Just curious....Have any of you purchased a dog from a pet store?

I've never done it, but I groom a good number that came from a local pet store (that's since been shut down) and yes, they do all have their own issues. Not one of them comes anywhere near the breed standard, and a few of them have had serious issues. One dog had FOUR non-neutering surgeries before he turned a year old. One has a terrible temperament. Most of them are way bigger than they should have been. 

Hi Jennie,
 
How sad! 4 surgeries! geez! Just due to too much breeding or inbreeding? Gosh, that is just horrible. I always read about how horrible it is, but I wasnt sure what all the fuss was about! I wonder why they end up being so much bigger? What do you mean by they dont come close to the breed standard? Sorry, I am rookie on the whole doggie lingo! LOL

Have to share my "story", even tho the pet in question is a cat...

I bought a kitten from a pet store over two years ago... an 8 week old boy.  The pet store said that there was a vet on staff and looked in on him, etc.

So imagine my surprise when I took him to the vet (just for a checkup) and discovered that he was really a she.  Turns out the kitten is a Calico and the majority of Calicos are girls.  A year later we rescued a kitten from the streets and ohmyword it could not be more obvious that *that* kitten was a boy... this pet store was clueless.

Oh and 8 weeks?  Try *18* weeks old...  [:@]
 
(Btw, this was before I knew better... I have never bought a pet from a pet store since, fyi)

I was brought up being taught to NEVER buy puppies or kittens from pet stores, so I never did... >o.o<

ORIGINAL: pinkdayze

Have to share my "story", even tho the pet in question is a cat...

I bought a kitten from a pet store over two years ago... an 8 week old boy.  The pet store said that there was a vet on staff and looked in on him, etc.

So imagine my surprise when I took him to the vet (just for a checkup) and discovered that he was really a she.  Turns out the kitten is a Calico and the majority of Calicos are girls.  A year later we rescued a kitten from the streets and ohmyword it could not be more obvious that *that* kitten was a boy... this pet store was clueless.

Oh and 8 weeks?  Try *18* weeks old...  [:@]

 
WOW. What idiots!  The local petstore in our area, offers a health guarantee for congenital defects and a 30 day guarantee for the normal health things such as if they have gotten bordatella or something while there. They also give a coupon for a free exam at a very reputable veterinarian in the area.... so I guess perhaps it also depends upon the store. I also noticed that their animals come from individual breeders...is that the same as a puppy mill or no? I can imagine that some hole in the wall stores are horrible, some are ok, same with the larger chains....

I just thought it would be interesting to see what experience folks have had both positive and negative. PS your little dog (in the Avatar) is SOOOOOOOO cute!

ORIGINAL: astaracheetah

I was brought up being taught to NEVER buy puppies or kittens from pet stores, so I never did... >o.o<

 
Me too, but I think for my parents it was a matter of it being MUCH more affordable at the time to go to the humane society and adopt!

ORIGINAL: butterfly7311
Me too, but I think for my parents it was a matter of it being MUCH more affordable at the time to go to the humane society and adopt!

 
I dunno... my cat Baylee cost I wanna say between $75 and $100 at the pet store... but our dog Lola cost $160 at the animal shelter... granted it includes her first sets of shots, a microchip and I think her spay... but geez, I thought that was quite pricey!
 

ORIGINAL: butterfly7311
PS your little dog (in the Avatar) is SOOOOOOOO cute!

 
Thanks... actually her ear flopped back down (it stood up for two weeks and then changed it's mind) so I really need to update her pic!

Bella's ear does that sometimes if she looks up at me....when she was really little I wondered if it was going to eventually stand up. It didnt!
 
She was $250 (adoption fee) from the animal rescue that I adopted her from. Charlie we adopted outside of Petco for $150. Neither one came with much of anything other than a record of what had been done...spaying/neutering. Charlie had kennel cough when we got him, so they included meds for that.

I personally have not, but my boyfriends parents have 4 dogs that all from the same pet store. 3 are Rat Terriers and 1 is an Italian Greyhound. The Rat Terriers all have very bad allergies and are very large for the breed, I'm not sure exactly how big they are supposed to be but one is about 25 pounds. One of the other Rat Terriers almost died of parvo and is very overweight to this day. Also their temperments are not the best. I do not understand why they keep getting dogs from pet stores. I have tried to tell them that they are from puppy mills and very unhealthy and they are supporing that but they belive what the pet store tells them, and that is that they come from a breeder in kentucky.I have told them that no reputable breeder would ship puppies out to a pet store let alone one all the way in California. This store always has puppies that are much too old and can barley stand up and always has a sign saying "Puppies On Sale" it discusts me.

Gingerbread is from a petstore and has no major health problems. I got very lucky because he's a beautiful example of his breed and has a wonderful temperament. I don't recommend anyone else take that gamble though.

All my dogs have been rescues or shelter dogs. I have rescued puppymill dogs, though, and one, a lab, had terrible, terrible ear problems and allergies and a degenerative nerve disorder. She wasn't the brightest lightbulb in the string, if you know what I mean, but she was very sweet and a pure fetchaholic.

I prefer to save the life of a dog rather than keep puppy mills in business.  Just how I was raised.

Before I knew better, I believed pet shops were an option when it came to getting a pet. Now, I would never buy from a pet shop or even a backyard breeder. I adopted my first dog early this year, and now I put adoption as my top choice when it comes to getting a dog.

My brother bought his husky at a pet store and his malamute from a reputable breeder.  Go figure, the husky has been the picture of perfect health and the malamute has a huge number of health problems.  I'm not suggesting anyone buy from a pet store, he just got very lucky with the husky.  She is also very sweet with no temperment issues.  The good luck he had with the husky came back to him in the form of bad luck with the malamute.  Even when breeders are very careful sometimes a dog will still have health roblems.