Don't
Buy That Puppy in the Window
10
Reasons NOT to buy a puppy from a pet shop
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
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 buy attending American Kennel Club
sanctioned shows, talking to many breeders, requiring proof of genetic
tests and hip and elbow x-rays and request to see one or both of the
parents of your new puppy. The pet store is the worst place to
buy a puppy and 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 with no thought of their
"products" welfare. This is not to say that a good pet
has never come out of a pet store, as many have, but for each that has
many more 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, and you are
responsible for every piece of extra baggage that puppy comes with.
Why take the risks when so many reputable breeders are there to guide
you along the way of your dogs development?
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:
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[As viewed 1998, January 20]
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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]
Copyright ©
Catherine M. Sheeter 2001
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