Don't buy a puppy from a pet store

We all know that puppy mills exist but it is easy to forget the probable backgrounds of those cute little puppies as they establish big brown eye contact with you from their pet-shop window.

Those puppies most likely came from a puppy mill, a cruel and horrible farm where there is no respect for life, just for the mighty dollar. There are also “brokers” who act as agents for puppy mills and who spin convincing stories about the origin of their cute money-making charges. There is one such woman who lives close to here and although I understand there have been efforts by those in her area, to withdraw her licence, she continues to work as a “broker” claiming to know the homes from which her pedigree and designer dogs originate.

When I was in Uruguay last year, I saw many tiny pure-bred puppies in cardboard boxes, still nursing from their mothers, being sold on the streets for pennies. Those same little babies are ending up in Canada, having endured early separation from their mothers, a long and frightening flight in the hold of a jet, and their new owners probably paid in the region of $2000 for them. It’s obscene!

If you are still skeptical about these stories, and prefer to look into the eyes of that little cutie and convince yourself that it needs a home, you are perpetuating the cruelty of the puppy mill.

It is important to remember that reputable breeders do not need to sell their litters through pet shops, newspaper ads or brokers. Theirs is a word-of-mouth business. I have been asked so many times where I bought my yorkshire terriers and I am proud to say they came from a registered and licensed breeder in Burnaby. That breeder did not bring these little guys into the world for $$ but because she has always loved the breed. She has now stopped breeding because of her belief that the gene pool is becoming too small and, I suspect, because there is too much heartache when the smaller ones don’t make it despite all effort.

Just yesterday my hubby and I were walking our dogs and a friendly but somewhat weird guy said how cute they were and asked me what were their names. I told him and he asked if they were fixed, to which I responded yes. He then told me he has a female yorkie and he wants to breed her to recuperate his $ loss on one that died of a brain tumour at 1 year. He asked me what I had paid for mine. We walked on …!

Breeding healthy animals is a professional practice and one that should be left to registered breeders who understand the importance of gene pooling. If you want to buy a pure-breed or designer dog, why not visit the rescue organizations online (try googling “yorkierescue” or (another breed-rescue) and explore the possibility of giving a home to a little one that has been deserted, or worse, abused. Today, this is the right thing to do.

Still not convinced? Then watch this short video on puppy mills from Newsweek. Look at those cute little yorkies, bischon frises etc. and the conditions in which they are being bred – and don’t forget to notice the conditions of the breeding animals either.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/192478