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.

What is a puppy mill anyway?

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), "a puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs. Unlike responsible breeders, who place the utmost importance on producing the healthiest puppies possible, breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality. This results in generations of dogs with unchecked hereditary defects." Unfortunately, the puppies that result from puppy mill breeding are the lucky ones--they get out alive.
"In order to maximize profits, female dogs are bred at every opportunity with little to no recovery time between litters. When, after a few years, they are physically depleted to the point that they no longer can reproduce, breeding females are often killed. The mom and dad of the puppy in the pet store window are unlikely to make it out of the mill alive—and neither will the many puppies born with overt physical problems that make them unsalable to pet stores." If you are interested in learning more about what a puppy mill is, click here to visit the ASPCA's website.

What do you really get when you buy a pet shop puppy?

Seeing puppies for sale in pet shops has always deeply bothered me, but one of my most recent pet shop experiences provides an example of how you don't always know what you get when you buy a puppy from a pet shop. I avoid going into pet shops at all costs. Mostly because every time I do, I have to strongly resist the urge to rescue all of the animals inside. This time, I was with a friend who needed to buy his dog some food, and I didn't realize until I entered the store that this shop sold live animals. What I saw was horrifying. There, in a tiny glass box with nothing but a few scraps of newspaper and a bowl of water sat a tiny Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with eyes that said "help me!" He walked around his cage for a few seconds, and then proceeded to get sick on what I can only imagine to be his bedding.

Though I was deeply saddened by the sickness of this puppy, I wasn't at all surprised that this animal was in poor health. In fact, many unhealthy puppies are sold to unsuspecting consumers who give in to the impulse buy without making sure they have a full health report from the puppy's breeder. These consumers will likely go on to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on health problems that many of these puppies will develop. Unfortunately, pet store puppy's parents usually have not been screened for genetic diseases that can be passed to their offspring. Tests can be done to check for these genetic diseases, but they are expensive and only breeders who are concerned about the welfare and future of their breed will have these tests conducted to preserve and improve 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. Unfortunately, these are not the kind of puppies found in pet stores.

But genetic diseases are not the only health issues pet shop puppies face. Many of them will be brought home sick due to unfavorable living situations in the pet shop and even traumatizing traveling experiences in their journey from their place of birth to the pet store. Kennel Cough is one of he most common illnesses of puppies, especially those from pet shops because though it's not life-threatening for the puppy, it needs immediate medical attention and is extremely contagious and can be linked to other more serious illnesses such as pneumonia. Would you want to spend $1,000+ on a new pet that could end up costing you more money, or worse possibly contract a fatal illness and die? Read a personal story of a woman's experience with a pet shop puppy here.

An Open Letter...

Dear Senator Mimi Walters,

I am writing to you today because I would like to bring your attention to the unfortunate way companion animals are being sold in our state. I do not believe pet shops should be allowed to sell companion animals. The puppies that are sold in these establishments generally come from puppy mills and are brought home with a multitude of heath and social issues due to improper breeding and unfavorable living conditions in the pet shop. These puppies are kept in small cages with little human interaction and even less interaction with other animals. Many people who end up purchasing these animals are unaware of the breeding conditions in which the puppies have come from, and therefore they are unaware of what their money is supporting. As my senator, I am hoping that you will consider the unfavorable situation that these animals are put in against their will and propose a bill to the senate floor. I would like for California to ban the sale of companion animals in pet shops. Puppies are living creatures and should not be treated like material goods.

The California state Senate has recently passed Assembly Bills 241 (The responsible breeders act) and 1122, which will limit the number of adult animals that pet-breeding facilities are permitted to own, and will prohibit the sale of animals on streets and other public spaces, respectively. As you can see, California has recently made some great strides in the fight for animals rights, so with your help we can move another step closer in improving the lives of animals even more.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and consider bettering the lives of countless animals.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Milton