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

What happens now is they are either sold back to breeders or other parties (someone mentioned "third-party brokers" earlier) at reduced/half prices - and presumably to be used for breeding stock or... sometimes they are sold to research labs...or sometimes they are turned over to rescues... or, if they are not accepted into the channels above, it's likely that they're pts and the profits are recouped on the next round of puppies of the type/breed that DID sell from their store.
 
It's incredibly sad, and preventable, to have to look a puppy in the face and say, "Sorry, kiddo." as you leave him behind.

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

this may have already been adressed, but after reading some of this i am wondering what one would think should happen to the puppies? if no one should buy them, should they sit there? i know, i know, to put money in the hands of those people would just create more puppies, everytime this discussion comes up thats all that is said. i want to know what is supposed to be done about the already existing puppies? obviously the pet store wont give them away anymore than they would dog food and toys....and most big pets stores dont end up shut down....so?

i don't think i would be capable myself, of looking one of the pups in the face and saying "sorry cutie pie, you are to be made an example of, you are staying in there for the betterment of breeding practices." i guess it is a good thing i dont go to pet stores.[&o]

I know at every petstore I've seen, as puppies get older and less cute they get marked down like merchandise. The store benefits more from getting some money for the puppy than having them euthanized.

Yes I would like to go to a place and buy a puppy where they don#%92t age, are adequately cared for, healthy, have credentials, and the dogs were received from a responsible breeder which is in between a puppymill and reputable breeder.  I thought that is where I got my 3 Petshop dogs.
 
The Indiana bill for licensing Petshops is too vague and subjective in the Conduct of Operators section.  There has to be some legal definitions of Care and Humane Treatment.  Plus it does not address source of stock.  The licensing of Petshops could be the instrument to protect consumers.  If you can legislate the conduct of the Petshops, then doesn#%92t that control the source of the puppies?
 
For my fosters, the vet bills, advertising, showings, gas, housing, and care probably is an investment of $1,500 where the fee charged to the adopter is $200.  So I have $1,500 dog selling for $200, what a bargain, why no takers.  Because it is not what the public wants.  etshops don#%92t control buyers, they offer what the buyer wants and on the buyers terms.  To change the current situation you have to educate the public and legislate conduct to an acceptable standard.  But I think there will always be a need for Petshops.

Well here is some convoluted logic.  I can not get out of the cycle of supporting Petshops and puppymills.  I could buy the pups directly from the Petshops or foster a dog that originated from a Petshop.  Either way the Petshop wins and has no incentive to change its conduct.

I've never bought a dog or cat from a pet store, but I bought a rabbit from a pet store. I was picky which pet store I got her from, and she came home pretty healthy and clean. The only problem I had with her apart from the fact that she was the devil incarnate to my poor hare was a moment of stomach upset due to a change in her food and she was not as clean toilet-wise as every other rabbit I've had. Last I saw, the lady who took her off my hands when I had to find her a new home had just bred her and she was fine and healthy.

My mother's dog, Jill, came from a pet store. She's a boxer/kelpie cross. Very healthy, nothing wrong with her, not hard to toilet train especially.... really, no problems at all with her. Jill came from a good pet store. My mother and I know many pet stores we'd never purchase an animal from.

It doesn't make much difference to me whether you buy a puppy from a pet store or wait until it doesn't get sold and then buy it from the shelter. The only difference is in the price and who the money goes to. That might be a lot of difference to some people, but it's not to me when you're talking about an innocent pup that had no choice in where it came from.

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

this may have already been adressed, but after reading some of this i am wondering what one would think should happen to the uppies? if no one should buy them, should they sit there? i know, i know, to put money in the hands of those people would just create more puppies, everytime this discussion comes up thats all that is said. i want to know what is supposed to be done about the already existing puppies? obviously the pet store wont give them away anymore than they would dog food and toys....and most big pets stores dont end up shut down....so?

i don't think i would be capable myself, of looking one of the pups in the face and saying "sorry cutie pie, you are to be made an example of, you are staying in there for the betterment of breeding practices." i guess it is a good thing i dont go to pet stores.[&o]

I think these are really good points that people tend to overlook in the heated passion of destroying puppymills.

