Pet Store Dogs vs. Rescuing?

Question

Hmm. I know what your thinking, WRONG WRONG WRONG. Rescue is your pick, I understand and totally agree. But..what are those poor dogs at the pet store going to do?! Rot and die?! Consider SAVING a dog from the Pet Store. Unless you would like to see THOSE dogs put to sleep. Just thought a different point. No negative answers please.

Thank you guys for the information! I didn't know all that. I know a lot about dogs and animals (I LOVE them to death, and I watch Animal Planet everyday) And I do truly understand what you guys mean. I did 'adopt' a dog from the pet store, I don't regret it AT all. But now I see that what you mean. I Hope things work out like you guys planned.

But wait!! Say your looking to adopt from a breeder on the internet...isn't that just like a puppy mill in a way? Trying to make money buy selling and then imagine all those breeders. It hurts to see so many puppies not being adopted and I want to get more active, I was thinking about working at a local shelter but I don't think they hire 12 year olds. But I do have a lot of knowledge on animals.

Answer 1

As a 12 year old, you might be allowed to volunteer at yur local shelter. Call and check on that.

As far as pet shop vs. rescue, you have recieved a lot of goo, logical thoughts on that. But there is one thing I'd like to add. It's not nice to think about, but it is reality. As you've been told, the puppy bought condemns the parents to more and more breeding and also drags more dogs into the hell of puppymills. But if the milling of puppies becmoes unprofitable, those dogs will either doe, which they were destined to do anyway, just it would be mercifully sooner instead of after years and years of having thier guts bred out, or they will wind up in rescue where you can save them for a fraction of what the millers wanted, and not contribute to their wallets so they can continue milling.

In regards to other types of breeders, you have two kinds. The irresponsible breeder who isn't any better than the millers because they dojn't care about anything but making money, or breed for some other vain, stupid reason, and then you ahve the responsible breeders. The responsible breeder tests all their breeding animals for genetic diseases. They keep their dogs in top health and show them to be sure they conform closely enough to the breed standard to be worthy of reproducing. They carefully select any future homes for the pups and do homevisits before placing a puppy. And they take back any puppy they have bred for any reason at any time. In other words, they take full responsibility for any lives they bring forth. And by doing that, I asure you they make no money! The costs of breeding responsibly are far in excess of what they can make from the sale of puppies. THAT, my dear, is the difference. Many responsible breeders do have webpages, but you'll find they don't often have puppies for sale. If they do, you will still have to go through a lengthy process to determine if you'd be a good home for the pup. Irresponsible breeders don't care.

I'm not sure if that totally answers the added part of your question, but if you'd like, I can add more. Just let meknow. :-)

Answer 2

I watch a lot of Animal Planet and when they show Animal Cops Houston or any other of these shows they bust a lot of puppy mills where dogs live in horrible conditions. They say that these puppy mills have contracts with pet shops that's why they have to produce so many puppies. Watching those shows make my heart bleed, for real. Just as the other poster said if you buy from a pet shop (where the prices are usually too high anyways) then you support puppy mills and the suffering of so many poor animals. I don't think they put Pet Shop dogs to sleep they just put them on "Clearance" to get rid of the older pups. That's why those dogs sit in tiny cages so people feel sorry and buy them...it's all about strategy. I would definitely look into Rescues or your local newspaper. Sometimes people have to give up their pets to circumstances and I'm pretty sure they'll be more happier to give the dog to you than to turn it in to the shelter.

Answer 3

Don't worry, those dogs won't rot. But if you buy from a pet store, you're contributing money to people who neglect and abuse other dogs. It's so important to reduce demand for dog store puppies because that will remove the incentive for puppy millers to produce so many puppies, and eventually, to produce puppies at all. The idea is to make it so they don't make any money at it so they will STOP. If you buy a pet store puppy, you are encouraging them. Believe me, the dogs at the pet store are not going to rot or die. There are always plenty of idiots ready to buy them, and they'll always find a home. Unfortunately, we have not succeeded in stopping pet stores yet, so this will be true until the pet stores go out of business. That is a really difficult goal, but I'm sure people can make it happen. Since the 1970s, the number of animals put down in shelters has dropped to 1/3 of what it was then, so spaying and neutering and adopting DO work. We have to keep on encouraging people to adopt, because over 7,000 animals are still killed every day. "Rescuing" a puppy from the pet store isn't going to help the pet store puppy or his parents, who are locked in cages. But refusing to buy one makes you part of the solution, and if lots of people refuse to buy them, the parent dogs in the puppy mills will be helped and there will be more open homes for rescued dogs.

