What is so wrong??

Question

I do not understand some people's metality regarding buying pets ( puppies mostly) from a pet store. WHY do people automatically think puppy mills and bad conditions?
I live in a town where we are the only store that sells puppies and kittens. There was another years ago, but they went out of business. The store I work for has been in business for over 30 years and is locally owned and operated. I have been with this company for more than three years. I would never work in a place that treated animals bad IN ANY WAY. ALL of our puppies come from local individuals and are sold on consignment. We will not keep them longer than two weeks. The owners must come back and get them after that time. They must sign a contract to be able to bring their puppies to our store. Our puppies are given shots, dewromed, and come with a free vet check with an AWESOME vet. They are fed Natural Balance and are treated wondefully, loved , etc. while they are in our store.

They would most likely be in a shelter if we did not get them homes. WHY is it looked down on to buy a puppy from a store like ours? The same people would want these puppies to be adopted if sent to a shelter ( where they get MUCH WORSE treatment) but if we can give them good homes before they have to go to a shelter, how is that wrong?

And why do people think any breeder that would come to us are bad? We get AKC reg. puppies from good people. There are many reasons they choose us. I also know of AKC breeders who have never used our store that are HORRIBLE and should NOT breed anything. Why does it make them bad because they choose to sell a few of their puppies through our store..or a store like ours?
I know there are bad pet stores..but what about the good ones? Why are they looked down upon?
Obviously none of the people who are so against it have ever been in our store. We have very loyal customers, loyal employees and strict standards that we follow.
We have had people visit our store from other towns and they were very impressed with our store. We live up to our word. Buying a puppy from us is never a bad decesion.
WHY such dissing?

we also have very strict cleanliness guidelines. Very strict sanitation policies. NO ONE is allowed to see puppies from 2 different litters unless the area is totally sanitized and people's hands etc. are cleaned in between. We buy disenfectant made for veterinary offices. I used to be a vet tech, and the store plays by the same standards of cleanliness as a vets office.

And thank you for your answers so far. I just want people to know there ARE good ones out there.

Thank you Maureen! I live in Western Colorado. We don't have a website, but we should. My hubby does web design...maybe him and my boss(the owner) need to talk! :-)
Thank you to everyone who realize that there ARE good stores out there. I am the biggest animal lover, and would never support any sort of abuse, neglect etc. The fact that I have been with this company for over 3 years should say something in and of itself! The staff is awesome and knowledgeable and caring. If people don't know their stuff, they don't get hired, and the turn over rate at our atore is almost non existant. That in and of itself should speak loads, especially compared to large chain stores. We give every animal the best care possible and we go out of our way to go above and beyond what we "have to". It's too bad there are such bad stores, that just feed into misconceptions, and make us all look bad.

Answer 1

you know the saying one bad apple in the bunch ruins it for everyone...it is the same with puppy stores.
Be happy that your store sells the puppies on consignment and that you have two weeks to sell the puppies. I would love to hear more about these types of pet stores I would be more interested in purchasing a puppy than going to the "store" or breeder (some breeders are just too expensive, but that is their choice)
Were is this shop anyways? Do they have a web site?
Keep up the good work and don't get so upset about what people think if the business has been doing business for over 30 yrs then they are doing something correct.

Answer 2

Before you buy puppies from a breeder, do you go out and inspect how and where these puppies are raised? I know a small pet store operation in a neighboring town who only buys from local breeders. One of these breeders is one of the worst puppy mills. The dogs and pups are kept in deplorable conditions, fed just enough to keep them alive, live in filthy crowded buildings with no heat. A lot of people have been trying to get this puppy mill shut down but our state is very lenient on animal rights.

Answer 3

You are totally misunderstanding!!! It is way better to adopt an unwanted animal then to buy one!!! I think you are not understanding!! And from what you have said your store is not a puppy mill!!!! A puppy mill is a place that sells puppies and breeds them there as well!!! They over breed the females, go not keep the place clean and mistreat allot of the animals!!

Pet stores are not all bad, I would prefer that people adopt unwanted animals from an adoption agency rather then buy a puppy!! Allot of time pet store do not buy quality puppy's they get back yard bred dogs!! These are very low quality dogs. Hope you see what I am talking about

Answer 4

Because many, many pet stores get their pups and kitties from mills or even small-time breeders with ill repute. I'm not saying all of them, but most responsible and well versed potential dog/cat owners are going to want to investigate the background of their new family member-- a task virtually impossible when shopping from a pet store.

It it's the whole picture: parents, siblings, environment in which the puppies/kittens were born, records from the breeders, etc., etc.

