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There’s another reason not to purchase a puppy from a pet store...
A ritzy pet store in Bel Air CA that sells to Hollywood stars has been shown to get their $3,000 puppies from mills in the Midwest. Puppy mills are businesses that are run without concern for the health and care of the animals. The goal is to turn out as many dogs as possible for sale, without attention to the best possible pedigree, the health of the parents or the socialization of the puppies.
Mills are very different from responsible breeders, who typically raise one litter of puppies per mother every year to two years and invest plenty of time and money into preparing those dogs for healthy, happy lives.
The dogs sold at the Bel Air pet store, Pets of Bel Air, were purchased by celebrities including Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Denise Richards, Demi Moore and Robin Williams, according to the store’s employees. “Even the trendiest, most upscale pet stores may sell puppies from puppy mills,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “No consumer is immune to the lies and deceit. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you shop.
This investigation shows that a high-price and prestigious address are no assurance of a dog from a reputable breeder.” The pet store released a statement saying they were appalled to learn that they might have sold puppies from mills.
The pet store’s statement said that they relied on government inspections to ensure the dogs came from good situations: “To the best of our knowledge, our beautiful puppies purchased out-of-state are from USDA approved pet breeders. We rely on our governmental agency to be sure that these breeders are inspected.“
However, the USDA does not do more than very cursory inspections of facilities for breeders. Most of these inspections are focused on making sure that health of humans is not compromised. They do not inspect for proper breeding, for diet, for exercise, for socialization... and they do not inspect regularly.
A website called www.stoppuppymills.org lists multiple occurances of dead animals, dog health issues and unhealthy kennel conditions in USDA-licensed facilities. The truth is that very few reputable breeders will sell their dogs to pet stores. After all the time and attention they put into raising solid dogs, they want to have control over the placement. That includes being a resource for the new owner about the breed, the dog’s growth and its needs at various stages in its life. As well, responsible breeders keep track of where their puppies are and will always accept a return if the owner cannot keep the dog. That’s not possible when the dogs are sold through a store.
Another problem with buying pets at stores is that they tend to be an impulse purchase, and such buying is encouraged. However, the decision to bring home a pet is one that should be made carefully with the entire family, not on a moment’s notice at a shopping mall. And in other cases, people going by pet stores think that the animals inside might make a great gift for a friend or family member, without consulting that person to find out if they would like a pet.
“We wanted to release this information before the holiday season, partly as a reminder to people not to give pets as gifts. It’s never a good idea to give an animal as a gift,” Parcelle said. “People who acquire animals need to know what they are getting into; for a dog, it’s a 10 — 20 year commitment, and it cannot be something thrust upon a person who is not ready to assume this responsibility.
“ If you’re ready to bring home a pet this holiday season, do your homework. Find out where you can get a healthy animal that would be a good fit for your family. That might not be a purebred puppy; you might find that a dog from a shelter would be the best pet for you.
Plus, an adult dog may already be housetrained, know basic commands and will have his or her personality already formed. For a family with kids, this can be especially important.
But if you do have your heart set on a puppy, and cannot locate one through a shelter or breed rescue, look for a responsible breeder who has both the puppy’s and your best interests at heart. Yes, that likely means that you won’t have a puppy under the tree in a couple weeks. You may even have to wait several months for a litter to be born and ready for new homes. But in the long run, you’ll have a healthier, more social dog as a family member.
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Author: Jennifer Gardner
Used with kind permission from the Albany Democrat-Herald
http://democratherald.com/articles/2007/12/19/lifestyles/home_garden/home03.txt
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