The better alternative to pet store puppies

I know I have hinted at this before, but if you or your family are interested in adding a furry new member to your family, visit your local shelter! Not only are there frequently puppies to be sold, many of the animals in shelters are purebreds just looking for someone to love them. Unfortunately many deserving pets are euthanized every day because there is too much demand for pet store puppies, and not enough demand for shelter dogs. Websites like www.pets911.com and www.petfinder.com is a great resource to view profiles of available pets online. Also, many shelters have open adoption events at stores like Petco where they bring dogs to hang out, socialize, and hopefully meet their new owners!

Petland Kills

Pet shop cruelty isn't just reserved for puppies. Recently in August, Petland was in the news again because Elizabeth Carlisle, a high school aged employee from the Akron, Ohio store, posted a picture on facebook of herself in the back room of the store holding two rabbits by the scruff of the neck that she had just drowned in the sink. This horrific act was done while she was on the clock, and she had her manager take the picture. The worst part of the picture is the smile on the girls face. She looks happy, pleased with herself enough to request that her manager take a picture of her showing off her "handiwork." On her facebook page, this is the comment that she made about her act of cruelty "[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture." The reason for the drowning? The rabbits had obtained significant injuries after they were allowed to attack each other. Rather than seek proper care and take these injured animals to a veterinarian, Petland chose to let a teen-aged employee drown the rabbits instead. Not only that, but Carlisle clearly had great pleasure doing it. If you have the stomach to look at the photo here is is, but I am warning you, this is a very disturbing image.
Luckily, this girl is getting charged with animal cruelty, but there are many instances of animal cruelty in pet shops that go unnoticed and unpunished.

A vetrenarian speaks out against pet shops

I just read an article in USA Today, written by a veterinarian who is sick of pet shop puppies and the industry they come from. One of the most compelling things I learned through reading this article? Only about half our states regulate the companion pet selling industry in any way and none of the retail pet stores are federally regulated at all. This means that pet shops are free to run their businesses how they see fit, usually meaning get as many animals in and out of the door as possible with no concern for humane treatment. She also goes into detail about 5 things pet shops will lie to you about until they get a sale. "Of course our pets don't come from puppy mills," they'll say,"they come from responsible, USDA licensed breeders!" They're right. Puppy mills are breeders. But would you like to buy a pet that comes from an agriculture-based breeding facility? These are not farm animals. These are pets that will share your home, your heart, and in some cases even your bed.

One of my favorite things about this article? People seem to care. Here's a quote from one of the comments: "we "rescued" our two Bostons from a pet store. I say rescued because in a way that's what it was. They were in little cages and had no room to run around and even though they were so expensive I thought it was worth it to get them out..." This is the typical reaction of people visiting pet shops and the desire to rescue the puppies. My response to that? If you want to rescue and animal, go to your local shelter.

AKC papers...

Just because your pet is registered through the American Kennel Club doesn't guarantee the puppy will be healthy and a good example of the breed. This myth, however, is what pet stores would like you to believe. AKC papers do certify that the puppy is a purebred product of two AKC registered parents, but even though your puppy has AKC papers, it doesn't mean he or she is a purebred. Sometimes, more puppies are registered for papers than are actually born into the litter so that registration slips can be passed out with unregisterable puppies.

In other words...you may be paying up to $3,500 for a new puppy that may not only be falsely identified as a purebred animal, but it could also be a horrible representation of the breed you're buying. You may think you are "rescuing" a puppy from the pet store, but in actuality all you are doing is supporting the puppy mill industry and making room for a new puppy to take up his space in the pet store. This is a vicious cycle and the only way to end it is to be aware of it. These scams rely on unsuspecting customers to buy into the excitement of making an important purchase.

When did the retail pet industry start?

It used to be that if you wanted to buy a new dog, you would buy one from your neighbor or a family friend. It wasn't until after World War II that the pet industry began to pick up in popularity and puppy mills began sprouting up throughout the Midwest. After widespread crop failures, the United States Department of Agriculture began promoting purebred puppies as a fool-proof “cash” crop. This idea was appealing to farmers because breeding dogs isn't as labor intensive as producing crops and the dog breeding business began to boom. According to the ASPCA, "Chicken coops and rabbit hutches were re-purposed for dogs, and the retail pet industry—pet stores large and small—boomed with the increasing supply of puppies from the new "mills." Today, Missouri is considered the largest puppy mill state in the country." Though they have been around for a long time, the puppy mill industry is just recently gaining attention from the media due to highly publicized investigations by PETA, The Discovery Channels Caesar Milan, and even Oprah.

Animals are not ours to treat like material goods. Many puppies are bought in pet stores and taken home, only to be dropped off at a shelter a few years later when their family gets tired of taking care of them. Animal shelters are constantly taking dogs in, with very few of the animals making it out. Many of the animals in shelters are purebred animals that previous owners may have paid exorbitant amounts of money for, and many times there are puppies in shelters too! Please, check your local shelter and animal rescue groups before buying a pet from a pet store. Your new best friend will thank you.

Petland

About a year ago, after conducting an eight-month long investigation, The Humane Society for the United States has revealed that many Petland stores across the country are marketing puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers. One of the country's largest pet store chains has been under much scrutiny lately regarding how they obtain, treat, and sell their animals to customers. This investigation involved 21 Petland stores, and traced the shipping records for more than 15,000 puppies to Petland stores, proving once again that America's largest chain of puppy-selling pet stores, Petland Inc., is also the nation's largest retail supporter of puppy mills. This pet store giant obviously doesn't have animals best interests at heart. Read this account written by a former Petland employee about her time spent there. It is pretty awful to hear about the conditions these animals suffer though a witnesses account.

This a puppy who is currently living at "Russo's Pet Experience" at the Irvine Spectrum waiting for his new family to bring him home. After observing him for a few minutes, it was apparent that the only "experience" that he is having is one of loneliness. This is not uncommon for pet shop puppies, as many of them are not properly socialized while they are living in pet shops and in turn, many of them have problems acclimating to their new homes once they are purchased. Many of them have never been in a house before, and the new sights, smells, and sounds may be scary for them. The doorbell, the vacuum, other family pets, and children may be new experiences that could terrify a new puppy. Most good breeders have made certain that their puppies have been exposed to these types of situations. They would like to be sure that their puppies are well socialized, not only with other animals, but also with people. If a puppy has lived all of his short life in a glass cage, he will not know how to react when he is suddenly in a new environment full of people, and possibly other animals.