Answer 4

Every dog that is bought from a pet store ENCOURAGES puppymills and this attitude or opinion is exactly what those type of breeders count on. I understand what you are saying but I happen to think that it is better for those dogs to be put to sleep rather than the other scenario, and that is the poor dogs that live in filth, with no human contact or vet care and that are breed every heat cycle until they can no longer produce and then are killed because they are worth nothing to the greedy pupymillers. To me that one life you save in a pet store is not worth all the other dogs that will have to continue to suffer because the demand is kept strong.

http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/
http://www.puppymillrescue.com/
http://stoppuppymills.org/

This may not be what you want to hear but it is not a negative answer. Don't you think passing up that pet store pup will be the best way to shut down these horrible places? If there is no demand they will have no choice but to quit breeding because there will no longer be any profit.

Answer 5

Nice try but you have to consider that the pet store is a business. They will only continue to sell dogs if they are making money at it. If most people would make an effort to rescue dogs that need a good home the pet store would just go back to the business of selling pet supplies as they should. I'm not against responsible kennels who use sound practices and breed good dogs. There are lots of dogs that have been bred to be good hunting dogs, guard dogs, seeing eye, and herding dogs etc... There is allot of good that can come out of responsible dog breeding, but for the average home mix breed shelter animals can make great pets and they usually have less health issues than pure bred dogs.

Answer 6

The dogs at the pet store will not die. And believe me, your not "Saving" them from the pet store. Think of it this way, a pet store that is selling a pet wants one thing, your money. If you "save" that animal from the pet store, what are they getting? Your money. So....what are they going to do? They will go out and buy more animals from Backyard Breeders * (A person who breeds animals, sick or not purely for making money) So, what about those animals? They get sent back to the pet store and are sold. The animals that you DON'T buy from the pet store, will eventually be either turned into the pound, or will find their way to a rescue group. So PLEASE adopt from a rescue group.

Answer 7

No negative answer, just a logical one if you don't mind.
I have considered the same situation with these poor pet store pups as you have - but, if no one buys any, the store will not get more.
If the stores don't take them, puppy mills are put out of business - that would end the misery of puppy mills and back yard breeders.
No market - no profit - no more "stock" as these places call the poor puppies.

The puppies in the stores (a drop in the ocean compared to what is being turned out in these hell hole puppy mills) would eventually be given up to shelters - dumped actually - and would find homes. The pet stores wouldn't keep the puppies once they get beyond the "cute" stage and certainly wouldn't want to keep them.

Please don't buy pet store dogs, they just get more to replace the ones sold to kind hearted people and the cycle of misery goes on and on.

Rescue - until there are none, adopt one
(or more as I have). Thanks, I'll put away my soapbox now - for a while.

Answer 8

someone will buy them. there are suckers everywhere. and years later when they've spent thousands on medical issues they kick theirselves in the butt. i'm very sorry for those puppies. but if i'm going to get a dog, i would rather save one who is more likely to die. when's the last time you saw on a pet store cage, 3 days left to adopt? you don't. and your money simply says puppy mills and backyard breeders are ok to me, as long as i get what i want. what about the parents of these puppies? that's who i'm more concerned with and the future generations of breeding parents that will be used because the puppies are selling so well. you are saying it's ok by buying from a pet store. and it's not ok. a rescue dog is often the result of backyard breeding and poor petstore pratice. that's what happens to the pups. people buy them and their temperments suck, and have too many health issues for them to deal with and so they surrender them to rescue. at least by getting a pup from rescue you are actually saving the pet store pup and not supporting the breeders of the pup.

Answer 9

Pet stores do not euthanize dogs that aren't purchased, they mark them down to low prices, give them away, or send them back to wherever they were purchased from. And yes, you might be saving that particular dog from a worse life, but you just gave that pet store money to buy 2-3 more puppies to sell. So while you're helping one dog, you're putting more dogs into that one's place.

In the end, where you get a pet is a personal decision- if you fall in love with a pet store pup, you shouldn't guilt yourself into settling for a shelter dog you have no attachment to just based on principle. But nor should you shop just at petstores searching for your perfect dog, and never even consider rescues. Look around, and wherever you go, look for a dog you can truly bond with.

Answer 10

Hey is why your logic is flawed. If you "rescue" a $1500 puppy from a pet store, the pet store is going to go back to the puppy mill to get more puppies. To get those puppies, they are going to breed their "stock" over and over again, until they end up dead! The stores have to replace their stock!

If you don't "rescue" the puppy from a pet store, it will end up being dumped at the pound when it is too old to sell. The pound will then contact rescue, who will take in the puppy, and then the puppy will find a good home.