*heather*

seriously! I just can't believe it! these are not uneducated people either! They are very well educated and in many ways I respect them! however, they went ahead and bought a SHI-POO from a pet store last week and I am having a really hard time biting my tongue! I did say that I was "really surprised they went the pet store route" and their explanation was that the puppy was so cuddly and sweet in the store and just wanted to be around them, so it had the temperament they were looking for! how's that for temperament testing!? I get mad even typing this!!! It's so aggravating! How are people so freaking stupid!!???! I have to say, the little guy is darn cute, but all puppies are, and they said they felt sorry for him...
These people already own a very well bred Duck Tolling Retriever... and they did all their research in finding her and went with a great breeder who has a very responsible breeding prgm etc... so how did they end up getting this pup from a pet store, it boggles my mind!! They know better!!

Anyway, just needed to vent!! I don't want to create enemies over this, but I do need to know that I'm right in how I'm feeling so I'm just coming to my poodle friends for some moral support!

plumcrazy

They simply lost their freakin' minds over that "doggy in the window"! I refuse to set foot inside our local pet store that sells puppies and kittens... I won't spend a penny there on ANYTHING - not food, not toys, not treats, not grooming stuff... NUTHIN'!! Not that witholding my measly $$ will put them out of business, but I can sleep at night knowing I've not contributed to the pocketbooks of these scumbags! Luckily we only have one store in town that sells that type of pet (PetSmart sells pocket pets, birds and fish and another locally owned store sells fish and recently added pocket pets - but no canine/feline sales!)

We used to get puppies in at the shelter that were just a few months old, purchased from the pet store for big bucks and just weren't what the owners were hoping for/planning on (are puppy mill dogs EVER what we hope for?? ) So these owners spent hundreds of dollars on the pup and then just a few months later, paid us a surrender fee to take it in!! :( And who suffers the most??? The pup...

Hopefully things will work out ok for your friends - since they're experienced dog people, maybe they can work with any downfalls the pet store puppy may have...

cbrand

I think the only way to keep people from making these impulse buys is to make it illegal to sell puppies and kittens in a pet store.

Jessie's Mom

i understand your frustration with your friend, but i am happy for the pup to now be owned by such wonderful people. listen, like it or not, there is not one person who can walk past a pet shop and want to go in and buy all those sad looking pups. the pet shops bank on this. so, since you don't want to make enemies, just go with it. knowing your friends are great pet owners, be happy for the pup. he/she just got a lease on a great life. one other thought, if you were to voice your opinion, and then, God forbid, something happens to the dog, you will feel bad. meaning, even though you are frustrated, we know you wish them only the best and hope the pup is basically a good pup. if you see them suffering because of their choice, you will feel bad that you let them know your disapproval in the past. so just smile and get to know that cute puppy....

*heather*

good points all around... I need to grit my teeth and just be supportive and get to know the little guy. I do agree that it should be illegal to sell puppies and kittens at a pet store... maybe we could start a movement or something!
The pup is very 'poodle looking', to be honest, I don't see any shih tzu there at all!! (good thing, cause I'm not a really big shih tzu fan! lol) He looks like a little apricot toy with a dark black nose, I was actually impressed with the pigmentation! Now if only I could get my hands on him and shave his little face! hehe...

Cdnjennga

It's hard and frustrating I know, but as your friends have already gone ahead and done this, I think you just need to be supportive. Of course if they had mentioned their intent up front that would be the time to let them know what a bad idea it was! Fingers crossed they don't run into any issues in the future because of their pup's origins!

It can be hard to resist the adorable pet store puppies, although the shocking price tag (and my knowledge of where the pups come from) helps! We used to go into a Toronto store and look at the pups, and my mom would loudly announce how sorry she was for the puppies and how horrible their background is. We know someone who used to work in the puppy department as a teenager and she told us absolute horror stories. I completely agree that it should be illegal for pet stores to sell puppies and kittens, unless they are part of a rescue group, as I believe happens in Petsmart. Unfortunately as long as there is a market for pet store pups though, they will continue to sell them. And now there's websites that also make it easy for the mills to sell their pups.

Education is the only way forward, but as your friends showed, even that isn't foolproof! So I'm not really sure what the solution is.

Fluffyspoos

Yeah that's how it is at Petco, too. Every Saturday they set up kennels and a rescue group called Best Friends brings in homeless cats and some dogs. All cats are UTD on their shots, fixed, and fostered between adoption events. Whenever the store has donations to shelters, the donation goes to them.

It's just the grooming salon banned them from using our tubs because on multiple times they've bathed their cats and left the tubs smeared in cat poo.. >_>

*heather*

I wish I could anonymously sent them this article
Don't Buy That Doggie in the Window!

frostfirestandards

I am guilty of it once too, even though I knew better, I bought a rat terrier from a man on the side of the road who sells puppies about every weekend.
They have recently made it illegal in NC to sell or give away puppies at the roadside or in parking lots.

I wish that it was illegal to sell them in stores as well, as Fayetteville (where I live) has 4-5 puppy stores selling mill dogs. One of the stores here does sell mixed breed and purebred puppies from local BYBs or oopsies though. Although this is not ideal, it is better than getting a mill puppy, IMO

Olie

Yep. At some point many of us are guilty of going against the "best way" I would be supportive and maybe use suttle comments or education down the road - BUT I don't shop at pet stores because I know what I am capable of.....