Pet Store puppies?

Question

I bought mine from Petland and whenever i tell people that, they get furious! My friend works at a petland store and there not puppy mills, they get there dogs from good breeders. I was looking at getting a dog from a breeder but really scared too!
My friend got one and the breeder "dissapeard" the puppy was sick and almost dying! Am i a bad person because I did this? I love Rupert (my new pup) and Im SO happy i got him!

Well those puppies need good homes too. IF people want to abuse my question then go ahead im so happy with my new pup and thats all that matters.

He was Very healthy, taken good care of! And i got him like 3 days after they were brought there! Iam going to get him netured. I love him and hes made my life that much better!

Answer 1

absolutely not...it does not make you a bad person for purchasing a dog from Petland, you gave a puppy a warm and loving home, and that makes you a caring person...don't let ANYONE tell you any different, and i am sure that Rupert is very glad that you got your puppy from the store...

Answer 2

People look at you in horror because usually, the breeders who supply the pet store operate puppy mills. A lot of the puppies end up in the pound.

But as your friend found out, backyard breeders can produce crap too. Buying a puppy is tough to do, =-)

I feel the best place to buy a dog is from a small breeder who does all the health checks on their dogs; hip x-rays and eyes, and epilepsy screening. You can see the conditions the parents and pups are in, and meet the mom and dad. You can learn a lot. The puppies will be a little expensive (never trust a $200 dog!) because of the cost of the tests on the parents, but the breeder should sell the puppy with a warentee!

I worked in a puppy mill a looong time ago, when I was young and didn't know better. Dogs are inbred, have weird issues, are unsocialized, and can have other problems.

So, thats why folks act hostile towards you. But ya know what? You have a lovely puppy, and your puppy has a loving home! That's one that won't end up overgrown and no longer cute, on it's way to the pound. You are not a bad person! if someone gives you grief, just tell them, "Well, it's done, and I'm NOT taking him back, so get over it!!"

Hugs to your new puppy!
C

Answer 3

No responsible and reputable breeder would EVER put their puppies in a pet store to be sold. Puppies in pet stores are always from puppy mills or irresponsible breeders. I'm sure your friend was informed that they get their dogs from good breeders, but why would any good breeder give their puppy to a pet store to have them sit in a cage waiting to be sold for tons of money? Yes, your friend got a puppy and the breeder "disappeared" and the puppy was sick. That is what happens when you get a puppy from an irresponsible backyard breeder or a puppy mill. They honestly don't care about their puppies and are only in it or money. I understand you love your new puppy, and you're not a bad person for that. Unfortunately, there are too many people like you that don't know about the horrible conditions these sweet pet store puppies come from and the lives the adults have to live. Puppy mills take adult dogs, stuff them in wire cages, and force them to produce litter after litter until they can't produce any more puppies. During that time, the dogs get minimal, if any, human contact and small amounts of food. It's horrible. Buying pet store puppies keeps the puppy mills in business. Yes, BUSINESS. It's a business to them. They put one of their puppies that are poorly bred and ripped away from their mother too early, and get big bucks for them. It's horrible to support a business like this. You should never be afraid to get a dog from a breeder as long as you do your homework and research to make sure you know how to tell the difference between a responsible, reputable breeder and an irresponsible backyard breeder. You got really lucky with your puppy. You're really lucky he isn't sick and is doing very well. I've heard stories of people getting their pet store puppies and the puppies get extremely sick within the first few days at their new home. Please don't ever support the puppy mill businesses anymore by not purchasing any more puppies in pet stores and telling all your friends about the horrible places these puppies come from.

Answer 4

You're friend was either lying or misinformed. Dogs you can buy at PetLand are indeed from puppy mills. It would be too expensive and time consuming for PetLand to get puppies from breeders, even though the better choice. Puppy mills are places where puppies are mass-produced and treated unfairly and abused. Dogs from puppy mills often have diseases and it can cost the owner thousands of dollars in vet bills. When you buy a puppy from PetLand, you are supporting the continueous cycle of puppy mill breeding.

Check out these links to get some more information:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/petland.htm

Check this out above. Costumer complaints and bad experiences with PetLand.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/get_the_facts_on_puppy_mills/index.html

Facts and info on puppy mills.

http://www.lcanimal.org/cmpgn/images/PMill16.jpg

An awful image of a dog rescued from a puppy mill, this shows how bad the conditions have to have been for this dog to have gotten in such bad shape.

http://www.zimfamilycockers.com/PuppyMill.jpg

This is what some puppy mills can look like. Puppies and dogs caged up all day lieing in their own waste.

