| Don’t Buy That Puppy in the Window |
Pet Store Puppy Warning!
10 Reasons NOT to buy a puppy from a pet store
(Furnished and Printed by request of a Veterinarian)By: Cathrine M. Sheeter
adapted from an article by Laurie Bryce
(c) 1998
1. Health-
That adorable puppy in the window of the pet store is hard to resist, but you may be
paying a lot of money for a dog that you know very little about. Pet stores generally
rely on impulse buys to sell their "product". There is a good chance that the pet
store puppy will develop a health problem sometime in its life that may cost you a
lot of money to remedy. When you buy a pet store puppy it is very unlikely that the
puppy's parents were screened for genetic diseases that can be passed to their
offspring. Every breed of dog has genetic problems that are passed from generation
to generation by breeding dogs that carry the flawed gene. Many of these genetic
problems can be detected with today's technology, but these tests are expensive.
People who are concerned about the welfare and future of their breed will have
these tests conducted to preserve and improve in the future quality of their breed.
Most good breeders are more concerned about the health of the puppies that they
are producing than the money that they will or won't make on the production of a
litter.
2. The myth about AKC papers-
(An update: as of 2007 the AKC will no longer register puppies / dogs purchased at
or sold from a pet store regardless of whether it's parents were AKC registered or
not. This is in an effort by the AKC to help stop puppy mills, we support their
efforts)
Most pet shops would like you to believe that if a puppy is registered by the
American Kennel Club, this guarantees the puppy will be healthy and a good
example of the breed. This is not so. The only thing that AKC papers certify is that
the puppy is a purebred and produced out of AKC registered parents. Even this can
be fiction, as some producers register more puppies than are actually born in each
litter to receive extra registration slips to pass out with unregisterable puppies. The
parents of your puppy may be unhealthy or carriers of crippling or deadly health
defects which they may have passed to their offspring- your puppy. They may also
be horrible representations of the breed that you are buying. Often times the
parentage of pet store puppies is also questionable due to poor record keeping. In
other words, your puppy may not even be a purebred, even though it has AKC
papers. Responsible breeders do register their puppies with the AKC, but that is
only the beginning.
3. The pet shop guarantee-
Many pet stores provide a form of guarantee for people buying puppies from them,
but their guarantees may be as bad as none at all. A not-so-uncommon scenario
goes something like this: after your family has become attached to your adorable
new puppy you find out it is sick. It will cost you several hundred dollars to treat, so
you take the puppy back to the store to receive your guarantee. What they will most
likely offer to do is trade you puppies- take away your beloved pet and replace it
with a new puppy, not necessarily a healthier one, either. They will most likely
euthanize the puppy you brought back, because this is
cheaper for the store. The other tactic that some stores use is to tell you your puppy
will grow out of the problem- until their guarantee has expired. Do you want to take
this risk?
4. What will that puppy look like when it is full grown?
You may have seen specimens of the breed that you are buying, but this does not
guarantee that this puppy will fit the breed standard. You do not know if the
parents fit the standard either and cannot see the faults that each parent has. There
is no perfect dog, but a good breeder will be willing to discuss the faults and
strengths that each of their dogs possesses. You should also be able to see at least
the mother of the puppy that you are buying if bought from a responsible breeder.
Even then you can not tell exactly what the puppy will look like, but you will have a
much better idea of what to expect. Why spend so much money without even
knowing what the puppy's parents look like?
5. What do you know about the breed?
Employees of pet stores generally know very little about the dogs that are in the
store. They can probably tell you a little bit about the breed and then point you to a
rack of generic dog books. What do you do after you bring the puppy home, only to
find that this breed is not the right one for you and your family? Good breeders are
full of information about the breed of puppy that you are considering. They should
be able to tell you the general temperament aspects of the breed and help you
predict whether this breed of dog will fit into your lifestyle. They will also be able to
warn you about specific health problems that the breed is prone to and will be able
to tell you what aspects the breed excels in. There is no breed of dog perfect for
every person and a good breeder is concerned that their puppy goes to a home that
they will fit into.
