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[SandyK]

Seeking people in major capital cities who have had terrible experiences with purchasing puppies from pet stores.

I need to interview (on camera) a couple of people who are happy to speak of their experiences in order to provide a warning to the general public.

Perhaps yours started out badly and then ended well. Perhaps it was disaster from the word go.

If you feel strongly that pet stores should be banned from selling puppies and have a case study we could film, please get in touch urgently.

Please tell me your story by emailing me [email protected]

Many thanks

Sandy

Edited January 9, 2011 by SandyK

[Missymoo]

We are ALL against pet shop stories here...but will you be steering the general public towards proper regiistered breeders or bagging them too ? Just a questain...

[corrie]

Hi Sandy. I think it is great you are doing a story on this.

I am sure you have already thought of this but just wanted to reinforce the need to tell people that reputable rescue organisations and reputable registered breeders are the best way to go and that they need to put a bit of research into what type of dog would suit there lifestyle rather than just choose a dog on looks as an impulse purchase.

I have noticed a lot of working breeds in my local pet shop window lately and have wondered if people know what they are getting in to when the impulse buy those little fluff balls and sadly also wonder how many of the litter will end up being surrendered at the local shelter.

[cmkelpie]

I don't have a personal experience but best of luck! A worthy cause.

I ran into a couple at the park the other day with a 6mth old kelpie/BC from a pet shop. They were really struggling to control him and said they had no idea he would be so energetic They said that they don't know how long they can last with their backyard being destroyed etc. I recommended a local training club and advised them about working breeds rescue, he was a gorgeous boy, would hate to see him end up in the pound!

What a joke, just another dog that is at risk of being dumped due to being placed in an unsuitable home. When I bought my kelpie, my breeder (like all good ones) asked many questions to ensure she was the right breed for me. Pet shops don't do any of this, they simply show a cute puppy in the window

Edited January 9, 2011 by cmkelpie

[corvus]

Wouldn't it be more balanced to look at pet shop puppy stories that turned out well along with those that turned out badly? Otherwise you're only presenting one side of the story. How does anyone then know how bad the situation is? I sure as hell am not ever interested in just one side of the story. That's for people that watch ACA and Today Tonight. I stopped watching those sorts of shows when I fancied I could actually feel brain cells dying while I was watching.

[Are You Serious Jo]

The balance is showing how to obtain a puppy from a registered breeder or ethical rescue, not another pet shop.

[Rozzie]

Wouldn't it be more balanced to look at pet shop puppy stories that turned out well along with those that turned out badly?

Perhaps yours started out badly and then ended well. Perhaps it was disaster from the word go.

Isn't that what she said????

[SandyK]

We are ALL against pet shop stories here...but will you be steering the general public towards proper regiistered breeders or bagging them too ? Just a questain...

No we wont be bagging breeders at all. The story focuses on one family's bad luck with buying a sick puppy from a pet store and I really need another to tell to make the point. We have also spoken to a vet at the local shelter who recommends saving a dog's life instead. Why exactly are you against pet stores? And I take it you are a breeder yourself? Where and of what?

Edited January 9, 2011 by SandyK

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

We are ALL against pet shop stories here...but will you be steering the general public towards proper regiistered breeders or bagging them too ? Just a questain...

No we wont be bagging breeders at all. The story focuses on one family's bad luck with buying a sick puppy from a pet store and I really need another to tell to make the point. We have also spoken to a vet at the local shelter who recommends saving a dog's life instead. Why exactly are you against pet stores? And I take it you are a breeder yourself? Where and of what?

surely before undertaking this story you would have researched the reasons why buying from a pet shop is not a good idea.

if you haven't done this then i fear the story will be another beat up with little facts

[Frankie]

Are you looking at just bad puppy stories- or kittens as well

If s- worth asking the same question on Cat-world

I've read a few sad stories there- where it is encouraged to rescue or buy cats from registered ethical breeders

[puglvr]

How about the story of where these pups come from? How about the story of the 2 heavily pregnant female pugs, from a puppy factory advertised on-line, destined to be bought by another puppy factory? How about the story about how these girls were rescued at considerable expense? How about the story about one girl needing a c-section to have her pups and the fact that she'd had this before? How about the story of the "seller" deliberately getting them in pup to sell because he make more money that way? How about the fact he didn't give a dam about where they were going and if the could be cared for properly? Does this story have a happy ending? Maybe it's still to early to know.

[corvus]

Perhaps yours started out badly and then ended well. Perhaps it was disaster from the word go.

