All puppies in petstores from puppymills?

Question

I eventually plan to open up my own pet store... And Sell dogs and cats... Yes I said it! Sell DOGS AND CATS! I see all these pictures and hear about puppy mills, and I do not doubt that they are out there,I believe several are out there. The only problem with this is that Im having a hard time finding the other part of the story. Knowone is fessing up to EXACTLY the name of these puppy mills. So my question is.."how exactly does a petstore owner find puppies from A "BREEDER". Im sure not all people who sell puppies are puppy millers.

Id also like to anounce that, I plan to let my puppies roam free over the store, no cages.

hey everyone I think I made makeupanotherone mad...teeheehee

Answer 1

In the US most National Breed Clubs (Samoyed Club of America, Bernese Mtn Dog Club of America etc etc..) prohibit members from selling to second party re-sellers (ie: brokers, petstores). This is to help maintain the integrity of the breed and be sure that people do not breed pet quality animals.

There has been a TREMENDOUS increase in the number of "purebred" dogs who are not registerable with the AKC. This is partially due to the use of limited registration rather than spay/nueter requirements. People do not understand why they shouldn't just breed their pet quality dog even if the results are unregisterable purebreds. What it leads to eventually are poor quality "purebreds" who no longer fit the breed standard (Yorkshire Terriers who NEVER change color, Shih Tsus who look like Pekinese or Lhasa Apsos etc).

Personally, I don't know a REPUTABLE breeder who will trust someone else to place puppies for them. Not to mention the fact that a REPUTABLE breeder charges $$$$ for their pups... and you as a pet shop owner would have to charge $$$$$$ to make money. Why would someone pay more to you than they would to the breeder?

You might do better giving referrals. A puppy welcome kit with a 10 % off coupon for crates, beds, quality dogfood, chewies, toys, frozen raw food etc.. might bring you more money as well as more business.

Answer 2

Just so you know, if you sell puppies at your pet store, most knowledgeable dog people will never buy anything there. It's just a matter of principle.

I'm not for selling dogs at pet stores, but since you want to do it, I have a few suggestions for you.

First, don't let them roam the store. That's a lawsuit and diseased puppies and all kinds of horrors waiting to happen. However, the best pet store with dogs I've found has a large enclosure (maybe 6 feet by 12 feet) where several of the puppies sleep and play and frolic together. This solves several problems inherent to pet store puppies. First, they have plenty of room to exercise and pee away from where they sleep, etc. They can also play with other dogs. It's not right for puppies to be in a cage all by themselves. There is also toys and other things for them to interact with.

You say you don't want to buy from puppy mills, but these places don't label themselves "puppy mills." Whenever I go to a pet store and see that the pups came from out of state, I know without a doubt that they come from puppy mills. These are huge breeders that always have dogs to ship across the country. Of course, if I lived in a place like Missouri or Pennsylvania they could still be "in state" and be from puppy mills. They give themselves a kennel name and give their dogs fake championships (from pseudo registries).

Good breeders screen where their pups are going. Plenty of people will buy a cute Bloodhound pup, but a Bloodhound is not a dog for a city lifestyle. It's the job of the person selling the pup to ensure that the people are really good dog owners and right for the breed in mind. Perhaps you say you won't sell Bloodhounds, but only small breeds. But plenty of smaller breeds have their share of problems and quirks.

Do all this, and I'd give you quite a bit of respect. But I still wouldn't buy anything at your pet store.

Answer 3

Not all of them are. It's just you can't tell just by looking at their puppies. I've seen puppy mill dogs that were deformed beyond belief. There are underlying illnesses as well and won't be picked up until it the pup gets a medical check up.

I visited a puppy mill once, not knowing it was one. She was looking for a kennel person and I applied. I almost got sick to my stomach just looking at the conditions her dogs had to live in. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't want the job, and didn't get it.

But, many pet stores do buy their dogs from puppy mills, that's the sad part. I wouldn't buy a pup from any pet store. I would go with a reputable breeder first.

My advise is to find reputable breeders and go check them out before you buy.

Answer 4

Your plan has one huge flaw. No REPUTABLE breeder will ever let you sell thier puppies. A breeder who is worth having puppies from will not let them just go to whomever has the money. They will want to screen the home to make sure that it is the best situation for their puppy to live in. If you find anyone besides the Hunte Corp that will sell to you, you are still no better off because your pups will come from people who don't know the breed standards for their breed, and don't test their breeding dogs for any of the genetic diseases that can be tested for. Anyone who wouldn't insist on knowing where their pups are, and wouldn't take their own pups back at any time for any reason, well, they just aren't the kind who breed healthy, quality puppies that you would be proud to have in your store.

Names of petshop suppliers? Start with the Hunte Corp. They are the main suppliers of puppies in the US. Then there are all the smaller places, like the Amish millers, the Stoltzfus' operation in Lancaster PA, or David Zimmerman, or maybe Daniel Esh, or Puppy Love Kennel. Just do a search on any of those names. That is where pet shop puppies come from on the east coast.

Want live pets in your store? Make an offer to showcase shelter and rescue animals, but leave teh final decision on who gets to adopt them to the shelter and rescue, much like petsmart or petco. That is how you can have an ETHICAL petstore that people like me would be glad to shop in!

Answer 5

Reputable breeders want to know WHO their puppies are going to. They screen them thoroughly to make sure they are a good match for their particular breed. They make sure each individual puppy is a good fit for the perspective family both in terms of temperament and structure. They typically do not breed more than 1 or 2 litters a year and their puppies are usually reserved well before the time they are old enough to go home. They would NEVER, EVER, EVER, allow their puppies to be sold in a pet store.

Answer 6

I use to raise great pyrenees dogs and would never consider selling to a pet store....only because I needed to screen where the puppies were going and made sure that they would be taken care of properly physically and financialy. There are way to many people out there that can't care of themselves let alone an animal .... and if any breeders does sell you animals I would question their motives. Sorry if this answer is a little ruff, but that how I would feel about my animals.

Answer 7

No reputable breeder is going to let a pet store sell their puppies.

Forget selling puppies and kittens. Team up with a shelter and have adoption days instead. You may find you actually get more business that way since the current trend for alot of people is to avoid stores that sell puppies and kittens like they are the plague. Most people would prefer to shop in stores that support local shelters and rescues.

Answer 8

Pet stores don't buy directly from breeders. Puppymills sell to brokers, then the brokers sell them to pet stores. Your right not ever breeder is a puppymill. Responsible breeders breed for temperment, do genetic testing on their dogs, & sell their puppies to approved homes only. Oh, & one more thing it wouldn't be wise to have puppies & kittens roaming around a store, what about there safety?

Answer 9

Nice idea, don't know if it will work. Responsible breeders will most likely prefer to screen potential dog owners and form a relationship with that person. I doubt they'd let a store sell them on their behalf, even if it is a nice store such as yours.

BTW, letting puppies run riot in a store is impractical for us humans, and dangerous for them...

Answer 10

You could get puppies from petfinder, or assure reputable breeders that the pups will be carefully sold. Some petstores sell from breeders but these breeders would not be reputable; they would not sell to any ordinary petstore. If you prove to be good at selling pups, reputable breeders might let you buy theirs.