Disgusted - Pet Shop Puppies

Cheetah · 06-14-2006, 10:52 PM

I don't even know why I go in. I guess the curiosity just gets the best of me, and I want to see if the puppies are being properly taken care of.

I saw a horrible example of a corgi... it was stunted, its feet were too small, it looked really young and not really aware of things.

There was a homozygous merle Aussie (I'm sickened that they purposefully bred one). I couldn't tell if it was deaf or blind as it was behind glass, but there is a good chance...

They had a billion mixed breeds which they were selling for hundreds of dollars. There were puppies with hot spots. The place smelled.

UGH. I can't stand pet stores that sell puppy mill puppies. I left slightly depressed. >-.-<

drfong · 06-14-2006, 10:58 PM

I haven't even seen a pet store that sold puppies in 20 years. I didn't know the still were around. I have seen lots of people selling them in parking lots, etc, but not in a store.

iheartdogs · 06-14-2006, 11:02 PM

that disgustes me... I don't know how ppl can do it! I just don't! Same thing happend to me at a mall...I almost cried! The puppies were so sick! Their eyes were all crusty, seemed unwilling to play even though they were fully awake, not that they could sleep, cuz every time they came near sleeping someone would pick them up or pester them to play. They smelled bad, there was poop all over, and they had no access to 'clean' water!

Cheetah · 06-14-2006, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drfong

I haven't even seen a pet store that sold puppies in 20 years. I didn't know the still were around. I have seen lots of people selling them in parking lots, etc, but not in a store.

They are everywhere. It's a very big business and there's a high demand from uneducated people. You'll see a whole lot of them in the Southern states, and a little less in the northern ones...

http://www.petstorepuppies.com
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/petstor.html
http://www.puppymillrescue.com/petstorehorrostories.htm
http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/

I feel so bad for them... they come from puppy mills the vast majority of the time... the rest of the time they come from BYBs. >-.-<

drfong · 06-14-2006, 11:54 PM

I was just saying I hadn't seen any. When I was a kid in FL. the mall had a pet store that sold dogs. It has long time been closed. I just haven't seen any pet stores selling any animals except fish or snakes/exotic and chains like petsmart selling birds/fish/rodents. They also have cat adoption but don't sell them. I just thought pet store dogs/cats had just gone away because you never know what kind of dog to 'stock'. Last week we saw a lady at the dog park who had a westie that was rescued from a puppy mill in franklin, tn. She said that the lady who ran it had over 100 dogs at her house. They were in very poor health and she was even doing home vetrinarian, and I use the term loosely, care.

bigdawgs · 06-15-2006, 05:23 AM

It makes me ill as well. I remember MANY MANY years ago, as a child, my mom went to woolworth's and bought a spider monkey. We had it for quite a long time.

Killerdrgn · 06-15-2006, 11:54 AM

Oh theres a place about 3 miles from where i live that sells puppies out of their fish shop basement. Oh god i always felt really bad for the dogs and cats there. They were cramped into tiny little cages where they couldn't even turn around and the basement wasn't very ventilated. And i'm pretty sure they weren't being fed properly. I really wonder if i can call animal control about them.

choochoo2005 · 06-15-2006, 01:14 PM

some petsmarts around me sell puppies.....and PETLAND sells the most.....tons of "designer" breeds...........

drfong · 06-15-2006, 01:19 PM

Does the petsmart SELL puppies or do they help people adopt rescue dogs? The petsmarts I've been to have adoption days, etc, but they don't sell dogs. I can't imagine that they do because they won't even sell salt water fish because of they way they are harvested.

choochoo2005 · 06-15-2006, 01:43 PM

ya they adopt.....but petland sells maltipoos for $800 and up....its sad

OwnedBySix · 06-15-2006, 02:37 PM

What bothers me the MOST, is that in this day and age...what the internet has made possible...is that there are way too many people that don't REALIZE they can get dogs elsewhere! From a BREEDER, with a guarantee! From a rescue, even. THEY keep these shops open. However...at least petshops are inspected here and there (not that it does a whole lot, I know), as opposed to BYB's that breed and breed and breed and never have to account for their dogs or their conditions. At least in PA, it is that way.

Matter of fact, consider reading and signing my petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/922874159 .

opokki · 06-15-2006, 04:31 PM

These days I think good breeders are hard to come by and puppy mills are quite abundant. It trully makes me sick.