To me, pet stores that are supplied by puppy mills and the likes are like the head of a pimple. All it is is what you can see of a big ugly infection. It confuses me that people think puppy millers would all throw up their hands and give away their breeding stock if pet stores were no longer taking their pups. I strongly suspect they would not be so ready to abandon what is a sizeable investment. I expect that they would simply take their business underground and sell the pups through local papers and the likes. IMO, it would be better to have them out in the open where attempts can be made to avoid them, regulate them, enforce decent living conditions, whatever it is that would make them a lesser evil than they already are. Passion is all well and good, but every time we have this argument it becomes painfully apparent that passion clouds judgement.

What there was no rescue group doing a foster dog showing? I hear that from both Petco and Petsmart that they are having a hard time getting rescue groups to bring their dogs in. I know my rescue group is in high demand because we have a nice display and we have showings at both Petco and Petsmart.

 
Ha, that is how I ended up with my Husky/ Chow mix, one nice Saturday, me, myself and I went to Petsmart to buy treats, had one of my dogs with me. Gosh, puppies everywhere, I was just looking at them, and the rescue lady started talking to me. She went on about how she was having trouble with this one huge puppy that nobody wanted because he was going to be too big, and the breeds involved.Well, needless to say, I figured one more wouldn't hurt, home we went. He is a wonderful dog!

ORIGINAL: DPU

ORIGINAL: Chuffy

Happy to report that nearly all pet shops have stopped selling puppies and kittens here now.  I'm not even sure it's allowed anymore.  When I worked in a pet shop and people came in asking for puppies I told them to go elsewhere - If they wanted a pedigree I gave them a list of breeders in their area to start their search and warned them some breeders were unscrupulous and what to watch out for.  If they wanted a mix I gave them the details for a few shelters in the area and wished them luck.  I was great at putting people off from buying animals in stores.  I probably lost the place shed loads of money.[]

And when and how did this take place.  The last decade?  Protest, peaceful or violent?  Candidates here are available.  Lobbying legislatures?  Seriously?  In the US there is no one source of reliable statistical information on dogs.  Everytime you want to find a number you to extrapolate from different sources.  I did my dealings with Petshops in 70's and 80's.  I would think now in the internet age, people are more informed and choose wisely so my expectation is a decline in the industry.

 
Any response?

ORIGINAL: DPU

ORIGINAL: miranadobe

What is the new outlet for public purchases?

dogs in shelters, from reputable breeders, etc.[8|]

This has been discussed before that reputable breeders do not make their dogs accessible to the general public and the general public won't tolerate the screening.  Shelters take the place of a business?  Come on!  What I think what bothers most is the store's living condition and where the pups come from.  As I said in my post I got 3 dogs from a Petshop with AKC registration, a family history, and they turned out to be very healthy.  Do you know if DOA has jurisdiction of the stores themselves?  Is that where reform should be?   

 
Actually if you want a dog, take a few steps, find a dog show and speak to someone showing the breed in which you are interested.  Find out what to look for and get some contact info.  If not, the majority of breeders have websites set up. 
 
So are they accessible to the public?  Quite.  But the public has to take a few steps to find them.  That shouldn't be too much to ask to find a lifelong companion.
 
The general public won't tolerate the screening?  If someone won't tolerate the screening process I would have before I sold them a pup, then I wouldn't tolerate their business.  The screening has a purpose:  to ensure the welfare and care of the pup up to and through adulthood.  The general public isn't just buying a dog, but adopting a member of the family.  Do you think that someone interested in adopting a child wouldn't be subjected to intense screening?  To many of the breeders that I know, their pups are like their children and they wish to ensure that those pups are well cared for.
 
More later....work calls.

And with 55 to 65 million dogs in the US in about 35 million household with the population being renewed at a 5 million rate, can the reputable breeder handle the demand.  Is the process you describe actually workable? 
 
I do such a screening to place my foster dogs.  I have an emotional stake in the welfare of the dog.  But this is small scale.  Remember dogs are consider property to be bought and sold, not like babies.

this may have already been adressed, but after reading some of this i am wondering what one would think should happen to the uppies?
 
Gayle and seemingly, DPU
 
What really do YOU expect? There is no rosy pink and fuzzy yellow outcome for the pet store pup...they come from Hell on Earth and when one is sold 10 more take it's place. My concern is not for that one (which would be sent to a shelter, breed rescue or back from whence it came if not sold)...but for the 10 behind it, (not counting the other 10 that didn't even make  it to be old enough to be sent to the store)...and the 10 shelter and rescue dogs that will die because of it. One needs a wide angle view to consider the mill problem...not focusing solely on those faces behind the glass.
 
