How much is that puppy in the window?
Those of you who know me, know how passionate I am about dogs, breeding, training, etc. Here's an essay I wrote about pet shop puppies....
What could be more adorable than walking through the mall and coming across a pair of warm, chocolate eyes and the wiggly bottom of a Beagle puppy in the pet store window? The employees are more than happy to let you hold the puppy and inform you that they accept credit cards and monthly payment plans. They don’t ask any questions, they don’t care if you have a fence or if your last dog was dumped at the pound because it no longer matched your home’s décor. What they won’t tell you is where that puppy came from and how much it will likely cost you in the coming years in veterinary bills for illnesses and hereditary diseases.
Most pet stores purchase their puppies from what the USDA and AKC term “commercial” or “high volume” breeders. Responsible, ethical breeders call them “puppy mills”. They are run by people who view puppies as a cash crop and cut every possible corner in order to increase their profit margin. Most puppy mills are located in the Midwest states of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, although the Amish farmers of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are definitely cashing in on this huge money-making opportunity. The largest puppy mill in the nation is known as the Hunte Corporation and they are located in Missouri.
Every week, pet stores receive faxes from their chosen puppy mills that tell what this week’s “specials” are (older or sickly puppies that are sold at a discount) and which breeds are available for delivery. Puppy mills are a veritable buffet of puppies, with one mill often breeding hundreds of dogs in dozens of breeds. There is no regard for the well-being or socialization of the puppies or the breeding stock. These poor animals are nothing more than “livestock” to those that run the puppy mill industry. The dogs are often kept in rabbit-hutch type caging, stacked in rows on top of each other, with the feces and urine of the dogs on the highest level dropping down onto the dogs and puppies below. Their coats are often matted to the skin with open wounds, festering sores and maggots on the breeding animals. Many go blind or lose parts of ears from injuries sustained in fights from the stress of being cramped into such close quarters, day in and day out. They usually receive no veterinary care, no vaccinations, no worming, inadequate food & water and no love. They never see the sunlight and they never step foot on grass. The mothers are usually bred from the time they are 6 or 7 months old until they are “bred out” at which time they are shot, euthanized, dropped at the pound, or -if they are exceptionally lucky-- given to purebred rescue groups to be rehomed. Puppy mill dogs and puppies are housed in converted barns, silos and outbuildings with no air conditioning to protect them from the sweltering heat of summer, nor any heat to comfort them in the chill of the harsh Midwest winters. Many puppies and dogs die from exposure every year. Those that survive are “lucky” enough to be weaned at 4-5 weeks of age so that they can be packed into the shipping vans and reach the pet stores by the time they are 6-7 weeks old. Since they are born in cages and never have any chance to run around on grass or any surface other than chicken wire, they are often very, very difficult- if not impossible- to housetrain. Dogs naturally eliminate away from their eating and sleeping areas. When raised in the confinement of a puppy mill cage, they never learn to eliminate in an appropriate area so they “learn” to just go wherever and whenever. A responsible breeder, in stark contrast, provides their puppies with comfy sleeping areas, stimulating play areas, quiet eating areas and clean elimination areas, so they are usually quite easy to housebreak.
A trademark of a puppy mill puppy is “alternative” registration, although AKC registration is still quite common among them. “Alternative” registries include APR, API, CKC, NKC and others. The “papers” they provide aren’t worth the ink that’s dried on them. ANYONE can get papers on a pure or mixed bred dog from any of these registries as long as they are willing to pay the $10 or $15 registration fee. At least the AKC requires proof of parentage, although there have been many cases of falsified AKC papers on pet shop puppies. I’ll never forget the time I worked at Dayton Emergency Veterinary Hospital and a client brought their “Pomeranian” in for treatment. This dog was about 30-35 pounds and stood about 16-18” tall. When questioned about the breed, the owners insisted it was an AKC registered Pomeranian and they had purchased it at a certain local pet store. It was blatantly obvious that this dog was a mixed breed. What is even more frustrating is that pet stores often charge MORE for a sickly, possibly mixed bred, and definitely pet quality puppy than a reputable breeder would charge for a Champion bred show quality puppy!
