Pet shop puppy dogs???

Question

Is it true that ALL dogs in any pet shop are from puppy mills??

I know these are horrible places and i would much rather get a mutt from the pound any day. I'm NOT planning or getting another dog as I already have 2 from breeders and 2 rescues, but does even the best pet shop buy their dogs from puppy mills? What about the shops in Australia??

Answer 1

I have worked in quite a few petshops in Sydney and short answer Yes:

I ended up working in a vet/animal supplies shop as we only sold live coldwater and tropical fish  because of the stance on puppymill.

They would buy them for $100 - $200 each and sell for $700 etc. Weird to mark off an invoice with live animals on it.

They also normally have  deals with cheap crappy vets as they have bulk business through them and therefore make ridiculous profit off this..



It's sad cuz animal rescues have just as cute puppies/kittens but not the same exposure as a SHOP in a shopping complex etc.

Edit for Emma:  Yes pet shops accept 'free stock' they make even more profit this way as they still sell them for 500 as some designer cross breed..

and just a little horrible but true FYI  after about 14 weeks if they haven't sold they go to the pound because they are deemed uncute and too old. yes seriously.

This is why no one should ever buy from a pet shop and support buying lifetime animals like a supermarket product. Sorry but I had to find homes for way too many 'pet shop reject'

Final:  If/when the RSPCA (alone) stops having to euthanise 45,000 dogs a YEAR because of backyard and

' oh  we're just going to let her have the one litter' and puppy mills.. and the pounds are empty?  then go for it. untill then..

Answer 2

Majority if not all are from puppy mills. Some I'm sure are given to them by irresponsible pet owners who had litters and don't want to keep them. "DON'T SHOP WHEN YOU CAN ADOPT". Save a life and adopt from your local (high kill) animal shelter or humane society or any reputable animal rescue organization.

Answer 3

lots of them do i dont know about australia u might want to do research there

Answer 4

I'm not sure of Australia but I assume probably because it happens all around the world. United States actually looks decent if you look at the horrible condition in other countries!

But yes, all pet stores get their dogs from either local BYB's or puppy mills. I remember they traced back the puppies of famous people who went to this popular EXPENSIVE pet shop boutique in beverly hills, and all of them came from puppy mills in the midwest! The worst part was they told those dumb celebrities they dogs came from good lines and breeders.  

Answer 5

The Humane society of the Untited States estimates that 99% of all puppies in pet stores are from puppy mills. Call them puppy mills, call them commercial breeders, call them dog farms, call them whatever you want, they are all the same. Just look at the definitions of a commercial breeder and a puppy mill that Micheal C. gave(above). They say the same thing in different words!

I don't know about Australia, but I would guess it is the same because

***No responsible breeder would EVER sell their puppies to pet stores!***

Answer 6

Not ALL pet shop dogs come from a real puppymill, here are some definitions that might help you clarify. All the definitions are very close and blurred who is who. This article goes into more detail.

http://peek.snipurl.com/3hn9i

Dog Owners Guide: What is a Puppy Mill?   [www_canismajor_com]

Commercial breeder: One who usually has several breeds of dogs with profit as the primary motive for existence. Commercial breeders that are inspected by USDA, state agencies, or the American Kennel Club should have adequate conditions. Commercial breeders that sell directly to the public fall through the regulatory cracks unless they do business in a state that licenses commercial kennels. Dogs in these kennels may be healthy or not and their conditions may be acceptable or not. The dogs are probably not screened for genetic diseases, and the breeding stock may or may not be selected for resemblance to the breed standard or for good temperament.

A real puppy mill: A breeder who produces puppies with no breeding program, little attention to puppy placement, and poor health and socialization practices. Conditions in puppy mills are generally substandard and may be deplorable, and puppies and adult dogs may be malnourished, sickly, and of poor temperament.

Answer 7

I have two long-hair chihuahua's from a pet store and a Danadore, she's 3/4 dane and 1/4 lab. I'd say yes, my chihuahua's were from puppy mills. One was very sick when I got him and it was two months of vet visits before he was healthy and now he's fat and sassy :-). The other two were very healthy when I got them.

Nothing is wrong with a mutt, they are usually the smartest dogs around.

Answer 8

Id say yes - businesse's $$ motive means they want cheap puppies from anywhere. And being an australian, I will readily tell you Australia's pet shops are especially bad because theres simply no other way in an isolated country.

My vote: animal shelter any day.

Answer 9

No, not every single pet shop puppy is from a puppy mill....or at least not the large scale puppy mills (you don't necessarily need hundreds of dogs kept in tiny cages to be a mill).  However, MOST of them are and even the puppies that are not from puppy mills are not coming from the kind of breeder that you should be supporting by giving them money.  Absolutely NO reputable breeder would EVER sell their puppies through a third party (ie pet shop).  Ever.  Period.  This leaves only irresponsible greedy breeders who are selling to the pet shops and those are every bit as bad as a puppy mill.  Breeders who actually care enough to make sure they are breeding healthy, stable dogs would never sell their puppies through a third party who will hand a puppy to just about anyone with enough cash.  Responsible and reputable breeders want to know who their puppies are going home with and they want to be available to new owners should they run into problems with their puppy (health-wise or simply a training snag).  They can't do that with a pet shop.

No, the best pet shops don't get their puppies from puppy mills.  Because the BEST pet shops don't sell dogs at all (honestly, IMO the truly great pet shops don't sell any kind of live animals other than perhaps fish).  ANY pet store that sells dogs is getting those dogs through undesirable sources, whether that's a commercial puppy mill, a small scale puppy mill, or a backyard breeder out to make a quick buck by exploiting their dogs.  And yes, that is true even in Australia.

Answer 10

I know years ago I bought a Min Pin from Petland.  (long before I knew about puppymills) and my poor dog had nothing but problems from being inbred and poorly bred - Classic signs that she came from a puppymill.  Sadly, she didn't get to live out her life expectancy due to heart complications.  Nevertheless, I loved her dearly and still miss her terribly.

You really want to get a healthy dog from a responsible breeder.  It will save you a bundle in vet bills and definitely save you heartache.

Answer 11

just about every pet store gets their pups from puppymills or sometimes from BYBs.  

Answer 12

I'm an Australian.. I know for a fact that we dont get all our pups that go in pet stores from puppy mills. (I'm not saying that there are some who don't, I'm sure some do)

My partners parents dog (long xD) had a litter a few months ago, he rung up the pet stores and they were willing to take the pups. The were good dogs, all healthy, etc.

Answer 13

No. I know a pet store named all pets club and they get there puppies from pro breeders. They are very clean and the puppies are in great condition, ditto for the other animals.

I do know another pet store named Emans that doesn't have dogs or cats, but has snakes, ferrets, fish, turtles, etc. I believe (don't know for a fact) that they get their animals from _____mills. They let a ferret out and it bit me. They stuffed an anaconda in a lizard sized cage, and it is a small dark place.

I would say the Australia pet stores are the same as most continents, contrys, states, etc. Some are good pet stores and some are not.

amanda s

P.S keep doing what are these dog breeds, they are sooooooo fun