Totally depressing

I knew better, but I was out shopping in the mall with a friend today, and she convinced me to go in a petshop - Being new to the area, I didn't know they sold puppies as they couldn't be seen from the front windows, sadly, once inside I saw both the back and side walls just top to bottom in puppies - Including one little blenhiem cavalier and 2 ruby boys (according to store paper work, there was another ruby girl, but they had her in the back for some reason ) They where almost 7 months old, and at $1800, who knows how long they'll sit in those cages! I played stupid for a minute and got to hold the little blenheim - She was so scared, it just tore my heart apart, it was all I could do to keep myself from crying! She had presure sores from sitting on the wire floor of the display cage, and while she was clean, she was obviously not socialized - Seeing that just totally sobered me up, all I could do was go home and hug my kids tightly! I'm so tempted to go try to talk them into letting me buy all the cavaliers for a bargain price as old as they are, but not only do I doubt the petshop would do that, but I'm not going to feed the puppy mills by buying a petshop puppy, but boy how I wish there was something I could do to end the sadness and get all those dogs out of there and into loving homes, but especially the cavaliers! My heart is just breaking as I type this, I know many people, including myself, are working hard to see puppy mills end, which is why I refuse to pay anything to get a dog out of a petshop, but I can see why some people fall into the trap of wanting to "rescue" a puppy out of a petshop because they feel sorry for it! While fed and watered, so many of this pet shops animals where obviously neglected in the terms of being properly socialized, loved, and many of them had sores between their toes that you could see, and some had pressure sores. I should have never walked in that petshop, it only depresses me

I can understand your feelings its a dreadful sitation! It could be against the law - would the government allow humans to be treated that way - NO! I would have taken a loan bought them and rehome them. Its gets the puupies away one one hand but supports the trade on the other - Its a no win situation

If the puppy has sores, this is neglect, so perhaps you could approach your equivalent of our RSPCA or the people who grant pet shop licences ?

Well, money isn't really the issue - I COULD financially buy the puppies if I wanted to, it's more of a moral issue, since I know by buying the puppies, it'd only support pet shops/puppy mills and support the trade and suffering of more pet shop/puppy mill dogs - And being a rescuer against this horrible practice, I refused to buy a petshop dog unless it's a situation where the petshop is closing out and won't be getting in any more dogs EVER. Same is true in a puppy mill situation - If they're closing out and I'm just keeping the dogs from going into the hands of other puppy mills, I'll happily go to auction and buy the dogs, but if I'm just buying dogs to support a miller, I won't do it. It's a fine line, and many won't pay anything to a mill period - It's a touchy subject everyone has to decide where they stand on at some point.

I did call and talk to the humane society this morning just to find out what the laws where pertaining to pet shops in the state of nevada - And as long as they can prove there is medical care being provided for any problems the dogs show and they can prove it (which when I asked them about the sore, they did show me that they did have an ointment they where putting on it which, sadly, is enough to show they're providing medical care ) there's nothing that can be done They also have to provide a pedigree and the breeders name - Which they also where happy to provide at the pet shop. I mean, it just breaks my heart, but the saddest thing is, no matter how hard I try to find a loop hole, the sad thing is, it just doesn't seem like short of buying the dogs, there's nothing I can do - And if I buy these cavaliers, the pet shop will just go buy more and I can't just keep buying ever cavalier puppy this pet shop gets in So I'm going to keep working to attack it at the source and hopefully one day in my life time see the end of petshop puppies and puppy mills!!!!

It is depressing and always better to walk away and make calls and contact organisations, just as you did, to see if there's anything anyone else can do. Or ask to speak directly to a manager about your concerns. Or ring the local newspaper or TV stations -- in the wake of the Oprah segment on puppy farms which mentioned the source of pet shop puppies, this might be something they'd consider newsworthy. Write a polite but firm letter to your paper's letters to the editor explaining what you saw and why selling puppies in this way concerns you. Everyone has a powerful tool -- your voice -- to tackle this enormous problem.

I would also write to complain to the manager and the head of the chain if it is a chain and explain that you are shocked puppies would not only be kept in cages that were clearly producing sores but had obviously been there since before Christmas if they are this old (Obviously ther were the unsold Xmas presents). And that the as they are pricing the dogs at what professional show breeders would charge for high quality puppies, why are they duping people out of such a cost for dogs approaching adulthood.

There's a whole range of things people can do; some are on the Oprah website after the recent programs and there are several lobby organisations. What tends to happen is people get upset, walk away and don't do anything at all -- which is why the system is perpetuated.

In Ireland despite having our own problems with puppy farms, it is illegal to sell puppies or kittens at petshops or at outdoor fairs or auctions. We have an animal welfare bill coming up and I plan to make a submission to government on the issue. I have in the past also phoned and spoken directly to the relevant civil servants involved with working on puppy farm legislation. That is what representative democracies are all about -- use that access!

It takes work to end this system and the more that are involved, the more likely this will end.