I don't think it's personal in that folks think you specifically have bad puppies, etc., it's just that when I go get a dog, I visit the breeder or potential breeder and the dogs. I will visit a couple of times throughout the dog's pregnancy and when the puppies are born, I pick what dog I want. I wouldn't get that opportunity from shopping from a store. I wouldn't see what conditions the dogs were born in, the parents, the breeder(s)' records and histories, etc., etc.

Answer 5

I dont think it is looked down on. I just wish more people would adopt older dogs. I work for a rescue as a foster while dogs that have been given up are waiting to be adopted. So many times the reason for giving them up is "We didnt know how much work a puppy would be and cannot handle it". People just do not educate themsevles on what it takes to train and own a dog. Money and commitment for sure - with a TON of patience. I think people just believe there are so many dogs out there that need homes that why should we keep breeding more?
I just say do your digging on the breed you choose and make sure you buy a dog that works with your family and lifestyle. This may not mean you get the cute one you want but you need to put the dog first.

Answer 6

I appreciate that people are out there advocating adopting older/shelter/rescue dogs. But please keep in mind that these dogs are not the right choice for every one! It is perfectly okay to buy a dog! Nothing makes me more angry than to have the "adopt a shelter dog or you are a bad person" line shoved at me.

I have adopted dogs-damn good ones! I have stopped and picked up a boney little pit bull with mange from off the side of the road. But not every one can handle an adopted or an adult dog-a dog which may come with some bad habits like biting, destroying things, or peeing all over the house. Not every one can re-train (or de-program) bad behaviors that may or may not come with an older dog. Some people are better off buying a puppy. Please don't not guilt trip people who buy dogs. It only serves to damage the cause of adoption.

That being said...I have never bought a pet store dog. The local pet store in my home town won't even sell dogs or cats. They do have a board for posting dogs and cats for sale and for free, but they won't get into the trade. I don't blame them. No, what I do is worse. I support the dreaded, much villified "Backyard Breeders".

To the lady who stated that these puppies are exposed to germs!!! Are you serious??? They lick their own butts, they eat poop, drink from the toilet, and eat road kill every chance they get! A few germs is not going to hurt them!

Answer 7

You're basically encouraging backyard breeders to make more puppies, because they have somewhere to sell them.

Do you think that if your pet store didn't encourage backyard breeders by creating a "sale outlet" for their dogs, that more people might go to the shelter to adopt a dog and save a life?

And what happens to those puppies after two weeks when the sellers have to come pick them back up? Where do you think they end up? I'll bet the owners don't keep them...

Have you been to your local shelter? Do any of those dogs look familiar to you (maybe those puppies that didn't sell after two weeks and the owners decided to dump them?)?

Do you realize that of the 4 million dogs that go into shelters each year, more than 2 million of them never come back out?

Answer 8

in bringing the puppies to your store even for two weeks those pups are coming into contact with many more germs than they would have done if they had stayed at the family home where they were born.can you honestly say no member of public can touch ,pet,walk near or cough and sneeze near those pups.what germs are these people bringing to the pups that don't have a strong immune system?i bought a pup that was supposed to be none farmed from a store and it was the most aggressive dog i have met also it turned out it was from a mother that was bred over and over every litter.so yes you will get bad publicity cos there are those of us that have been bitten by irresponsible sellers so we are more wary now.in fact i will only have a mongrel from a small family home,where i can see its mother and see where the pup has been raised.

Answer 9

I agree with you that not all pet stores acquire their pets from mills, and many provide excellent care. I know of several who work in partnership with Humane Societies to place strays in homes.
I believe that before buying an animal from anywhere that people should inspect the premises and look into how the animals are treated and where they originate from. People need to put more thought into their purchases. There are two pet stores in the same mall in my town. In one, the conditions are nasty, the animals look sick and dirty and there are dead fish floating in the tank. In the second, the animals are bright-eyed and active, their living quarters clean, the fish are also healthy. It pays to use caution; not every store can be tarred with the same brush.
I don`t agree that animals in shelters are "treated worse" than pets in stores. Animal shelters are staffed by people who tend to prefer animals over humans. If you and your dog were in a burning building, the shelter worker would probably rescue the dog and leave you to your own devices. Just how they are.

Answer 10

please dont be upset. majority of the news and information we get from the media is always showing bad things. they hardly show the good side of anything. if they do it's prob a quick 5 sec blurb.
there are reputable stores that sell puppies. i remember a place when i was a child and they did take care of their pets. and there was a place that my friend bought her kitten that with in months died. It's jst a hit or miss place.
most people, like myself, always suggest SPCA or a shelter, since in this part of California, there really isnt a place I have found that you can buy puppies from a store.

so please, dont take any offense.