A coworker was just telling me how her daughter finally found a puppy. After weeks of visiting the SPCA in search of a puppy without sucess, the daughter found a place in a nearby town that had quite a variety of breeds to choose from...my heart sank as I realized there was a good chance that this was a puppy mill.

julisaunt · 06-15-2006, 04:44 PM

I find it funny that Petsmart tries to create a humane image by doing adoption and not selling salt water fish. I've had too many bad experiences with them, I REFUSE to shop there, even though the next nearest pet store is a good 25-30min away. I've seen rats there that were so pittifully inbred and stressed it made me wanna cry or scream or both. 3 years ago my husband got me a chinchilla for christmas from petsmart. It had an upper respiratory infection that didn't really show up until 2 weeks later. Took a trip to the emergency vet and found out that he also had major intestinal blockage (almost to the middle of his stomach) to top it off. That was my first and last chinchilla, so i didn't really know he wasn't defecating enough. This is on day 14 of the fourteen day guarantee (yeah, really guarantees health, doesn't it

)The next morning I called the sore manager and asked him what they had been feeding him before purchase and his answer was "I dunno, I guess whatever it says on the sheet" After going to an exotic vet for follow up, we got the bad news. The URI could have been treated. The intestinal blockage could have been treated. But the combination was just hopeless, and he had to be euthanized. As the "guarantee" states I was entitled to a refund for my purchase, and reimbursement of my vet bills, as he was first treated the 14th day. First they tried to argue that since he didn't die on his own, they weren't bound by their contract. Then it was that he was euthanized until day 15. Next they said they could not accept my vet's necropsy, and tried to tell me I would have to dig him up and bring him back to the store so they could send him off to their "corporate vet" for their own necropsy. This is about the time I started crying, screaming, and cussing all at once. Although I had only had him 2 weeks, I had felt a great loss, and been pained by the suffering he had endured as well. I finally get them to send off my paperwork to their home office. The manager called me to pick up my check about three weeks later. When I asked to see someone about a reimbursement check the representative who walked up to me's first words were "This must be for the parrot, right? We're really sorry for your loss." And that was it. Petsmart hasn't gotten a dime of my money since, and I still get a little sick to my stomach when I drive by one of their stores. I don't think that offering shelter cats and dogs makes them any more moral or caring in light of the abuse the animals they do have go through.

Sorry, I've been waiting to rant about that for a LLLLOOOONNNNGGG time.

drfong · 06-15-2006, 05:55 PM

That's fine, go ahead and rant. My only comment was that I doubt they were selling dogs. I don't really endorse petsmart in any way and respect your choice not to use their services because of your experience. I have bought stuff from them if it's priced right, but never an animal except some gold fish.

Mastiffmom · 06-17-2006, 07:23 AM

The whole thing just makes me sick. I try whenever possible to tell people what is out there! I have been told even the Amish are huge puppy millers. What made me REALLY decide to do rescue was when I saw images of Mastiffs, and many other breeds that were taken from a miller. OMG, the condition of those poor dogs.......It will haunt me always........
A friend of mine just got a rescue. A Newfoundland......she came from a "breeder" via rescue. Yeah a BYBer at best. This poor dog was in horrible condition. They had a horrible time trying to get this dog from this lady (we're not real sure of the circumstances). It's the crazies like her that never want to give up their dogs. At least she is with someone who loves her and will take care of her now. And guess what? The dog is the sweetest girl. She is learning what a toy is.......it is quite obvious she had never played with one

Killerdrgn · 06-17-2006, 09:53 AM

Wait petland sells dogs? is it petland discounts with a huge yellow sign? In New York they don't sell dogs, maybe it depends on management or its a different petland.

GSD lover · 06-17-2006, 03:05 PM

Well, I'm just glad there are no puppy shop/mills around where I live. I just wish there was some way to stop them from being anywhere.

drfong · 08-02-2006, 10:25 PM

I went to petland today in TN. The first time I've been in one. Tons of puppies for sale. They all looked healthy, but all I could think was were did they get these dogs. I can't imagine any reputable breeder selling their pups this way, so they must be coming from puppy mills.

Killerdrgn · 08-03-2006, 12:16 AM

So yeah there are quite a few "petlands" that are all different ownerships. I did a quick google search and there are tons of stores called petland under different corporations. There was one that was fairly prevelant in north america though which is the one i think you guys are talking about, with a store sigh thats just petland in big red letters right?

drfong · 08-03-2006, 11:22 AM

yes, that's it