Pet stores that sell dogs

Are there any good pet stores?

Yes! There are many good pet supply stores that don’t sell animals. And there are many stores, such as PetSmart, PJ’s Pets, and Petland that operate “satellite adoption centres” for humane societies and rescue groups. Instead of selling cats and dogs, they house and display adoptable animals in their stores. Customers who express an interest in the animals must go through the adoption procedure of the humane society or rescue group.  By supporting these types of pet stores you are adopting an animal, saving a life, and sending a clear message to other pet stores that the humane option is to operate a satellite adoption centres.

If a store is not operating a “satellite adoption centre” where do  the puppies come from?

Many puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills, which are horrible breeding operations where dogs are kept in cramped, filthy cages their whole lives, deprived of adequate food, attention, and veterinary care, and forced to give birth to litter after litter of puppies.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out these true stories about puppies sold in Canadian pet stores that came from puppy mills in Canada and the U.S.: www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/how_not_to_buy_a_puppy/main.html

While it’s unlikely that all breeders who supply pet stores treat their dogs quite as terribly as those described above, any breeder who sells puppies to a pet store falls short on one important measure of a good breeder: they do not care enough about the puppies they produce to make sure each is placed in an appropriate home with an owner who’s been screened to make sure they are capable of caring for the dog.

In fact, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) mandatory code of practice forbids their members from selling to pet stores (Section III (g)) .  When a breeder chooses to sell to a pet store, they’re not CKC registered and there is no way to know what standards they are following.  Are they providing adequate veterinary care and nutrition?  Are they completing genetic testing to prevent diseases in the puppies?  And they giving the time and attention needed to socialize the puppies?

 

The problem with pet stores is you’re buying from a middleman. You don’t see where the puppies were raised; you don’t meet the breeder; you don’t meet the puppies’ parents; you don’t know if the puppies have been well socialized. There’s just so much essential information you don’t know.

Be wary of stores that tell you their puppies all come from caring, reputable breeders — almost every pet store selling puppies will tell you this. Just remember that no registered breeder would ever allow their puppies to be sold to this way. Good breeders want to build a relationship with people who buy their puppies and they want to stay in contact and be a resource for them – because they care deeply about their dogs and the breed.

Who’s the pet store’s greatest ally?

People who don’t do their research and make impulse decisions based on the adorable puppies in the window. Pet buyers who are well-intentioned but are aware of the many wonderful socialized, healthy puppies waiting for homes at their local humane society, SPCA or shelter or who don’t have the knowledge required to find a responsible breeder are what keep cruel puppy mills in business. So, please get informed so that you can make a smart, humane decision

Those puppies need homes too, so why shouldn’t I buy one?

When people buy a puppy from a store that sells dogs it makes space for another puppy to perpetuate the cycle of bad breeding, neglect and outright cruelty. It’s about supply, demand, and profit. If people didn’t buy those puppies, this multi-million dollar industry wouldn’t exist.

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