Buying a Puppy From a Pet Store

I walked by this sign in a pet store window today:

I worked with a couple recently for a private training for their Dachshund puppy who they bought in a pet store. They immediately said that they didn't feel good about buying the dog in a pet store since normally they rescue dogs, but after picking her up and holding her, they couldn't leave without her. They called me for puppy training, housebreaking, socialization, and separation anxiety.

Following the training session, I received news from the couple that the puppy had cried for five hours and knocked a baby gate over on herself trying to escape her puppy pen. The mom took the puppy to the vet to be examined just in case she had sustained injury. The puppy was fine, but since the puppy had such extreme separation anxiety the vet checked the breeding records and apparently the little puppy was too young to be away from her mother. She hasn't been weaned properly and the breeder/puppy mill that sold the puppy to the pet store, clearly didn't have the puppy's best interests in mind. The couple didn't feel prepared or feel they they have enough time to devote to a puppy with extreme separation anxiety. Very brokenhearted, the couple returned the puppy to the pet store. The fact that any human being would take a puppy from their mother at such a young age, breaks my heart. There are many people who breed dogs for profit and nothing else, and don't even get me started on puppy mills.

Here are the Human Society's facts:

"* Pet stores cater to impulsive buyers and consumers seeking convenient transactions.These stores don't interview prospective buyers to ensure responsible, lifelong homes for the pets they sell, and the stores may be staffed by employees with limited knowledge about pets and pet care.
* A "USDA-inspected" breeder does not mean a "good" breeder. Be wary of claims by pet store staff that they sell animals only from breeders who are "USDA-inspected." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) enforces the federal law called the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which regulates commercial breeding operations. But the act doesn't require all commercial breeders to be licensed, and the USDA establishes only minimum-care standards in enforcing this law. Breeders are required to provide food, water, and shelter—but not love, socialization, or freedom from confining cages. Many USDA-licensed and inspected puppy mills operate under squalid conditions with known violations of the AWA.
* Many disreputable "breeders" sell their dogs directly to the public over the Internet and through newspaper ads. They often sell several breeds of dogs, but may advertise each breed in a separate place and not in one large advertisement or website. These breeders are not required to be inspected by any federal agency and, in many states, are not inspected at all.
* Reputable breeders care where their puppies go and interview hopeful adopters. They don't ever sell through pet stores or to families they haven't thoroughly checked out.
* Purebred "papers" do not guarantee the quality of the breeder or the dog. Even the American Kennel Club (AKC) readily admits that it "cannot guarantee the quality or health of dogs in its registry."
* Puppy mill puppies often have medical problems. These problems can lead to veterinary bills in the thousands of dollars. But pet retailers count on the bond between families and their new puppies being so strong that the puppies won't be returned. And guarantees are often so difficult to comply with that they are virtually useless. In addition, poor breeding and socialization practices at many puppy mills can lead to behavioral problems throughout the puppies' lives. In the event your new puppy does experience medical problems, file a Pet Seller Complaint Form.

Please don't buy from a pet store, and be very wary of websites and newspaper ads. Above all, don't ever buy a dog if you can't physically visit every area of the home or breeding facility where the dogs are kept. Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop buying their dogs." Cite: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/buying_a_puppy/

I urge you to adopt from a shelter where you may find puppies and adult dogs of all breeds just waiting for the right home. If you prefer to go to a breeder, do your research, call references, go and meet the litter several times if you can before taking a puppy home.