Isn't that what she said????

Those are two sides of the same coin. I know a few that started out well and ended well. No "badly" or "disaster" in sight. Not saying they are more common, but they certainly exist.

[Greytmate]

Perhaps yours started out badly and then ended well. Perhaps it was disaster from the word go.

Isn't that what she said????

Those are two sides of the same coin. I know a few that started out well and ended well. No "badly" or "disaster" in sight. Not saying they are more common, but they certainly exist.

Lucky that is all.

Plenty of problems are caused by people buying dogs from pet shops. The baby puppies learn bad toilet habits and don't get to rest undisturbed. People buy them on impulse without research. Many are labelled incorrectly. Many have conformation problems.

Pet shops are dodgy and sordid, and even the 'good stories' still involve somebody paying top dollar (and getting ripped off) for a dog of a completely unknown standard.

Why do Pet shops deserve a 'balanced view' when their practices are what causes so many problems?

[Nic.B]

I think this is a fantastic idea I agree that genuine, real experiences are something that other people can relate well to and learn from.

Goodness knows how many times I have read and heard of disaster stories re Pet Shop puppies.

SandyK I have spoken with Denise from PAWS many times re pet shop puppies she has taken into care.

One lady went to buy a new washing machine, her children ran into a pet shop and begged her for a puppy, she came home with a puppy and no washing machine. The puppy was surrendered to PAWS two weeks later because the kids were no longer interested, she couldnt stand the puppy nor was prepared for how much care it needed.

Denise has taken chipped to pet shop dogs that have arrived at the shelter I volunteer at, some heavily pregnant and less than 12 months old.

We recently had a family who surrendered their pet shop (oodle something) at 4 months of age. The whole family came to surrender him to the shelter on a Sunday morning and all (including their three children) happily waved goodbye!

Great example for the kids!

This is a link to the Paws site if it will assist you.

http://www.paws.com.au/

Good Luck and let us know when the story goes to air

[SandyK]

I think this is a fantastic idea I agree that genuine, real experiences are something that other people can relate well to and learn from.

Goodness knows how many times I have read and heard of disaster stories re Pet Shop puppies.

SandyK I have spoken with Denise from PAWS many times re pet shop puppies she has taken into care.

One lady went to buy a new washing machine, her children ran into a pet shop and begged her for a puppy, she came home with a puppy and no washing machine. The puppy was surrendered to PAWS two weeks later because the kids were no longer interested, she couldnt stand the puppy nor was prepared for how much care it needed.

Denise has taken chipped to pet shop dogs that have arrived at the shelter I volunteer at, some heavily pregnant and less than 12 months old.

We recently had a family who surrendered their pet shop (oodle something) at 4 months of age. The whole family came to surrender him to the shelter on a Sunday morning and all (including their three children) happily waved goodbye!

Great example for the kids!

This is a link to the Paws site if it will assist you.

http://www.paws.com.au/

Good Luck and let us know when the story goes to air

Thank you very much for the PAWS suggestion. I will call Denise today to see if I can interview her. And of course I will let you know when the story will be aired.

[Natsu chan]

SandyK we're mostly against pet shops selling animals because once you run a business you tend to put the needs of the business first. When people buy a pet it's not a 10 minute commitment it is or it should be for the life of the animal. The problem is no business will tell you the negatives about buying a particular pet only the positives they need to make a sale after all. A good ethical ANKC or Cat fancy breeder will ask questions and tell you the down side of the breed you are looking at and you need to know those things.

For instance, poodles don't shed but any dog that doesn't shed needs grooming. Lots of grooming and generally clipping as well and not once a year either usually at intervals or about 6 to 8 weeks! Working breeds are smart but the down side is they need not just exercise but training and attention and brain work or they become bored and destructive. And so on.

The other issue is that puppies in pet shops are there during a critical development period. At that time they need to be with their mother and other litter mates to learn how to interact with other dogs, to learn bite inhibition and to learn to walk on various surfaces, and a lot more besides. These are all things that can't happen in a pet shop simply because you just couldn't set a shop up to do these things and pass the work place health and safety side of things. Then there's the house breaking, being confined in small cages breaks down the natural inclination not to soil the nest which is what we use to house break dogs. Once that happens it is very difficult and sometimes almost impossible to house break a dog and for a toy breed that's really a bad thing.

People need to take responsibility for their actions a bit more but it certainly helps if you don't buy a puppy from a pet shop! At least you know what you're getting with an adult rescue dog or a puppy from a good ethical breeder.