Over here there are rules stating how much space an animal must have. if this applies in your State, are they providing enough space, bearing in mind the fact that the puppies are growing ?

Is that not a good sign if they're 7 months old and they still haven't sold, they might think twice about stocking pups if they can't sell them, also it might mean the public are getting wise to puppy farms and pet shops :xfngr:

I just visited Opera's website, and I'm going to do more research and contact some of the newspapers - Maybe there's something I can do yet to help not only the cavaliers, but all the dogs in that petshop. The sad thing (or, maybe, fortunate thing) in this petshop is that I noticed many of the puppies in there seemed to be getting older - I'm taking it as a sign that things are changing, at least here in Vegas, and people are finally catching on and not buying petshop puppies!!! And not only their puppies - But at the same time, that ment these poor animals where spending MONTHS in cages awaiting some poor under educated sucker to buy them As a show breeder, this only saddens me further - I'd NEVER subject one of my babies to that kind of life! Sure, I've had a 7 month old that didn't have a home, but it's because I'd held onto it as a show prospect, and then later decided it hadn't turned out as a show prospect and decided to try to find it a pet home instead! I'm so tempted to return to the petshop and ask more questions, find out exactly how long those puppies have been sitting in those cages, how long they've been craving attention, I just can't get that scared little blenhiem girl off my mind, I just wish there was some way I could get her out of there and into my arms and give her the life she deserves without feeding the horrible puppy mill system!!!!!!!!

CavyMom said:

.....I just can't get that scared little blenhiem girl off my mind, I just wish there was some way I could get her out of there and into my arms and give her the life she deserves without feeding the horrible puppy mill system!!!!!!!!

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Why don't you go back and offer 1/2 the price they are asking for her?
You never know, they may accept your offer since she is no longer a small pup. At any rate, if they sold at a loss it might be a disincentive for future Cavalier sales... What will happen if she doesn't sell ??
Charlie McFarlie was purchased at a pet store and he is the sweetest dog we have ever owned. A friend of mine bought him for his daughter, but his wife would have nothing to do with dogs.
My friend offered Charlie to us and it is one of the best things that ever happened.

-Just a thought.

Can your phone take photos ? if so, how about sending some to the people currently campaigning for election ?

I know just how you feel. There is one pet store in town that has puppies. I won't buy anything in there. I feel so sorry for them, and I actually also feel a little bit sorry for the uninformed people who pay $1800 for a probably sick puppy that has probably sick and mistreated parents. It just burns me up. But I guess that is the price of ignorance. If people have not heard about the pet store/puppy mill connection by now, then they are either living in a cave, or they are in denial.

I have such a hard time walking away from those puppies and leaving them in the cages. They are just so adorable. I know I could provide them a good home, and they deserve a good home, but thinking about their parents just breaks my heart.

A lady at work and the lady that cleans my house both bought a dog there in the last 2 years. I just cringed and bit my tongue when they told me. I don't want to be known as a know-it-all and critic of what they did, and it's after-the-fact, so I don't think lecturing them would serve much purpose. I have slipped in a few comments about puppy mills since then, but I don't think they got the connection between them and the pet store.

In a perfect world, I'd like to get a guarantee that the store would never again stock puppies, then buy the whole lot out and find good homes for them. But you know those cages would be full the very next week. Greed trumps compassion for these guys.

Theres a ruby boy at the local pet store.. Hes been there for 2 months at least now and his price is $1100 (started at $1800).. I would love to bring him home but I dont want to support the stores.. what do you think an offer to tell them so they would maybe break even or take a loss?

I'd offer $600, and they'd probably still make money. But honestly, if they are going to put another little Cavalier in there the next week to fill his spot, then I don't know what I'd do. Maybe if this poor little guy gets too old for them to sell, they'll give him to rescue and give up on selling puppies, or at least Cavaliers. It's a frustrating problem. I really just want to grab them all and run!

If this were nirvana, and a store bought the puppies from good breeders and treated them well, I wouldn't have that much of a problem with having a puppy in a store. In fact, if you really knew that the store bought from good breeders, you couldn't keep me away, but unfortunately that's not the way the world works. No decent breeder would dream of selling to a pet store, so there you have it.

I truly believe that making things difficult for them is the way to go. I certainly could not resist going in and trying to take on that puppy for bargain price. If you have the cash in your hand then they may not refuse but I would say the MAX price should be $500. Go in with many $20'2 and $50's so it looks good and get the puppy out.

Use it as an exercise to make things hard for the petstore.

1. Get a DETAILED receipt.
2. Go straight to the vet. Don't even wait a day go from the store to the vet.
3. Have a FULL physical done. Eyes, ears everything. Get a full vet report noting anything and everything that about the pups health.
4. Pursue the petstore for all associated costs, treatment etc.

This will sting them hard. Become a thorn in their side.

If you can get as many friends to do this as possible you may just push them over the edge and if it is more hassle to sell puppies then they may just stop.

