I asked our pet store for all of Lilly's paperwork and they said it was a reputable breeder, gave me the people's name and address etc... it looked so ligit & I was not as informed about puppy mills as this was my first dog. So I took our sweet little girl home and after we had to deal with quite a few medical issues in the immediate days following I did a little research. At first I found nothing and then as I dug deeper, the name they gave was fake, as was the address but b/c of previous citations from the USDA I found the name and address linked to a puppy mill that had been closed down on 2 occasions for what they called unsitely conditions. I love my little Lilly to pieces & paid out the nose for her & do feel that I saved her from a family that would not be willing to face any medical conditions head on that result from poor breeding, but at the same time I am very upset that I unknowingly supported a puppy mill.

 

Pups sold at pet stores are either from puppy mills, back yard breeders, or puppy brokers. All of these have faults that any potential customer should consider. IMO, if you don't take the steps to assure your puppy is coming from the best place possible, you take the risk of buying a pup that may have temperament problems, health problems, and/or genetic disorders. Besides what others may say, there's no peace of mind if you don't do your homework, and since you know nothing about this dog's parents or lineage, you can't complete your homework.

Please consider this.
Where good dogs come from. - General Dog Forum - Dog Forums - all breed dog forum

 

The one here gets them from local breeders.

 

Disreputable breeder terminology: "Local Breeder" = Local puppy mill or Local Backyard breeder.

No RESPONSIBLE, REPUTABLE breeder would EVER let their puppies go to a pet store. Period.

 

Really, it's this simple to me...if the breeder isn't concerned where their pups end up, the breeder isn't concerned for the pup. Do you want to buy from a person who's not concerned about what they are producing? That's the question you have to answer in your mind.

 

Agreed.
If a puppy is being sold in a pet store it is either a) there for pure profit, or b) there because the owner of the puppy's parent did not get their dog spayed when they should have.
Yes, you can get healthy dogs from some pet stores. Yes, some of the people who have supplied the pet store with puppies may be good people.. but more often than not this is not the case. I would think that this would be especially rare to find in breeds like Chihuahuas. They are currently a dog that is being sold more as an accessory than a companion and people are looking to turn a profit on them. Your aunt is likely to spend way more than the dog is worth, if she were to buy it at a pet store, and is likely to have expensive vet bills just to clear up the problems the puppy would have from before she'd even purchased it.
All you need to do to see this is walk in to most pet stores. I know the one at my local mall literally smells of sickness. There is consistently loose stool in the bottoms of the display cases, the puppies' ears are usually filled with junk, and their is always discharge around their eyes. Not to mention that I've seen more than I can count that had nasty looking rashes (yes, I go to the pet store and play with puppies. I am only human).
In closing, my answer to your question is 'no.' Your aunt should look into the pound or a rescue for Chiuahuas rather than a pet store.

 

Have your Aunt got through the breed club and look for a REPUTABLE breeder that does the reccomended health testing and shows. This shows that they are breeding to improve the breed and care for the dogs thye produce.

Here's the link to the breed club. Read through and get a good education.

http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/

 

I agree with the other posters. Find a reputable breeder or adopt a dog from your local shelter or rescue. I would never purchase a pup from a store!

 

The majority of pet shop stock is from puppy mills or backyard breeders. Please do whatever you can to explain to your aunt why is not good to adopt from a pet shop no matter HOW cute or sad that puppy might be.

The more people that buy from a petshop gives them more incentive to go get more from the mills.

Help your aunt find a nice puppy from a rescue group or shelter or a GOOD breeder. Pet shop puppies usually have more medical problems and temperment/social problems. Also housebreaking problems would be more as the pups are used to eliminating in cages - so crate training will not stop them from going in the crate.