Protesters Outside the Pet Store

[milee]

Local protesters are starting to camp out in front of a local pet store that specializes in selling puppies. Then again, the protesters have been doing that sporadically for the 1.5 years this place has been open, so I guess people are still patronizing the store.

We don't have a dog right now (travel too much), but probably will in the future. I would not buy a puppy from a pet store, but it looks like people do.

Why do you think people buy dogs from pet stores? Do they not know how most of the dogs who are supplied to pet stores are raised or do they just not care? Or is there another reason? Do tell.

[justme]

I'm guessing that it's easier than trying to find a breeder. Those inclined for impulse purchases. And, not knowing the price difference, maybe the dogs are cheaper at the pet stores?

If I get a dog, it'd be from the breeder. But then I want a "problem" breed and want to know the temperament of their parents and where they were raised before I got them.

[kgb18]

I think a lot of people who get dogs are uneducated about them from what breed is best for their family to the practices of breeding and selling dogs.

Maybe some people buy the dogs from the pet stores because they feel sorry for the poor little things?

[Deleted]

I bought our first dog at a pet store. It was my first dog ever and I knew very little. He was just the first puppy we saw that we felt like taking home. That said, he had a long pedigree and hip test papers on his parents, and has proved a very intelligent dog.

[Tennesseer]

Puppies/kittens = cute until they grow up (for some). And never buy a puppy or kitten for Christmas. Too stressful on the animal with all the goings on. Wait until after the holidays.

Adopt a dog/cat from your local shelter. You can see their temperament right then and there so you pretty much know what you're getting. As a plus, the animal will thank you for taking them in.


ETA: Rant over.

[Deleted]

Our local PetSmarts do Adoptions Saturdays with local rescue groups. I don't think they sell puppies or kittens directly. The rescue group (which isn't the Humane Society) gets the adoption fee, which is steep. We paid $150 for our dog (who was two years old), but they are a no-kill group. So they have to have these dogs fostered, go to the vet, etc. I am sure their expenses are high.

Our dog is actually a cocker spaniel. She might be full-blooded, but she has no papers. She certainly doesn't look like any other breed is mixed in, and she has all the problems (mostly ears) associated with cocker spaniels.

She was my wedding "gift" from DH. I didn't want a ring (well, not an engagement ring), etc. We both wanted a dog. She is honestly the child we never had together.

My grandkids were trying to arrange the stockings in order and asked how old Abby is. She is five. So her stocking goes between the two sixes and the fours. It was so cute.

[kgb18]

Our local PetSmarts do Adoptions Saturdays with local rescue groups.

I got my cat at PetSmart. He was technically from the local Humane Society. His cage had paperwork about how he came to be at the Humane Society and other info about him. He was already neutered and had his first round of shots. His adoption fee went back to the Human Society to offeset that cost.

lone, That's so sad. I would have taken her too.

[weltschmerz]

Local protesters are starting to camp out in front of a local pet store that specializes in selling puppies. Then again, the protesters have been doing that sporadically for the 1.5 years this place has been open
---------------
Excellent! Pet shops get most of their puppies from puppy mills. and those places are truly horrific. We keep shutting them down and new ones pop up. Some of my friends have adopted the breeder dogs from mills and those dogs are really messed up. Some never recover. Many neighbourhoods have banned the sale of puppies from pet shops. They should stick to selling pet food and accessories.

[swamp]

My family had one dog from a pet store. He was neurotic.

[Deleted]

I paid $500-600 for our chocolate lab at that store almost 10 years ago...

[Deleted]

Our dog is 13 years old and really slowing down. Our next dog, if we get one, will be through the humane society or through pet adoptions at Petsmart. One year old at least and potty trained. I'm amazed when I go into independent pet stores and see puppies being sold for $800 without shots or being fixed. I used to give them away free in from of our grocery store!

I'm a freak - I don't love the puppy stage of dogs and don't love the baby stage of kids. I want some personality!

[lurkyloo]

anne: our dog had tons of personality even at 8.5 weeks ;D That first night I wound up sleeping on a mattress on the floor (folks in the process of moving) while he was supposed to be sleeping in an adjacent puppy crate (lacking the door). He was absolutely convinced that he belonged in the bed with me; I kept trying to argue he belonged in his crate. He won...and I didn't get any sleep!

