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.