Puppy Mills and Pet Stores I have a client from a few years ago who is a very nice woman and is now a friend. She hired me when she got a Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix from a local pet store. I refuse to call it a breed, because it isnt, its a mix. I have absolutely no issue with mixed breeds as most of mine have been mixes. What I do have a problem with is people purposely breeding 2 different breeds to make mixes and then selling them for exorbitant amounts of money and calling them designer dogs. Especially when there are so many perfectly great mixes, and purebreds I might add, sitting in the shelters being euthanized every day. Sorry for the rant, Ill get back to my story now. So although I was disappointed in her choice of dog, and more so the store where she bought the dog, the dog needed training and she needed help doing so. After we became friendlier we talked about the pet store where she got the dog. I told her the dog came from a puppy mill & she said no way, they said the dogs are well taken care of & come from a nice breeder in the Mid-West. Anyway, isnt she a great dog? As if that made up for the horrible living conditions the dogs parents are most likely living in. After training was finished we remained friends and had coffee a time or two. A while later one of her other dogs died very suddenly. In her grief she contacted the pet store and told them. A couple of days later they called to say they had a very nice golden-doodle (their term not mine) that shed just love. I told her the dog is from a puppy mill. Again she told me the girl swore to her the breeder is a very nice lady who raises her dogs in a clean and happy environment. I told her to ask if the girl had actually traveled to Missouri, Iowa, or Oklahoma, or wherever the place was to take a look for herself. Of course the girl had not. For some reason my client/friend decided to listen to me and chose not to get the dog and went to a rescue instead. Within a couple of months the pet store was closed down for selling dogs from puppy mills and not informing the clientele. The case has gone to trial and yippee they have a judgment against them for a whopping $ 4.8 million!!! Many of the dogs they sold were sick and some even died. Many of the people spent thousands, even $ 10k on vet bills and their pups still died. I truly feel for the people and especially the puppies who were innocent in all of this. In this day and age, with so many news shows, and so many ways to keep up (hello, Internet??) it still amazes me that people are so naive, and I wont say the other words Im thinking, as to buy a dog from a pet store, or a even out of a newspaper, the Recycler, or the PennySaver for that matter. Any reputable breeder should have a waiting list for their puppies and shouldnt have to advertise for buyers. They also want to know where their pups are going to be living and with whom. They dont want them shipped across the Country and being sold by a broker to someone theyll never meet. A reputable breeder also makes you sign a contract which states that should anything happen at any time during that dogs life which forces you to not be able to keep their puppy; they will unconditionally take the dog back. THAT is responsibility. If you bring a life into this World you are responsible for it for the rest of its life. OK, Ill get off my soapbox now. Laura Bourhenne Animal Attraction Unlimited Copyright 2009 Laura Bourhenne is a the owner of Animal Attraction Unlimited, a Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an Associate Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and has a Degree in Exotic Animal Training. She has been training dogs in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, hosted a radio show, and has a dog training DVD.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 04:01:00 +0000
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