I personally don't own any dogs from a pet store, but I do have two dogs from BYBs (one a gift, and the other an honest to goodness rescue!) And though I got Ogre from a shelter, I strongly suspect his first owners got him from the local Petland, for alot of different reasons. But growing up, most of our dogs *did* come from various local pet stores...my parents didn't know better (and wouldn't have cared if they did.) The only one that is still with them is Sugar, an 11 year old miniature poodle. She's never had any behavioral problems, though not many people can really stand to be aorund her because she's needy attention-wise to the point of being extremely irritating. She doesnt bother you until you show her the slightest hint of affection...and then you're done. She'll follow you around from then on grovelling and dancing at your feet and will never, ever, ever stop. It doesn't sound like it would be a problem, but it really is.
She has had a few health problems though. She's had seizures 3-4 times that we know of...usually triggered by fear or stress (getting seriously yelled at, going to the groomers, etc) so lots of effort has to be made to keep her calm and stress free. She's also starting to go blind and just age in general...and from what I understand, 11 is *not* old for a poodle and she shouldn't seem the age she is.
I haven't lived in Macon long enough to know much about the pet stores here, but in columbus, there were always plenty of local stores that sold puppies. One of them got all of their puppies from BYBs, and while they obviously didn't come from reputable breeders, they were always friendly and seemingly healthy. Another always had lots of puppies, and these obvious came from a mill. They were always terrified of people, even at that young age, and many of them actually bit if you tried to pet them...they had never ever been handled at all in their short lives. Alot of them had also spent alot of time on wire...most of the puppies there had long nails that curved under and would constantly spin in circles in their cages...it was really, really sad. The owner also bred chihuahuas (obviously also not a good breeder) and they were at least friendly, unlike all of the other mill puppies. I'm not sure, but I've heard that store has finally closed down.
About a year ago they built a Petland there, and everyone seems to think it's the greatest thing ever created. It's actually become a huge fad in Columbus to own a Petland puppy and on weekends you generally have trouble getting in the door it's so packed. I saw a woman there once who had
taken out a loan to buy a really crappy looking pomeranian puppy. I've had all the usual arguments with the employees about the claims they make about their puppies, and of course it gets me nowhere. I also ended up getting a rat from there about a year ago who they were allowing to lay suffering and dying in his cage, because he wasn't "worth" the cost of vet care. [
:@] The place is absolutely horrible, and probably everyone in town now has a dog from there. When I went to get Ogre, I saw LOTS of purebred dogs, all under a year, in the shelter...I promise they were all Petland impule buys. After I got Ogre, I wondered where he came from...I've always scanned the calssifieds out of habit, and I had never, EVER seen Akitas listed. Ogre doesn't seem like a particularly well bred Akita (he's a great dog, just not something I think would have come from a reputable breeder) so I doubt he came from anything other than a mill or a BYB. I decided to check at Petland on my last trip to Columbus, and sure enough, they had akita puppies. 3 of the 4 they had looked EXACTLY like Ogre...and Ogre's particular markings are not common. I can't prove it, but given his age, and the fact that I had NEVER seen akitas listed in the paper...I strongly suspect that's where he came from. I'll never know for sure though.
It does really upset me the breeds these places sell...like Akitas, Dobies, GSDs, etc....all dogs who are definitely not for the average person and in most of the households they end up in, are a total disaster waiting to happen. It bothers me that any idiot can wonder into a Petland, see a cute akita puppy, and take it home without even knowing how to pronounce the breed's name, much less how to take care of it. [
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Anyway, it seems like since Petland has opened the other two major puppy carrying pet stores in Columbus are closed or about to. They're being driven out of business, but I don't think it makes much difference, since PEtland is now getting all of their business and then some. [:'(]
And my parents, who KNOW BETTER are planning on buying an English Bulldog puppy once Sugar passes on. I've done everything I can to convince them to go through rescue or a reputable breeder, and they just roll their eyes and pat me on the shoulder. They know about all of the problems with pet store puppies (especially dogs with all of the problems that an EB can have!) and they just don't care. They're either going to get one from Petland, or out of the newspaper. Nothing I say will convince them otherwise. And I think that's what it boils down to for most eople...convenience. It's so much easier to run out and buy a puppy than to spend time tracking one down in rescue, or going to a reputable breeder. People want things now, now, now, and for that reason, stores that sell puppies will always have a reason to continue selling them. [
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