Some people may argue that it is much simpler to go to the pet shop and pick out a puppy from the many offered breeds than it would be to look through the paper or call the local kennel club for breeder referrals and go out looking at individual litters of puppies from responsible breeders. What these same people don’t realize is that taking just a little time to educate yourself on the breed that suits you (not the one you think is *cutest*) will be priceless. Not only will your puppy not be an impulse purchase, but you will be purchasing your puppy from a breeder who will often have not only the mother, but also the father on site. You can see the parents, interact with them and the litter. You can get an idea of what the puppy will look like as an adult and an idea as to its future temperament. Responsible breeders are available 24 hours a day for the rest of your puppy’s life for advice and guidance. They CARE where their puppies go and are eager to help you on your puppy-parenting journey. A responsible breeder will only offer 1 or 2 breeds of dogs, and only produces 1 or 2 litters per year. The puppies from a responsible breeder are socialized from birth and are often very easy to housebreak-- a stark contrast from a pet store puppy. They also will take the puppy back if you ever need to rehome the dog, or they will help you find an appropriate home for it-- ANYTIME during the life of the puppy. Responsible breeders do the appropriate health clearances on their breeding stock to help ensure that their puppies do not inherit any genetic diseases such as hip dysplasia, juvenile cataracts, deafness, luxating patella’s, open fontanels, etc. that many, many pet store puppies end up with because puppy millers do NOT health test their breeding stock.
So- just how much IS that puppy in the window? Is it worth the years of pain and suffering that its mother & father endured? Or the years of pain and suffering the pups may endure and the hundreds or thousands of dollars in veterinary bills that the owner may aquire due to preventable genetic and/or health problems? How do you put a price on that? Do you REALLY want to pay $800-$1000 for an APR registered Beagle puppy when you can have a healthy, well-adjusted, socialized, Champion bred, AKC registered puppy from a reputable breeder for $300 or $400?
PLEASE do not buy puppies from pet stores. When there is no more demand, the suffering of the thousands of breeding animals and puppies in commercial kennels will finally stop. Until then, their agony continues.
What could be more adorable than walking through the mall and coming across a pair of warm, chocolate eyes and the wiggly bottom of a Beagle puppy in the pet store window? The employees are more than happy to let you hold the puppy and inform you that they accept credit cards and monthly payment plans. They don’t ask any questions, they don’t care if you have a fence or if your last dog was dumped at the pound because it no longer matched your home’s décor. What they won’t tell you is where that puppy came from and how much it will likely cost you in the coming years in veterinary bills for illnesses and hereditary diseases.
Most pet stores purchase their puppies from what the USDA and AKC term “commercial” or “high volume” breeders. Responsible, ethical breeders call them “puppy mills”. They are run by people who view puppies as a cash crop and cut every possible corner in order to increase their profit margin. Most puppy mills are located in the Midwest states of Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, although the Amish farmers of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are definitely cashing in on this huge money-making opportunity. The largest puppy mill in the nation is known as the Hunte Corporation and they are located in Missouri.
Every week, pet stores receive faxes from their chosen puppy mills that tell what this week’s “specials” are (older or sickly puppies that are sold at a discount) and which breeds are available for delivery. Puppy mills are a veritable buffet of puppies, with one mill often breeding hundreds of dogs in dozens of breeds. There is no regard for the well-being or socialization of the puppies or the breeding stock. These poor animals are nothing more than “livestock” to those that run the puppy mill industry. The dogs are often kept in rabbit-hutch type caging, stacked in rows on top of each other, with the feces and urine of the dogs on the highest level dropping down onto the dogs and puppies below. Their coats are often matted to the skin with open wounds, festering sores and maggots on the breeding animals. Many go blind or lose parts of ears from injuries sustained in fights from the stress of being cramped into such close quarters, day in and day out. They usually receive no veterinary care, no vaccinations, no worming, inadequate food & water and no love. They never see the sunlight and they never step foot on grass. The mothers are usually bred from the time they are 6 or 7 months old until they are “bred out” at which time they are shot, euthanized, dropped at the pound, or -if they are exceptionally lucky-- given to purebred rescue groups to be rehomed. Puppy mill dogs and puppies are housed in converted barns, silos and outbuildings with no air conditioning to protect them from the sweltering heat of summer, nor any heat to comfort them in the chill of the harsh Midwest winters. Many puppies and dogs die from exposure every year. Those that survive are “lucky” enough to be weaned at 4-5 weeks of age so that they can be packed into the shipping vans and reach the pet stores by the time they are 6-7 weeks old. Since they are born in cages and never have any chance to run around on grass or any surface other than chicken wire, they are often very, very difficult- if not impossible- to housetrain. Dogs naturally eliminate away from their eating and sleeping areas. When raised in the confinement of a puppy mill cage, they never learn to eliminate in an appropriate area so they “learn” to just go wherever and whenever. A responsible breeder, in stark contrast, provides their puppies with comfy sleeping areas, stimulating play areas, quiet eating areas and clean elimination areas, so they are usually quite easy to housebreak.
