, than here in this glass cage playing in shredded newspaper.” That may be so, but this puppy is going to cost you a fortune more than a puppy from a reputable breeder would. You’re going have to pay for extra shots, probably antibiotics, a good round of fluids, and in the worst case scenario you’ll have to let your new best friend go.
Running rampant in puppy mills (and as a result) and petstores is canine parvo virus. Naturally puppy mills (and believe me, some pet stores) are not hygenic places. Even a puppy brought home to early (in my opinion anything before 8 weeks is too early, even that is pushing it) can catch it by stepping or sniffing another dog’s feces. It’s horribly contagious and while most older dogs can fight off an infection, puppies are much smaller with delicate immune systems.
I’m sure there’s millions of families every year who lose puppies to this disease. Usually the first symptom is lethargy, then diarrhea which leads to intense dehydration. The pup can’t keep down food or water. I’ve seen the damage this disease has on small puppies first hand, and it’s truly heartbreaking. Usually once a pup is brought to vet it’s too late and not much can be done.
I’m not going to go into detail as to how the virus works and such..the point is do your research. If you buy a pup and it has parvo you won’t be able to introduce another puppy to the household for a very long time..this virus is so hard to get rid of with cleaning agents.
I know the puppy at the petstore is adorable and deserves a good home, but when you buy that puppy its just going to be replaced by another puppy from a mill. So the cycle continues. Rescue when you can, buy from a reputable breeder when you can’t.
Good breeders:
- offer a lifelong commitment
- will provide the first set of shots and dewormx2 and have the paperwork to show it
- have puppies in the home underfoot, not in a barn or cage
- have both parents on site, again as a part of the family
- have paper work showing both parents have been tested for genetic defects
- provide a guarantee against these defects in their puppies
- not allow puppies to go home until 8 weeks of age (i prefer 12 personally)
And if you need anymore convincing (don’t watch if you have a weak stomach):