[missmoo]

are you only interested is stories in your state? or are you looking nationally?

[dog geek]

SandyK we're mostly against pet shops selling animals because once you run a business you tend to put the needs of the business first. When people buy a pet it's not a 10 minute commitment it is or it should be for the life of the animal. The problem is no business will tell you the negatives about buying a particular pet only the positives they need to make a sale after all. A good ethical ANKC or Cat fancy breeder will ask questions and tell you the down side of the breed you are looking at and you need to know those things.

For instance, poodles don't shed but any dog that doesn't shed needs grooming. Lots of grooming and generally clipping as well and not once a year either usually at intervals or about 6 to 8 weeks! Working breeds are smart but the down side is they need not just exercise but training and attention and brain work or they become bored and destructive. And so on.

The other issue is that puppies in pet shops are there during a critical development period. At that time they need to be with their mother and other litter mates to learn how to interact with other dogs, to learn bite inhibition and to learn to walk on various surfaces, and a lot more besides. These are all things that can't happen in a pet shop simply because you just couldn't set a shop up to do these things and pass the work place health and safety side of things. Then there's the house breaking, being confined in small cages breaks down the natural inclination not to soil the nest which is what we use to house break dogs. Once that happens it is very difficult and sometimes almost impossible to house break a dog and for a toy breed that's really a bad thing.

People need to take responsibility for their actions a bit more but it certainly helps if you don't buy a puppy from a pet shop! At least you know what you're getting with an adult rescue dog or a puppy from a good ethical breeder.

EXCELLENT post - Sandy, this is possibly the most important negative re pet shop puppies.

Most buyers are not experienced dog owners (or they would understand how reprehensible it is to sell puppies from shops!) and have little to no idea how to raise a family-friendly dog.

Add to this a puppy missing crucial neurological and social exposure; unable to overcome anxiety and without stable learning behaviours. This is why families end up with unpleasant, stressful experiences with their canine companions.

Read a few of these authors: Pat Hastings, Carmen Battaglia et al.

[Tim'sMum]

Apart from the excellent information posted by Natsu chan, other issues with pet shop puppies that should be examined are that they are often an impulse buy...ie: gorgeous little puppy in the window. Particularly with small breeds, a dog can live for 16 yrs plus. 'A dog is for life...not for Christmas!' should be hammered into people's heads but it is not.

There is also a lot of incorrect information given in pet shops too...especially with poodle cross puppies. ie: They don't shed - most of them do. They need minimal grooming - they do and often more so than a purebred poodle. eg: One lady I met at our dog park a few years back bought a poodle X puppy and was told that he was a Miniature Poodle X miniature Curly Coated Retriever (which does not exist as a 'miniature').

She was also told at the pet shop that he would need minimal grooming, just a trim with scissors on his tummy occasionally. When he got the stage of looking like a walking shag pile carpet, we (the other dog walkers and I) finally convinced this lady that he HAD to go to a grooming salon and regularly. I suspect she thought she had bought a low maintenance dog but he certainly wasn't, and will require ongoing costs with grooming for the rest of his life.

Another issue is what the adult dog will look like. eg: the Puggle, a cross between a Pug and a Beagle. Every puppy is cute but honestly, adult 'Puggle' crosses are not a pretty dog. Without seeing an adult example of the dog, people have no idea what the end result will be....and as a result end up with a dog that looks nothing like the cute puppy it was.

Yet another issue is 'hybrid vigour'....an idea pushed by a certain TV personality called 'He who shall not be named', who espoused the joys of cross bred puppies having hybrid vigour. This falls apart when you cross two breeds who are prone to certain conditions such as luxating patellas and hip dysplasia or breed from dogs indiscriminately as they do in the large scale puppy farms.

If you look at some of the larger pet shop chains, they are often staffed by young girls who work part time, particularly on weekends. Whilst they may love animals and be enthusiastic...they probably have minimal experience of dog ownership/dog training etc. and probably get little or no training from the shop owner/management.

Just some more food for thought.

[corvus]

Why do Pet shops deserve a 'balanced view' when their practices are what causes so many problems?

I am a little bit horrified at the thought that some people are somehow not entitled to a balanced view being presented of themselves. That is backwards logic at best. Whether they deserve it or not is beside the point, though. Presenting one side of the story doesn't tell anyone anything except the writer's opinion on the issue. It's kinda hypocritical to get upset about the likes of Pedigree Dogs Exposed, but not be terribly bothered to produce a balanced view of pet shops, for example.