Puppy Mills. What do YOU think they are?

**junescrater716** · 11-10-2006, 09:17 PM

If you fall in love with a dog like we did don't you think it wise to buy it?

**cmayer31** · 11-10-2006, 09:20 PM

It's strange that I can copy / paste on of my old posts, but my thoughts are exactly the same as the first time.

I agree that petstore puppies need homes too. However, look at it from a retail point of view. A puppy to a petstore is an unit of inventory. This inventory is based on available supply from the breeder and gross margin return on investment. This means that these retailers are looking for what is in demand in the current market, so they're looking at designer breeds with fancy names. The lowest cost from a contracted breeder is determined on the purchase and then the markup will be whatever the market will provide. This unit of inventory is then set for sale and will esentially auto-replenish once the first unit sold. This will stop when that particular model is no longer in demand, and they will switch inventory tactics to a new model after clearancing the not selling unit out.

Buying from a petstore just confirms that there is a market for more inventory.

Sorry to refer to puppies as inventory, I know they are loving caring animals that need a home, however this is how petstores see them. I'll only shop at petstores that supports adoption for dogs and cats and work with human societies and rescues. I will never shop from a store that sell puppies/kittens for profit.

**Suki Wingy** · 11-10-2006, 09:21 PM

all of the above are a mill. Caring more for $ than for the animals is generally what defines a miller for me. If you buy a pup from a pet store, he won't die but It'll mean a whole nother litter will be born and also suffer. You also pay a whole lot more than from a rescue and also more than the average good breeder, but most likley spend lots of $ extra on vet bills. Of all of the dogs from pet stores I've met, they've all been sick at one point that normal other puppies don't usually have.

**junescrater716** · 11-10-2006, 09:30 PM

it's true that most pet store dogs are sick. Curly had kennel cough when we brought him home. But still in my opinion, all dogs are worthy of homes even if they are from pet stores.

**Suki Wingy** · 11-10-2006, 09:32 PM

what about the dogs used for breeding those dogs? They certainly don't have anything like a home even though they officially do.

**LilacDragon** · 11-10-2006, 09:40 PM

I certainly don't mean to be rude but it boggles my mind that someone can look at a pet shop puppy and not give a single thought to where it came from.

I know a woman who has a double dapple doxie that she rescued from a puppymill (a friend who knew she had tried to rescue this dog on two seperate occasions bought her at an auction). This dog was born stone deaf and without eyes - just empty sockets. She was sold at auction as a puppy for a very high price because she was a double dapple. At the second auction, she went for a higher price because she was an excellent mother!

My mother has a pet shop puppy that she says she "rescued". It has a skin condition that it will be treated for for it's entire life. Goodness only knows what is wrong with the mother. His skin condition is genetic.

**GreyhoundGirl** · 11-11-2006, 06:25 PM

I would never buy a pet store Puppy.

A) they never have greyhounds or whippets
B) they are WAY too expensive
C) they have WAY too many health problems
D) They support Puppy mills
E) the list goes on

**Husky15** · 11-11-2006, 10:21 PM

I would prefer to adopt a dog, and Belle is only the second dog we bought from a pet-store. The other we got was a Husky/Malamute. Pagan [our Shetland Sheepdog] my father rescued from an abusive owner living just down the street from us. Princess [Lab/Golden] we got from a woman who could no longer keep her, but I forget where we got Buster. We got our cat named Boots from a shelter [they were going to get a dog but came back with a cat] and we got my CC from a man living beside my grandmother. Although I realize what happens when people buy dogs from pet-stores, I do not think it is right to just let them die. They are living, breathing animals too that deserve love just as much. And let's face it - the dogs and animals at pet-stores are always going to be bought. There are so many people out there who do not understand what exactly goes on. I didn't even know as much as I do about shelter animals until I came on here. I knew they were there, but I knew nothing about it. It's the sad, sad truth.

**Karen** · 11-11-2006, 10:24 PM

I know, but the more we educate people, the fewer who will buy.

**Marigold2** · 11-12-2006, 09:37 AM

Good Morning, I just saw this tread concerning puppy mills. I would like to offer my opinion as well. Puppy Mills are truly horrible places, much different from a breeder. A breeder raises their dogs because they love them and are dedicated to that breed, they might show them or just keep them as pets as well as sell some. However their main goal is the care, love and education of those dogs, which are their family. Puppy Mills ONLY breed for one purpose, and that is profit. No concern, love or kindness is giving to the animals. They are only there for profit. If the puppy is ill or not good to sell they are killed, pure and simple. With one million animals put down every year in our local shelters the best place to adopt a dog, cat, bunny or other animal is from a shelter. The ASPCA, Love-A-Spray and hundreds of other groups are out there needing help, needing more monies, needing people to adopt. Perhaps the puppy or kitty will not be pure breed, but their love and need is even greater. You are saving a life and enriching yours to no end. Puppy Mills are not here to save a pet, they are there to make a profit. The choice you make, whether to save a life or promote a horrible business is up to each and everyone of us.

**borzoimom** · 11-12-2006, 09:47 AM

When I had my shepherds, I was told countless times it would have been easier to adopt a child than get one of my precious shepherd pups!

**lovingpaws** · 11-15-2006, 02:56 AM

Don't get me started................

**LilacDragon** · 11-10-2006, 09:28 PM

In my opinion I find nothing wrong with buying dogs or kittens from pet stores. You will only be saving the puppy or kitten. Puppy mills will NEVER EVER go out of buisness so you might as well buy the animals from pet stores otherwise they will be PTS anyway. What do you think about pet stores? Here is more info on puppy mills. ▼

If a pet store has ten puppies that it can't sell for a profit, it will not order more. Yes, those 10 puppies might die (they don't - they are often returned to the Class A dealer that they were purchased from or marked down continually until they are sold at cost - making $0 for the petstore) but that cage is full and another puppy isn't ordered to fill it.

If you want to kid yourself into thinking that you saved that puppy - go for it. But remember, somewhere in the U.S. is a dog that lives in a cage, pumping out puppies at least twice a year, that never sees a vet, never sees the sun, sleeps in it's own feces and dies alone.

Do yourself, and your puppy a favor and go to www.petshoppuppies.com and request a breeder search. You will be able to find out what the USDA inspections said and what kind of hell your puppy came from. After you find out - remember that your puppies mother lives there every single day - probably for her whole life.