[Tiny]

I think the people who buy puppies from pet stores are looking for the designer mutts - the 'hypoallergenic' dogs or puggles or some other mixed bred that's been given a cute 'breed name'. I also think people buying from pet stores have alot of money to spend.
Either that or it's the allure of the 'cute puppy' (impulse buy) or the idea that the puppy is being saved... I have known a couple of Pet Store dogs that had nothing but health problems (and one that should have been put down because of aggressive behavior - why anyone would want to live with an aggressive dog is beyond me - I know my cats probably want to kill me - but atleast I don't think they are physically capable of it.. a dog even a smaller one on the other hand... ). To balance that out - I also know a couple of people with really good Pet Store dogs (even if the 'wiemeriener' wasn't really a wiem... some mix of something...)

[kgb18]

There's no 100 percent guarantee with a dog. My DH's last dog came from a reputable breeder and a good blood line. He was insane. And I'm not being facetious when I say that. The dog was a mental case. He came from a breed that is already known to be hyper and high strung, but this dog was off the charts.

I wish lawmakers would crack down more on puppy mills. And I wish people would do more research before buying. That's the only way the problem will stop.

[Opti]

Nov 24, 2012 20:29:30 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

Our dog is 13 years old and really slowing down. Our next dog, if we get one, will be through the humane society or through pet adoptions at Petsmart. One year old at least and potty trained. I'm amazed when I go into independent pet stores and see puppies being sold for $800 without shots or being fixed. I used to give them away free in from of our grocery store!

I'm a freak - I don't love the puppy stage of dogs and don't love the baby stage of kids. I want some personality!

Is it the personality or just that older dogs are better trained and kids can talk to you? My Mom every once in awhile remarks how shocked she was when I was three days old I had strong preferences. Her thoughts of a cute baby doll to dress were crushed.

I'd want to skip the baby stage mostly because I don't like diapers. I really enjoy three year olds though. They are so inquistive and into chatting at that age.

[kgb18]

I really enjoy three year olds though. They are so inquistive and into chatting at that age.

Yes they are. Would you like to borrow mine for awhile?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I spend almost every Saturday at our local Petco, doing cat and kitten adoptions for a local no-cage, no-kill cat rescue and sanctuary. People cannot just walk in and "buy" a kitten/cat from us ... we require a written adoption application which we use to screen for specific criteria. (We do not adopt to people who plan to declaw their cats, or people who have unaltered pets in the household, or renters who haven't furnished us with written proof of a paid pet deposit. We also only adopt to indoor-only homes.) Our adoption fees are modest and don't cover our costs, actually: $50 for one/$75 for two. That includes spay/neuter, FIV/FeLV testing, age appropriate vaccinations, and microchipping. We had three kittens adopted today.

On many Sundays, I am back at the very same Petco, helping out the local Labrador Retriever Rescue with adoptions. They also have specific criteria for adopting one of their labs, and they require a home visit by one of the volunteers. (I do a lot of these, since I have free time in the daytime most days.... and I'm the only volunteer who lives in my part of the City.) The adoption fee is higher ($250) ... but almost all of the dogs required a more expensive-than-cats spay/neuter, heartworm testing, standard vaccinations PLUS rabies, flea/tick meds, microchipping, etc. It seems that many of the dogs that get pulled from our local high-kill shelters come with kennel cough or giardia, so there's almost always vet care that eats up the vast majority of the adoption fee.

None of our local pet stores (local ones or national chains ... Petco, PetSmart, Pet Extreme) sell cats or dogs, thank goodness. Our biggest problem (locally) is the vast number of backyard breeders who don't spay/neuter their animals and permit them to breed indiscriminately. As a result, our City has the rather dubious (dis)honor of being in the Top 3 in the nation for euthanasia rates in our local high-kill shelters.

[Miss Tequila]

We bought both of our dogs at pet stores and they have both been very loving, very smart dogs.

[kgb18]

people who have unaltered pets in the household

What is an unaltered pet? I don't think I've ever heard that term.

[Deleted]

Unaltered means non spayed/neutered I think.

Backyard breeders are far worse in my experience than that pet store was...

