How Much Is That Doggy In The Window? Please Don`t Buy A Puppy From A Petstore

I was raised on a farm in Wisconsin and have been an avid dog lover ever since. My mom bred and sold Siberian Huskies and I had my very own Tia Marie that I competed with in both conformation and obedience. We moved to Las Vegas when I was 15 and I could not take her with me. My mom knew how upset I`d be so she sold her when I was away at school. I had never been so devastated in my life and I vowed never to forgive her. Of course I did forgive her; she is my mom after all, and she taught me not to hold grudges. Lucky for her. (smile) A good number of years later, I met my husband Mike, and after buying our first house I needed my faithful canine companion. A house just isn`t a home without a puppy bouncing around. One day we were out and about and we stumbled into a petstore. We wandered around a bit and then meandered to the back of the store where, in a kiddie pool, was the cutest, fluffiest, ball of fur I had ever seen in my life! I fell in love with her. Even though I wanted to take her home then and there Mike and I thought it was a good idea to go home and get my mom who lived with us at the time, bring her back, and get her opinion. She did sit on the AKC board back home after all, and she knew alot about breed disposition. Well, we did just that and my mom thought she was a good specimen, so I took the little furball home. During the whole process something was nagging at me. I did know a tad about petstore puppies and where they come from so I talked at length with the shop owner and she assured me that she didn`t deal with puppymills. I was naive and in love with this golden ball of fur so I chose to believe her. To boot, she was AKC registered so that must mean she is of quality lineage right? My husband and I decided on her name as being "Diva"; "Dewey`s Diva Las Vegas" was her 'formal' name. Since I had this new precious baby I wanted to do research on what kind of food was best, and also on her breed; I had never owned a Golden before. After a few weeks her AKC papers came in the mail and I began to research her bloodline. She has a couple CD`s (champion dogs) in her background, but nothing exceptional. I located her breeder in Missouri, wrote to her, and she was nice enough to send me pictures of Diva`s mommy and daddy. The sire was a breathtaking, confident, regal Golden Retriever, but the bitch, not so much. Something about her stance and expression made her look timid and afraid. I thought that maybe mama was just shy and I filed the letter and pictures away in Diva`s folder. In my research I learned much more about petstore puppies and the despicable conditions that these animals are kept in.

I must warn you, if you`re a dog lover this information will shock and disgust you. I have spent many sleepless nights, and weeks of tear filled days during my discoveries. A petstore wants you to believe that the puppies come from normal homes, with the mama dog inside, maybe cuddled up next to a fire or laying on the couch with a family member. Ummmm....not so much. The animals are kept in disgusting conditions. They are crammed in small, wire cages, often piled 4 high, and the feces of one dog falls down on top of another. They are never held, never brushed, never taken to the vet, never let out of the cage, and the list of horrors goes on. There is no heat in the winter, nor any relief in the hot summer. A female is bred every time she comes into heat. Can you imagine being pregnant and giving birth constantly for your entire life? The people that own these establishments don`t care about what they`re breeding. By that I mean the dog can have a horrible temperament with issues like biting and aggressiveness, the dog can have physical problems like heart, kidney, eye disease, anything goes as long as the dog can produce and the owner of the establishment makes money. They don`t care that when you get your puppy home it might be sick and need costly vet care. Are they going to answer your calls when you need to talk to someone about the ongoing treatment your problematic dog has due to failing kidneys? When the dog can no longer reproduce it is tossed out like yesterday`s leftovers. Any time you purchase a puppy from a petstore you are ensuring that the hell goes on for these animals. It is reported that ALMOST ALL puppies in petstore windows come from puppymills. The invention of the internet has also helped with the longevity of the mills. Those cute pictures on that website can`t possibly come from these deplorable conditions you spoke about? Don`t let them fool you! Most of them are just used as a cash crop. I may have gotten lucky, I don`t know. Diva`s parents may not have been crammed into a cell. But I can tell you that her mommy did not look happy. I will always wonder, and with the wonder comes the guilt. I am responsible for helping these disgusting people stay in business. Never again, never will I buy a dog or a cat from a petstore.

Helping to stop the torture is simple; don`t buy from a petstore. Don`t walk into one. Don`t entertain the thought that you can be strong when faced with that adorable, squirming, tail waggin', licking, lovebug. It is too easy to give in. It is too easy to tell yourself the same lie I told myself when I was trying to come to terms with myself; at least I gave her a loving home. I certainly did, and I also helped to keep the scum in business, and the other dogs suffering. Did you know that as of 2009 animal shelters have been forced to euthanize three to four MILLION dogs and cats? There are many perfectly fine, loving companions you can find at a shelter. But you want a puppy you say. Then do it the responsible way and contact a breeder, or look in the paper and choose a puppy that you can go visit it`s parents and see the conditions that it`s raised in. Look on the internet and find a local, or close to local, breed rescue; almost all breeds have one. Contact the AKC (American Kennel Club). Just please, please don`t buy from a petstore.

Fred is my Papillon. He is a puppymill rescue. I`m not sure how old he is but we`re estimating him to be around six or so. I got him from PAPHAVEN- a Papillon breed rescue. When I first got him all he would do is lay on my stomach. He wouldn`t go near anyone, nor let anyone pet him. He would cower and shake when someone spoke to him. He wouldn`t eat unless I was sitting right next to him. He doesn`t know how to play. He has come around quite a bit in the last four years that I`ve had him. I don`t even need to be in the same room with him for him to eat. He`s not glued to my stomach anymore and we have a stomping game in the back yard. I will stomp my feet and pretend to chase him and he will run around the yard multiple times. He`s not scared, it`s all in fun. I think he`s picked up a tennis ball maybe 3 times since I`ve owned him but he doesn`t know what to do with it. He`ll still cower and shake sometimes, and he doesn`t go up to new people, but at least he`ll sort of let them touch him. I feel good that I`m teaching him that not all humans are bad; there are some that he can trust.