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"How Much Is That
Puppy in the Window"
By: Cathrine M. Sheeter
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 American Kennel
Club/Canadian Kennel Club 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/CKC
papers certify is that the puppy is a purebred and produced out of
AKC/CKC 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 un-registerable
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/CKC papers. Responsible breeders do
register their puppies with the AKC/CKC, 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/CKC.
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 un-socialized 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?
One
of the best steps toward becoming an educated puppy buyer and dog
owner is to attending American Kennel Club/Canadian 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/CKC 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.
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