6. Housebreaking and training problems-
This puppy that you are buying from a pet store has most likely spent much of its
life in a cage. Many pet store puppies have never seen carpet and may never have
even seen grass or dirt. Due to the conditions that puppies are kept in at pet stores,
they have been forced to eliminate in the same area that they sleep and eat. This
goes against the dog's natural instinct, but your puppy has had no choice. This habit
may make housebreaking your puppy much more difficult. A good breeder keeps
the puppy area very clean and makes sure the puppy has a separate elimination
area. By the time the puppies are ready to go to their new homes they will be well
on the way to being house trained. Good breeders will often also start teaching their
puppies how to walk on a leash and to lie quietly for grooming. A pet store puppy
has most likely never walked on a leash or been brushed before. It can be much
more difficult to teach a pet store puppy these daily exercises than a puppy that has
been brought up properly. Responsible breeders also base their breeding decisions
in part on their dogs' temperament and personality, not only on looks or the fact
that they are purebred. Most pet store puppies' parents have not been selected for
any reason other than they can produce puppies that sell as cute "purebreds"
registered by the AKC.
7. How about Socialization?
Your pet store puppy may well have never been in a house before. If this is the case
then everything will be new and scary for them. The doorbell, vacuum cleaner, and
children playing are all new sensations that can be terrifying to an unsocialized
puppy. Good breeders will expose their puppies to many situations so that the
puppies are used to them by the time that they go to their new homes. Most
responsible breeders have evaluated the temperament of each of their puppies
before they are placed in a new home. A good breeder will know, due to hours of
observation, which puppies are dominant and which are shy, which are energetic
and which are easy going. Then the breeder will be able to match the puppy to the
new owner and make sure that energetic pups go to active families and that shy
puppies go to a home that can help them overcome their insecurity. This careful
evaluation enables a breeder to choose which puppy will fit your household and
much of the guesswork is taken out of the selection process. Good breeders can help
you make an educated decision about all aspects of your puppy's feeding, training
and overall maintenance and care based on your family situation. If you are going to
spend so much money on a dog that you plan to keep for its lifetime, why not find
one that will fit into your lifestyle well?
8. What is a pedigree worth?
Some pet shops make a big deal out of their puppies' pedigrees. This is interesting,
as the pedigree is really just a piece of paper with names on it. Unless you know the
dogs behind those names the pedigree is really quite useless to the new owner. Can
the pet store tell you what your puppies grand- parents died of, or how long they
lived? Do any of the dogs in your pup's pedigree carry genetic diseases? Most pet
store employees do not know any more about your puppy's background than you
do. A reputable breeder can tell you all of this information about your pup's family
tree and more. When you buy a puppy from a reputable breeder you are getting
more than a piece of paper, you are getting the important information associated
with the names too.
Almost all responsible breeders will achieve titles on their dogs by showing them
under unbiased judges. They will achieve championships on their dogs, which tells
that the dog is a good representation of the breed. Some breeders also obtain
obedience, or other titles that relate to the job that their breed of dog was originally
bred to perform. Many also achieve canine good citizen titles on their breeding
dogs. These titles will be shown on the dog's pedigree before and after the parents'
names. Ask the breeder to explain what the letters mean.
9. Do you want to support puppy mills?
Almost all puppies that are in pet stores come from puppy mills. These operations
are exactly what the name implies. Most mass produce puppies with money as the
prime motive. Their breeding dogs are often kept in very poor conditions and are
sometimes malnourished. The dogs are almost never tested for genetic diseases and
may not receive vaccinations. Puppy mills often obtain their breeding dogs from
people in a hurry to get rid of their dogs for some reason, often through "free dog"
ads in newspapers or public auctions. Occasionally they are stolen from their
owners. Females are generally bred every heat cycle until they are worn out and
then they are often sentenced to death. The horror of puppy mills is encouraged
every time a puppy is bought from a puppy store.
How do you know that your puppy comes from one of these places? The main
reason is that almost no responsible breeders will sell puppies to pet stores. Good
breeders want to make sure that their puppies go to good homes and are well cared
for. They want to be actively involved in screening the home that their puppies go
to. Breeders are also concerned about keeping track of their puppies after they leave
the breeder's home. They will know about any health problems that their lines may
carry, and will be interested in any health problems that a puppy of their breeding
develops. A pet store usually never hears about their puppies once they leave the
store, and generally really don't care. Buying from a pet store does not mean that
you will save any money in the purchase price of the puppy either. When you buy
from a reputable breeder there is no middle man involved who wants to take his
share of the profit out of the price of the puppy. Often the price that good breeders
charge is no more, and sometimes less, than what you will pay buying a puppy
from a pet store.