If there is nothing wrong with the puppy then you will just be very lucky indeed!

OR organise a peaceful protest outside the store!

Many litters of Cavaliers are bought here for about €500 for a litter of about 4/5 by dealers, shipped to the USA and stuck into those cages

I know that I should not of advised you to PAY for the puppy BUT I have been in the same situation (not a petstore but the actually puppy farm) when a puppy was put into my arms and I was told "you can have her she's too old" I had planned to buy her and bargain but it would of only been €100 or so. We also notified relevant authorities and this person was dealt with.

I think when we are faced with a single dog that is in need it is hard to walk away. Eventhough we know that we are funding an activity that should be stopped BUT it is so hard.

Good luck whatever you do and keep us posted.

TKC -- that sounds like a great idea. Also maybe have some friends go in there and make comments like "It's a shame, but he's older than I wanted." or things like that. Maybe they would get the picture that it doesn't pay to have puppies in their store. Plus, it may help get the price down to where they aren't making any money.

Daisy's Mom said:

I actually also feel a little bit sorry for the uninformed people who pay $1800 for a probably sick puppy that has probably sick and mistreated parents. It just burns me up. But I guess that is the price of ignorance. If people have not heard about the pet store/puppy mill connection by now, then they are either living in a cave, or they are in denial.

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Kosmo came from a petstore locally. In all honesty, I had no idea of "where petstore puppies came from" because where I come from, there was no such thing.. and I'd never seen dogs sold in a pet store.

In health news though, it's important to consider what these animals can have... After I got Kos I started doing some researching and ended up getting him insurance.. which was the best investment ever as he's already had $3500 worth of surgery

Arasara,

It definitely sounds like the insurance was a good investment. I got Daisy insured the day after we got her because I didn't want to stress out if something really big (and expensive) happened.

I want to bring home all those pet store puppies so badly. I know it is soft-hearted people who buy them, so I don't want to criticize the buyers too much. Lord knows I have to keep repeating to myself over and over "I cannot buy one. I cannot buy one." to get myself out of the store. I hope most of the dogs get great homes, and I would think lots of them probably do, if for no other reason than the people who would spend that much money on a dog would hopefully really want it and love dogs.

Like I said, two people I know who are really sweet but completely clueless about dogs and where they come from have recently bought puppies from the pet store at VERY high prices. I know these particular dogs have good homes now, but I do still think about their parents. One of the women I'm talking about literally walked into the pet store one day and walked out with a Japanese Chin, a breed she had never heard of and knew nothing about! It was a 100% impulse purchase. I was flabbergasted that someone would do that. She's very smart, too, so I'm not implying that she's an idiot or anything.

And I just want to tell people in the store looking at the puppies "I know they are cute, but you have to be careful about health problems. You can probably get a healthier dog at a good breeder for the same price or less. Not to mention the horrendous conditions these puppies' parents were/are most likely kept in."

I just wish there was a pet store that would only buy from ethical breeders. Then people would have easier means of buying dogs that were raised in humane conditions. Maybe there are some out there, but I would have to be convinced. My friend just bought a designer mix dog from a flea market. She said she had a reference from someone who previously bought a dog from him and she said that he was a great breeder, gave refunds if the dog had health problems, etc., but my radar went crazy when she was describing him. (I hope she was right though. I guess it's possible.) Plus, just the fact that he breeds those types of dogs and sells them at a flea market makes me highly skeptical. I didn't ask her if she had actually gone to his kennel to verify what he told her about it, because I knew she didn't. I just pray that she didn't just give a puppy miller a large amount of money and the incentive to keep doing what he's doing. She said he had cavapoos there at the flea market as well.

I do wish it wasn't so hard for the public to find a good breeder. And I wish it were more obvious to buyers when their seller is an unethical breeder or a broker who buys from a puppy mill. Because I do believe that most people would walk away rather than give money to a person who is unkind to dogs.

I rescued two breeding cavaliers from a byb in December. He told me flat out, as I was standing in the middle of his backyard surrounded by about 20 cages of barking tiny dogs, "I take good care of my dogs." Meanwhile, there were about 30 pomeranians and cavaliers in outdoor cages all year long in the mud, or in concrete pens. The dogs I got from him were matted, filthy, and covered in fleas. I guess his idea of "taking good care of dogs" is much different than mine. And he told me that he doesn't give rabies shots to any of his dogs because it makes the females skip a season! Heaven forbid he miss breeding a single heat, or "profit opportunity" from his point of view. His son, who owned the Cavaliers I bought was getting out of the Cavalier business because they were too "delicate" and the last litter died out in the cold. I had to bite my tongue so hard I think it was bleeding. Also? This guy was a minister. I don't even know what to say about that other than his church was for sale, too. It was very weird. I've never heard of a church that was privately owned, and seemingly for profit at that. It takes all kinds. I wonder what the people in the congregation think about him selling the church? Weird.