"Supplying" dogs for the public is not the job of anyone...should not be...because I'd say fully half of the people buying dogs do not need  a dog, are not equipped for the breed of dog they want, get puppies when an older dog would fit in much easier and better, or are those folks ready to give it up at the first life change or sign of trouble.
 
At this point (and this is a big thing to admit for me) I am willing to admit that buying a dog should not be as easy as it is...thru any outlet. At this point I am willing to say people should be licensed before they are even allowed to LOOK for a dog...at this point I think some knowledge of dogs, training, and behavior should be mandatory. Ain't gonna happen...but one can dream. In the meantime what we can do is not support with our dollars or  words...store that sell pups, or BYB's that also contribute to the POPP.

So are they accessible to the public? Quite. But the public has to take a few steps to find them. That shouldn't be too much to ask to find a lifelong companion.

 
And with the internet, finding a breeder pup instead of a petshop pup is easier than it was years ago.  Figuring out if the breeder is a good breeder takes a little more work, but it is not an unsurmountable task.  A great place to start for a purebreed is akc.org or just google for a parent club or rescue of the breed you are interested in. 
 

Seemingly DPU?  Whats that?  You must know me by now that I am on the side of the dog, always.  I am a one song person.  The majority of the posts say they will not buy from a Petshop and in so advocating a boycott to shut the store down and the suppliers.  Until they are shut down and an alternate supplier is created there are dire repercussions to the dog.  It is easy to sit back and say I won#%92t patronize stores that sell pets and if someone is interested I#%92ll preach.  It is a much harder task to reform an industry through public awareness, patronizing the good stores, and regulations of stores and breeders.  Why do you think Petco and Petsmart have stopped selling puppies and are now hosting rescue group#%92s dog showing?  PR and economics.  When a rescue dog or cat is adopted through one of these showings, the store gets $100 to $200 in supply purchases.
 
Supply and demand is very much in play here and someone is going to meet the demand and profit off what the public wants.  You can make judgements on the fitness of a dog owner, who should and shouldn#%92t own dogs.  But as you know you can not control individual#%92s choices.  This is evidence by the existence of puppymills and unscrupulous Petshops. 
 
Come on, licensing people.  I understand this statement was made to emphasize the responsibility of bringing a new dog into a home.  Why not focus on real things that can be done to reform the industry.  How about instead of  not supporting with dollars and words, we support with our buying power, dollars, and words those shops that are responsible, that is if they exist.

PR and economics. When a rescue dog or cat is adopted through one of these showings, the store gets $100 to $200 in supply purchases.

 
 
PR maybe - economics no.  They would sell that same amount in peripherals if the puppy was bought FROM them - plus whatever was charged for the puppy itself. 
 
I absolutely agree that it's sad to think of those dogs dying in pet stores or being PTS if they are not bought and taken home.  However, the chain DOES have to stop somewhere.  Anyone buying a puppy from a pet store is supporting less-than-ideal breeding practises at least, and in most cases downright cruelty.  I maintain that the people who (as a general rule) buy a dog from a pet store are those LEAST equipped to deal with any resultant health or training issues.  Even if they have the money, it's emotionally heartrending and at the coldest, a hassle.  99% of people who buy a dog from a pet store are doing so because they want a dog *now* - not when they can move up a breeder's waiting list or are approved for adoption by a shelter, which can be a lengthy process.  These are the puppies bought for Christmas, and birthdays, or because a small child says "please, mom!" When taking care of them either becomes too much expense or too boring, they get shipped off to a shelter, to be rehomed if they are lucky, PTS if they are not. 
 
In an ideal world, no pet stores would sell puppies, or kittens, or rabbits or any other living, domestic creature.  I disagree with pet stores doing this, but I'm a realist.  Getting every single person in the country to agree to this is about as likely as getting every person in the country to agree on who should be president.  Or win American Idol.
 
Kate

DPU,

 buying power, dollars, and words those shops that are responsible

 
Absolutely, that's why I do not shop at any pet store, that sells puppies or kittens. I think that's the point several have made already.
 
Point is no breeder that cares...would sell any puppy at all thru a pet store, because the breeder would then, have no control over who buys the dog. IMO that control is nothing I'd give up in a million years...that ability to say "no"...to anyone.
 

You must know me by now that I am on the side of the dog, always

 
Admirable...I myself, am on the side of "dogs" in general...and that is perhaps the main difference of opinion here.
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Benedict,

 However, the chain DOES have to stop somewhere.  Anyone buying a puppy from a pet store is supporting less-than-ideal breeding practises at least, and in most cases downright cruelty.

Totally agree.