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[erinonthefarm]

I don't think you will find anyone here who has a pet shop pup they are unhappy with or surrendered, some may be lucky and have purchased a pet shop puppy and it all turned out ok but that sends the wrong message as most of these puppies go home with people who would not be interested enough to be on these forums.

On a side note, I have a jack russel cross from a pet shop in canberra, he is now 14 years old and we love him. He did take a very long time to housebreak, same for my last Dobermann who was BYB. Now I have "seen the light" and bought from a registered breeeder the difference is amazing- my puppy is well socialised, house broken, healthy and I know that the breeder is happy to help with anything. I recieved a detailed care sheet, advice on training, puppy is microchipped and vaccinated, parents have had extensive health checks for genetic problems prior to breeding.

You won't get that service from a pet shop, most people who work in the larger chains have no qualifications to be advising a new owner anyway.

I hope you can find someone who will offer testimonial as to what a bad decision it is to buy a puppy from a pet shop or byb, but exposing how little the pet shops care about the ability of prospective purchasers to care for them would be great too. I will be watching the story when it airs SandyK, good luck

[WoofnHoof]

I suppose mine could be considered a pet shop horror story, he had a congenital defect that required $5000 surgery to repair, along with all the associated vet bills and meds etc the cost was closer to $10k.

When is a store health guarantee not a health guarantee? When it's a congenital (birth) defect.

[shel]

I posted this request on our Facebook page 'Australia Says No to Puppy Farms', expecting that we'd get maybe one or two case studies of people with pet shop problems... I am astounded.

Did you buy your puppy from a pet shop?

"I bought my puppy from a pet shop, it had mange and a broken tail..."

"I was given a puppy that wouldnt sell, I am happy to talk to your reporter about it - she had many problems in her life due to bad breeding etc"

"I bought my pup from a pet store. They lied about his age and he was extremely sick for a long time from day one. Cost me a lot of money to get him healthy again. Happy to share my story."

"I bought a puppy from a pet shop around 10 years ago. He was a mini Fox terrier, so teeny weeny, kept in the same cage as a puppy 4 times his size. After a week or so he started to get sick. Turns out he was malnourished, dehydrated and had a skin disease....all 3 of which my vet assured me couldn't have happened in the week i had had him....it must have come from the petshop or the 'breeder'. He stayed at the vet for around 2 weeks, had several blood transfusions, a tube put in to help him feed, and eventually had to be put to sleep. It cost me a lot of money, and it cost my poor puppy an awful lot more. I have never and will never buy from a pet shop again!"

"About 15 years ago, before we knew any better, we bought a 7 week Australian Silky Terrier. She had a umbilicial hernia and by the age of 3 was competely blind due to cataracts caused by a genetic issue. Even after $3000 of eye surgery her vision was extremely limited. Although sold as a purebred she never developed to anything which resembled the breed, more likely she was a cross with an even smaller terrier."

"I bought one from a pet shop- she is forfeit and I love her bit very very Timid. The pet shop ha rescued her from another pet shop which had gone bankrupt- I'm happy to be interview. Please contact me."

"Our dog was a pets paradise pup. he was sold as an incorrect breed, life long health problems and about 800 bucks of extra add on products for the pet shop. happy to be interviewed!"

"I bought my blue heeler from a pet shop 8 years ago. At 5 he started going blind, he has agenetic disease rad, retinal atrophy disorder and is now completely blind with cataracts also. 5 months ago his leg broke and they found a tumour, he had it removed to slow down the cancer. He has fibroblastic osteosarchomo, an aggressive bone cancer and has a limited time to live. I couldn't physically love him more but its been really hard and happy to share my story. Sold as a pure bred heeler. Please contact me."

"I bought my dog from a pet shop/wholesaler 10 years ago. Within 24 hours she was on deaths door at the vet where I was to take her for desexing (part of the price). She was in hospital for over a week with drips etc and she nearly didnt make it only after 7 days did the vet say she had turned the corner. The shop had to pay for treatment which would have been a substantial amount as it was within 48hours of purchase. I didnt know about backyard breeders, puppy farms etc - I do now. Never again. Lucy is a gorgeous beagle and I love her to bits. I called her lucy (lucia) or lucky lucy. Happy to tell my story."

"I bought my pug x jack russel from a pet shop before I knew puppy mills even existed. He was constantly itchy, his hair started falling out and I eventually found out he had mites. The poor thing had to have skin scrapings done and was on medication for a while. A few months later he began limping and the vet said he had a problem with his back hip. Apparently it was a birth defect and everytime he walked it felt like shards of glass scraping his bones ;) He also has a severe underbite and his tongue is always poking out. One of his eyes is a bit turned out to the side. I'm just so glad he came to a good family who paid the thousands of dollars to have him health. He's the most beautiful little dog in the world and I love him so much! Puppy farms are AWFUL! He is still constantly itchy from a general skin condition and has had hot spots too. So many vet trips! I swear I was at the vet once a week at one stage."

"I bought my lucy-lou from a pet shop (went in to get chook pellets) and came out with a terrified, mangey flat / curly coat retriever. She broke my heart sitting behind the horrible glass wall and when I asked to have a hold of her, she froze! I sat on the floor with her for half an hour in the pet shop and decided there and then that she had to come home with me for lots of TLC. She is now a beutiful gentle girl, but is still timid thanks to her experience of the pet shop. As one stage we weren't even sure if she knew how to wag her tail. The assistants had not idea!!! What can I say I have more passion for my pets than people!"

Houston - we have a problem!

Edited January 11, 2011 by shel