[weltschmerz]

They also have specific criteria for adopting one of their labs, and they require a home visit by one of the volunteers.
-----------------
When I was looking to adopt another rat, there was a ton of paperwork, screenings and home visits involved. It would have been easier to adopt a Chinese infant.
I said "screw it!" and bought a rat destined for snake food. He was a sweetie, but had bad headshake. Still, a great pet.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

Welts, an actual rat? Maybe you could have had Drama or Mich get you a sterile one... I hear you can order them with pre-installed catheters... ;D

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Nov 24, 2012 22:48:59 GMT -5 kgb18 said:

people who have unaltered pets in the household

What is an unaltered pet? I don't think I've ever heard that term.

Not spayed and/or not neutered. (Unaltered is just shorter to say/type)

[cronewitch]

We just wait for pets to show up and want to move in. He wanted to go to the pound and get a black kitten this week but I said no. The pound is having a no adoption fee event for black kittens, they must have extras. I don't want a kitten, I don't really like kittens and would rather have a used cat. So then he wanted to go see if they had any used cats. Sometimes you can get a used pet that is 3-4 years old already been altered and house broken and more mellow than a kitten or puppy. You can tell if they are going to be sweet tempered. I got a 3 year old pure breed black lab once from a newspaper ad. The women was divorced and had to sell the house so had the dog tied up in a parking lot of an office building. Free dog was already a good pet and came with a house, dish, chain and neutered and liked having a fenced yard to play in. She didn't chew things or cause any trouble at all like a puppy does.

[weltschmerz]

The pound is having a no adoption fee event for black kittens, they must have extras.
-----------
They always have extras...it's The Black Cat Syndrome. People don't want them.

[weltschmerz]

Nov 24, 2012 23:28:41 GMT -5 Mardi Gras Audrey said:

Welts, an actual rat? Maybe you could have had Drama or Mich get you a sterile one... I hear you can order them with pre-installed catheters... ;D

Well yeah, an actual rat. My other one died and his buddy was pining away from loneliness. You can't just have one rat; they're very social animals. Wonderful pets.

[milee]

OK, so my OP didn't really emphasize the issue of puppy mills because I assumed everybody knew that's where pet stores got their puppies, but judging from the responses so far, either I'm wrong about that or most people don't know this.

Pretty sure it's not that people don't care. No way would animal lovers (and it sounds like most of the people posting really love their dogs) want to support a system that requires puppy mills to exist and keeps dogs in such awful conditions perpetually.

So I'm still not understanding.

[milee]

Nov 24, 2012 22:37:46 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

On many Sundays, I am back at the very same Petco, helping out the local Labrador Retriever Rescue with adoptions. They also have specific criteria for adopting one of their labs, and they require a home visit by one of the volunteers.

The whole issue of adoption criteria is a tough one. Of course when you rescue a dog, you want it to only go to a wonderful new home.

On the other hand, some of the over-the-top application and home inspection requirements are probably significantly decreasing the number of good applicants. As one of the eariler posters mentioned, if the criteria is such that it's harder to adopt the dog than to adopt a Chinese child, many otherwise good homes are going to avoid that. Also, for me, it would be very important to adopt a dog from a group that was not so lopsided in their focus that they considered what situation was right for the people, not just the dog. Hard to explain my exact concern, but to me, the overly protective groups can give off a crazy vibe that might mean that they are so totally, completely, utterly focused on the animal that they might not have any concern for the people. A good adoption should be a balance of what people would provide a good home for the animal, but also which animal would be a good addition to the family of the people as well. If the adoption group is too blindly focused on only one side of the equation, they might not be honest, for example, about behaviour or health issues that the family should know about or might casually dismiss or ignore traits that might mean the animal might not do well in most homes.

Complicated balance - how to screen appropriately without turning good applicants off.

[Colleenz]

I had to do a ton of paperwork to adopt our kitten from the local rescue group. They checked references and called my vet. That said, I still send pics and updates to his foster Mom.

[Deleted]

Are all pet stores created equal? ...

I don't think you need pet stores to keep puppy mills in business. Around here, with every Tom John and Harry 'breeding dogs on the side', you can go straight to the source for cheaper.... We got our second dog at a place like that... Not a 'mill' in size, but intent. That felt more like a rescue, 9 dogs in a small space, one really aggressive picking on others, and that dog was so dumb i swear she must have had a really, really closely branched family tree...

Idk? I'm sure my experiences are not generalized But maybe blanket statements aren't effective either?

I have never had luck with rescues from an organization... Too many hoops for animals that, sorry to say are often too damaged for me to take on... We do have a dog now we rescued as a stray.