Sigh...pet Shops.

[Olivebaby]

Thanks for some great advice. It's still early days so I'll see how she measures up against the lab show standard. If she fits the bill then I might put her in some shows and see how she goes, otherwise the guide dog option is a very good one. Was only thinking about this last night. I guess i won't know for a while whether she had the right measurements etc. To be a show dog as she is only 17 weeks. It's all along way in the future for now. But it's very interesting finding out all this information :-) so thanks again to everybody who has given me their advice

[BC Crazy]

A couple of years ago i called the rspca and council about a notorious pet shop where some older pups had spent many weeks in their glass fish tanks.One was 7 months old.They were only let out a bit in the morning when the guy got to work he told me;or if customer wanted to check them out in the courtyard.I sent an email to a dog rescue group and they posted my email on this forum.I was not a member then;but i kept up with the big to do that followed.In the end the thread had to be deleted because the pet shop owner had got security people in as DOLers had planed to go down there.One pup at the store was let out for me to see.He kept running off a retaining wall and crashing head first onto the concrete as he did not know there were different ground levels out in the world.He was 15 weeks old Weimaraner x.Other ones there at the time were.7 month Border Collie x kelpie ;5 month old Mastiff x Ridgeback;3 juvenile cattle dogs;3 Weimaraner x lab x boxer,15 weeks old.It seems the law allows this because they have food water and shelter. Never mind that these animals have brains;or feel hot cold bored scared or lonely. If we put a chimpanze in a glass box like this there would be an immediate outcry and response. So how can society allow dogs cats an other pets to be treated like baked beans on a shelf.

This is very sad example of animal cruelty in its rawest form, isn't it ? I applaud you for reporting this & it doesn't surprise me one bit that things got heated.& your thread had to be deleted.

I had tears in my eye's reading the details of these poor pups, not even being able to judge the uneven ground beneath them. I can't even begin to imagine the mental torture these animals go through

as do any animal kept in such an artificial / cruel situation

Puppies need phyiscal & mental stimulation. TLC & loads of it !! Not watching families through plate glass,cooing at them.

Every time I read something like this I go straight out & give my 2 delightful furry kids just one more cuddle & tell them how much I love them.

[toy dog]

Thanks for some great advice. It's still early days so I'll see how she measures up against the lab show standard. If she fits the bill then I might put her in some shows and see how she goes, otherwise the guide dog option is a very good one. Was only thinking about this last night. I guess i won't know for a while whether she had the right measurements etc. To be a show dog as she is only 17 weeks. It's all along way in the future for now. But it's very interesting finding out all this information :-) so thanks again to everybody who has given me their advice

puppies can be shown from 12 weeks in baby puppy.

shows are good to learn about your breed with olive baby to view other labs for you to learn and compare your dog to others and also to talk to other owners/breeders and to learn about the breed. show are not there only for looks as so many people make that mistake.

i always suggest to new people to join your state club for your breed and talk as much as possible to people in your breed to get a good rounded view and then you can make an educated guess as to whether your little girl is good enough or not.

also helpful to have a mentor someone that is very experienced in the breed and can guide you.

you have come to right place here on DOL so thats a pretty good start, when i first started there wasn't an internet! lol

[Olivebaby]

Thanks, I will definitey do that! It certaintly is handy having all this information at my finger tips :-)

[Austerra]

I have a question about pet shops -

What happens to the puppies at night when the shop is closed?? Surely they don't just put them out the back, or leave them in their glass boxes?? (Though honestly, it would not surprise me.)

The thing that shits me the most is that it encourages impulse buying. You see the pup and think "I'm in love! I want him!! Well, no time to read up on anything or think it over cos someone else might buy him! Here's my money!!"

Usually left where they are unless the store has a seperate area for nighttime, taking them away from premises every night would heighten chance of infection and disease being contracted.

[**Super_Dogs**]

Hi. I am just reading all these posts. My Labrador pup is 17 weeks old. I bought her from a registered breeder in NSW. She comes with full papers for breeding. I would like to breed from her as she is just so gorgeous but would i be considered a 'backyard breeder'. Of course I would use a stud dog with papers etc. But yer was just wondering whether it is frowned upon if you breed from a pedigree that has not been in shows etc. What is the breeding etiquette in other words? Thanks :-)

Yes, that would be backyard breeding.

Not necessarily. I bred Labs in WA for a decade or so. There is huge demand for Lab pups, and many people end out going to other breeds cause they can't find a Lab when they want a pup. Most of the WA breeders are pretty friendly and helpful. If you work with a respected breeder, do the necessary health checks, and spend some time learning the breed standard . . . and after that you feel your pup is worth breeding from . . . I wouldn't consider you a BYB. I would consider you a BYB if you skip health checks, breed from a Limited Register dog and/or bitch, and/or don't consult with the breeder you bought from about whether your lovely pup is worth breeding from. Oh yes, you also have to take a breeder's exam and register with the CAWA.

There are some people who consider almost everyone BYB's . . . but those folks can be ignored.

Great response. I totally agree.

I recently bred for the first time and said good bye to my Lab puppies about 6 weeks ago. Based on some of the recent posts some people may consider me a BYB.

I had thought about breeding before I got my bitch (she was my third dog). I found a helpful breeder who I got my girl from. I then researched breeding for 12 plus months, conducted all the health checks, completed the breeders exams. I was then lucky to find a helpful breeder with a Stud Dog that provided me with guidance and advice. I do not show my dogs, I train them and compete in agility. My puppies where raised in the home and where very well socialised with children, adults and other dogs.

I think the important thing to remember is we all have to start somewhere.

[Olivebaby]

Thank you buddy 1 for your especially helpful comments. My girl is being registered with the ACKA in WA she already is from NSW where we bought her. So I am joining up with them and maybe even thinking about doing some agility training after talking to one of the ladies from dogswest today :-) did you choose not to show your girl? And when did you start proper agiliy raining with her? How did all of your puppies go? It must of been so hard to give them away :-( anyway I'll keep my eyes open and keep doing the research, talking to breeders etc. And in a year and a half if she is fit and healthy and up to lab standards then I'll look at getting some pups of my own.

Thank you again for your kind response :-)

[Olivebaby]

Thank you buddy 1 for your especially helpful comments. My girl is being registered with the ACKA in WA she already is from NSW where we bought her. So I am joining up with them and maybe even thinking about doing some agility training after talking to one of the ladies from dogswest today :-) did you choose not to show your girl? And when did you start proper agiliy raining with her? How did all of your puppies go? It must of been so hard to give them away :-( anyway I'll keep my eyes open and keep doing the research, talking to breeders etc. And in a year and a half if she is fit and healthy and up to lab standards then I'll look at getting some pups of my own.

Thank you again for your kind response :-)