10. After the puppy goes home-
Once you take the puppy home from the pet store they do not generally care what
happens to the puppy. Most pet shops do not care if the dog is left to run loose and
kill livestock, or if it dies of liver disease at one year old. If you have a training
problem they will often be unable or unwilling to give you training advice. Most do
not care if you take your dog home and breed it continually. Responsible breeders
are more than people who sell puppies, they will also be good friends to you and
your puppy. They care what happens to their puppies once they are sold. Almost all
good breeders sell on spay/neuter contracts or limited registration. This practice
enables breeders to keep dogs that are not breeding quality out of the breeding
population and also monitor what happens to their puppies in their new homes.
Some breeders sell show quality puppies on co-ownership, so that they retain a
portion of the dog's ownership, for better control of what happens to their dog later
in it's life. If you have a health or training problem a good
breeder will generally be able to offer you advice and help you through the ordeal.
Most reputable breeder care about each of their puppies' futures and will be
concerned about their welfare. They care not only about their own dogs, but also
the impact their dogs will make on the breed as a whole.
So please next time you are looking for a new puppy to buy, do your research. One
of the best steps toward becoming an educated puppy buyer and dog owner is to
attending American Kennel Club sanctioned shows and carefully researching each
breed that you are interested in. Once you decide what breed of dog you would like
to add to your household, talk to many breeders. Good breeders can inform you
about genetic diseases common in the breed you want and are generally happy to
share their knowledge. When you are ready to buy a puppy from a particular
planned litter ask the breeder for proof of genetic tests specific to the breed
and request to see one or both of the parents of your new puppy.
A common excuse for buying a puppy from a pet store is that you do not plan to
show your puppy, you just want a companion. Out of each litter that a reputable
breeder produces there is a good chance that at least a portion of the puppies in
each litter will not be show quality, but would make outstanding pets. Not every
puppy that a breeder produces is destined for stardom in the show ring, but might
well be the next shining star in your household. Please pass up the next puppy you
see in the pet store and contact breed organizations. They will be able to match you
with a responsible breeder that will help you add a well adjusted and healthy new
canine member to your family.
Other positive alternatives are adopting a dog from your local humane society or
adopting a rescue dog from various rescue organizations located throughout the
United States. Every breed of dog registered by the AKC has at least one rescue
organization that will take in dogs of that breed and places them in new loving
homes. There are endless numbers of dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and
personalities in need of a new loving home. When you obtain a dog from one of
these organizations you are more than saving that dogs life. You are also sparing a
female dog in some puppy mill from being condemned to produce yet another litter
for pet shop sales. So please be rational and thoughtful when you go to get your
next dog and help prevent irresponsible pet ownership.
A pet store is generally the worst place to buy a puppy. As long as there is a market
for pet store puppies, other dogs will be condemned to death by mass breeding only
so that a few people can make some money, often with no thought of the welfare of
their "product." This is not to say that a good pet has never come out of a pet store,
as many have. For each that has, though, many others have not. Remember, when
you buy a puppy, you are adding another member to your family, not just another
piece of furniture that can be disposed of at the smallest whim. You would not have
a child without careful research and planning for the child's future ten or fifteen
years down the road. Your new dog should be no different. Adding a dog to the
family is a long term commitment and responsibility that should be taken seriously
and only acted upon after careful consideration and research.
Bibliographies:
Lewallen, Ruth Dawn. Soap Box Time. [Online] Available:
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/960603c.htm [As viewed 1998, January 20]
Randolph, Mary. When a Dog Is a Lemon. [Online] Available:
http://www.nolo.com/nn179.html [As viewed 1998, January 20]
Stark, Karl. Puppy mills ruin the family pet. The Philadelphia Inquirer. (December
10, 1995) [Online] Available:
http://www.phillynews.com/packages/dogs/stark4.htm[As viewed 1998, January
20]
Stark, Karl. Digging into the AKC: Taking cash for tainted dogs. The Philadelphia
Inquirer. (December 31, 1995) [Online] Available:
http://www.phillynews.com/packages/dogs/akex31.htm [As viewed 1998,
January 20]
Woolf, Norma Bennett. What About a Pet Store Puppy?. (1995) [Online] Available:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/petstor.html [As viewed 1998, January 29]
Don't Buy That Doggie in the Window!. [Online] Available:
http://pawsafe.org/dontbuy.html [As viewed 1998, January 21]
Puppy Love. The Philadelphia Inquirer. (December 17, 1995) [Online] Available:
http://www.phillynews.com/packages/dogs/puppy4.htm [As viewed 1998,
January 20]
Compliments of "Good Dog" Training
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