I would highly reccommend checking these websites out.

In the meantime, have fun with Rufus, but if you ever get another dog, definetly choose a breeder.

http://www.foxstonemaltese.com/history.htm

This is an example of a random dog breeder, a Maltese dog breeder. These dogs are healthy, fed, given water, they play outside, and they are loved.

Answer 5

I'm thrilled you are happy with your puppy. Our PetSmart store actually has adoption of shelter dogs available every Sunday. The shelter brings the dogs in to the store and people can either adopt those dogs or some that are pictured in the shelter's adoption book. They even ask people to "foster" dogs that need to be in a home instead of the shelter. So I have nothing against a place like PetLand. Most people have no clue how many charitable things a place like PetLand does behind the scenes.

You're not a bad person. That puppy needed a home regardless of who you got him from, right?? You did what you wanted to do and that is your prerogative.

Rupert is such a cute name.

I agree about breeders. Too many of them (BUT NOT ALL) over-breed the dogs and that leads to problems like your friend had with the "disappearing breeder".

Enjoy your new friend!!

Answer 6

I'm sorry to say that your friend is mistaken. All petstores buy from puppy mills. No reputable breeder would ever sell to a puppy store. Responsible breeders want to know where their puppies are going, they would never leave that responsibility to another person. Most pet store puppies come from USDA breeders or commercial breeders, just a nicer name for a puppy mill. My dog is also from a petstore and I deeply regret purchasing him there. Don't get me wrong, I love my dog very much and I can't imagine my life without him, but I do regret it. I know now that he definately came from a puppy mill and his mother was only 9 months old when she gave birth to him. Meaning, she was bred on her first heat when she was only 6 months old. Thats a puppy and she was bred over and over again for the sole purpose of making more money. So, please, don't keep passing on this myth that pet store puppies come from responsible breeders, b/c they don't. They all come from puppy mills. It also sounds like your friend got her dog from an irresponsible breeder. You need to do your research and not just purchase from any breeder you run across. I'm glad you love your puppy and gave him a good home. Thats what I'm doing for my dog, but I will never ever purchase again from a petstore now that I'm aware of the horrors that puppy mill dogs go through.

Answer 7

Get a dog from where ever you want. This is the land of the free. Or it use to be. Puppy mills is a place that does not keep care of there dogs. Some AKC Clubs has people in them that do not keep care of there dogs. One is called a puppy mill and the other a breeder. All breeders are puppy mills. So there it is in black and white.
If you love your dog that is all that is important. What do they want you to do. Go out and kill the dog because they do not like were the dog came from. They are the bad person for saying anything.
Tell them they all come from puppy mills.

Answer 8

well the thing is you never actually know where the dog is from with out papers or something to prove it and your friend just probably didnt pick a right breeder, you have to becarful with them, and consider if the breeder cares about the well being of there puppies or are just in it for easy money, i know when i got my 2nd dog, (which was recently) the breeder was excellent, she proved to me the puppies and the parents were healthy, there were takin care of excellently and very socialized and lovely, it all depends on the breeder, in pet stores you might not know where the dog came from.

Answer 9

I do not think you are a bad person because you bought your puppy from a pet store. But personally I wouldn't. I always breaks my heart to see all the dogs at the pet store and not really getting much attention. Sometimes I have thought about purchasing a dog from there with the purpose of 'saving' it. But I realized while the intentions are good I'd only be supporting it. There are some many dogs that need a home that you can get at the humane society. They often get puppies as well. I know it's hard to decide where to get a puppy. We got our adorable Shih-tzu from friends of ours. Their dog had puppies and we were given on of them. So we knew she was well taken care of.

Answer 10

Sorry to burst your bubble but petland buys their puppies from breeders that breed their dogs with no consideration for breed standard and more often than not those puppies have a multitude of problems because of bad breeding. Buying from a breeder themselves is such a benefit because you see the condition of the puppies and mom and dad and a good breeder knows about the breed and can give you health tips and if it comes down to it they insist you give the dog back to them if you no longer able to keep it. I am glad you love Rupert and gave him a good home just be aware that he could have some health problems so make sure he gets all his puppy shots on time and take him to a vet asap to try and catch any problems early on. Good luck with your new puppy!