Doggie in the Window
Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies
Recently, a co-worker of my mother’s asked for help in locating a well-bred, well-tempered, healthy, pedigreed puppy as a family dog.
The person asking for this puppy was adamant that the puppy be available in the fall as they were traveling this summer and didn’t have time to care for a puppy.
After talking with me, we felt a nicely bred easy-going Golden Retriever would be a great match for this family– and I knew just the person to hook them up with.
Needless to say,there was a bit of a surprise when we found out this family, who requested our assistance, picked up a 15-week old “AKC registered” puppy from a pet store – PetLand pet store – “because the kids liked it.”
Whoa. Wait-a-minute. Let’s back-up and talk about this.
First, let’s discuss what AKC registered means. All AKC registered means is that there is a background history of parents, grand-parents, great-grandparents. It’s a registry – nothing more nothing less. This does not mean their pet-store puppy is of greater or lesser quality because it is “AKC registered.”
Second, let’s talk about where puppy store puppies come from.
Puppy store puppies come from puppy mills. It is a multi-million dollar industry and a horrific one. Dogs are kept in small cages and are bred over and over and over again simply for the puppies they produce.
These so called breeders have no concern for health, temperament, health testing/clearances or anything else regarding the parents or the offspring they produce. All they see is the almighty dollar their puppies will bring in. It is not uncommon for these dogs to have multiple genetic issues and by buying a puppy from a pet store you are supporting these practices.
Google Puppy Mill images and you will see what you are supporting by buying your “because my kids liked it” $800/$900/$1,000/$1,400++puppy store puppy.
The Amish puppy mills in Pennsylvania are some of the best known.
So, what becomes of the puppies from these dogs? They are sold to a broker and the broker then sells them to a puppy store. Now you know where the mark-up comes from for these pet store puppies. The Hunte Corporation is one of the largest, if not the largest, puppy broker organization in the U.S.
By buying a puppy from a pet store, you are supporting puppy mills, please, don’t do it. Please say no to that doggie in the window.
There are hundreds of good breeders out there, there is no need to support puppy mills.
Most breeders I know, live, eat, breath their dogs. They spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars doing health clearances to help reduce the chances of your puppy getting a genetic defect. Most breeders I know, work and show their dogs to help identify the strengths and weakness of their breeding dogs. Most breeders I know, raise puppies in a house, under foot, where they are handled and loved on daily. Most breeders I know, offer unconditional support for the lifetime of the puppy. Most breeders I know, will take your puppy back if it didn’t work out. And most breeders I know sell their well-bred, well-loved, well-cared for puppies from health-tested parents for about the same price as a pet store puppy.
Please. Think before you buy. Do your research. Not all breeders are the same.