A trademark of a puppy mill puppy is “alternative” registration, although AKC registration is still quite common among them. “Alternative” registries include APR, API, CKC, NKC and others. The “papers” they provide aren’t worth the ink that’s dried on them. ANYONE can get papers on a pure or mixed bred dog from any of these registries as long as they are willing to pay the $10 or $15 registration fee. At least the AKC requires proof of parentage, although there have been many cases of falsified AKC papers on pet shop puppies. I’ll never forget the time I worked at Dayton Emergency Veterinary Hospital and a client brought their “Pomeranian” in for treatment. This dog was about 30-35 pounds and stood about 16-18” tall. When questioned about the breed, the owners insisted it was an AKC registered Pomeranian and they had purchased it at a certain local pet store. It was blatantly obvious that this dog was a mixed breed. What is even more frustrating is that pet stores often charge MORE for a sickly, possibly mixed bred, and definitely pet quality puppy than a reputable breeder would charge for a Champion bred show quality puppy!
Some people may argue that it is much simpler to go to the pet shop and pick out a puppy from the many offered breeds than it would be to look through the paper or call the local kennel club for breeder referrals and go out looking at individual litters of puppies from responsible breeders. What these same people don’t realize is that taking just a little time to educate yourself on the breed that suits you (not the one you think is *cutest*) will be priceless. Not only will your puppy not be an impulse purchase, but you will be purchasing your puppy from a breeder who will often have not only the mother, but also the father on site. You can see the parents, interact with them and the litter. You can get an idea of what the puppy will look like as an adult and an idea as to its future temperament. Responsible breeders are available 24 hours a day for the rest of your puppy’s life for advice and guidance. They CARE where their puppies go and are eager to help you on your puppy-parenting journey. A responsible breeder will only offer 1 or 2 breeds of dogs, and only produces 1 or 2 litters per year. The puppies from a responsible breeder are socialized from birth and are often very easy to housebreak-- a stark contrast from a pet store puppy. They also will take the puppy back if you ever need to rehome the dog, or they will help you find an appropriate home for it-- ANYTIME during the life of the puppy. Responsible breeders do the appropriate health clearances on their breeding stock to help ensure that their puppies do not inherit any genetic diseases such as hip dysplasia, juvenile cataracts, deafness, luxating patella’s, open fontanels, etc. that many, many pet store puppies end up with because puppy millers do NOT health test their breeding stock.
So- just how much IS that puppy in the window? Is it worth the years of pain and suffering that its mother & father endured? Or the years of pain and suffering the pups may endure and the hundreds or thousands of dollars in veterinary bills that the owner may aquire due to preventable genetic and/or health problems? How do you put a price on that? Do you REALLY want to pay $800-$1000 for an APR registered Beagle puppy when you can have a healthy, well-adjusted, socialized, Champion bred, AKC registered puppy from a reputable breeder for $300 or $400?
PLEASE do not buy puppies from pet stores. When there is no more demand, the suffering of the thousands of breeding animals and puppies in commercial kennels will finally stop. Until then, their agony continues.
posted by Carey @ 3:23 PM
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