Grrrr! Puppies at Walmart

Okay, I must rant. I went to the local Walmart today. It was sooo busy. Anyway, on the way into the parking lot, there was a man and a little boy about 9 or 10 years old sitting on the back bumper of their car with a sign "FREE PUPPIES" and a laundry basket on the ground. The little boy was hoisting a pup up over his head and waving it back and forth like a hawker selling popcorn at a football game. I was troubled. We have a terrible problem with dog-fighting in this rural, mountain region, and I just felt a duty to let them know what fate they might sentence those pups to (not to mention the ill-thought-out plans of people who get a pup on a whim).

So, I pulled up and thought over my approach. I thought I'd admire the pups and then comment on their cuteness and ask the breed and then good-samaritan-like, inform them of the dog fighting problem, making it seem like I was just making sure they knew so they'd be careful in homing these pups, since I knew they wouldn't want such a fate for them.

They told me the pups were half german shepherd and half golden retriever, and that they were 6 weeks old and had been wormed. There were 4 pups, 3 males, 1 female (the one hoisted up in the air). The 3 boys were lying terrified in the basket on the concrete with not even so much as an old towel to lay down on. They were DIRTY. Filthy dirty, with dirt caked around their noses and all in their coats, and they had a bit of a skin problem in small patches. They looked so frightened and timid, with no hint of playfulness. If they were 6 weeks old, then I am 6 weeks old!

I said the things I intended to say, but knew as I was saying them that they didn't care, they only wanted to wash their hands of these pups, and do so in a way that, to them, seemed responsible. Unfortunately, around here, giving away pups is most peoples idea of rehoming.

I shopped, got done in about 30 minutes and as I was driving out of the parking lot, they were picking up the empty laundry basket and putting it in the trunk. The son was still holding the runty girl pup. I just cannot bring them home, not with a puppy here and those pups looking so poorly and not vaccinated. There is LOTS of parvo around these parts.

Then, not 3 parking isles over as I drove to the exit, there was an SUV with Weimeraner puppies that they were selling out of the back. Ugh! I was disgusted and just had to leave. At least they weren't free.

I just feel like I should have said more or done more...just not sure what.

You can contact your humane society and ask them what your options are for the future. I know our humane society would probably send someone out and perhaps even sieze the puppies. Could you have asked them why they didn't take them to a shelter?

I saw puppies at our Walmart parking lot today, too. They are frequently there, some free and some for cash. But the place in our town where there are always puppies on the weekends, and often 5 or 6 people selling them at a time, is in front of our Target store.

Whenever I go by there on Saturday or Sunday, I always remark to my husband in amazement that I can't believe that the mall people allow them to do that every weekend. I've seen everything from bichons to shelties to dalmations there. I've never seen Cavaliers, but I suspect they have been there before, too. It kind of started out with free puppies there, but then, of course, the "purebred" people got the idea of selling dogs there. It's very upsetting. You have to wonder how many of these people who are casually driving by and buy a pup on impulse really are committed to the work, time, and expense of a dog. I would bet the percentage of dogs who end up at the shelter (or worse) is fairly high.

Nancy said:

You can contact your humane society and ask them what your options are for the future. I know our humane society would probably send someone out and perhaps even sieze the puppies. Could you have asked them why they didn't take them to a shelter?

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I wish! I thought of that. Our shelter only is open monday thru friday 8-4:45. They are a high kill shelter that is overwhelmed with dogs in this rural area. They don't even do any vetting. When I moved here, I stopped to help an injured hit-by-car dog with no collar or tags. When the shelter got there, they put a catch pole on her and yanked her, yelping in pain into the back of the truck. I yelled at the guy and he just shrugged and said he didn't want to get bitten. I asked if they'd have the vet look at her. They said they didn't have the funds for vet care...that they'd give the owner a few days (I think he said 5) to claim her, then they'd put her down since she'd be unadoptable like she was. They won't send anyone out after hours or weekends, and if you call for something, often times they never come. Once, I had the animal control officer come to my door asking if I was the house who had called about dogs running loose. I wasn't, but I did talk to the man about the ongoing problem. He said he had the answer for that problem, and he made some remark about taking the dogs back in the woods and feeding them a bullet!
Here is what the other shelter near me just across the county line (which I live right next to) has on their website:
Very sad situation out here. the shelter doesn't even spay and neuter first. they just make people sign a contract to do it, then rely on individuals to get it done. There is not a spay/neuter discount available around here either. I paid $180.00 to spay Kaya. It isn't cheap and a huge majority of people don't do it, so as a result, the unwanted puppies keep coming, and there aren't enough private rescues to get them. They stay overwhelmed trying to save them from the shelters before they run out of time.

That is very sad. Our local shelter seems quite a bit better than that, but I know they have a fairly high kill rate, too. I called them once about a stray pit bull that had made a home in our shrubs. (Of course, me feeding him chicken breast and hot dogs had absolutely nothing to do with him staying there. icon_whistling )

The animal control lady that came out was very, very sweet and she got this scared dog to finally come to her with a lot of patience. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by him, given his breed. He kept making a weird noise when I called him and reached for him, so after that I just let him be. He would come out of the bushes for the food and water after I went back in the house. I went to the shelter later to sign a release form for him and she brought him out to see me. I couldn't believe it -- he was friendly, wagging his tail, etc., so she definitely got his trust. She kept going on and on about how beautiful he was (he was an unusual blue merle color). Unfortunately, I have no idea what became of the poor little guy. He was a young dog, but already pretty big.

Anyway, they try their best with limited space and funding. It's very sad going in there and seeing all those sweet, loving faces looking at you hopefully. Breaks my heart.

you must feel so frustrated!
I can't believe people can be so cruel about animals but they do.
You did the right thing!

Im glad i wasnt there, if i was i would be so mad that i would be saying... unpleasnt words to them about the puppies future. That is really sad. Im sure any animal shelter would take them in if they had found them... i think.

brotymo said:

I said the things I intended to say, but knew as I was saying them that they didn't care, they only wanted to wash their hands of these pups, and do so in a way that, to them, seemed responsible. Unfortunately, around here, giving away pups is most peoples idea of rehoming.

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The 'damage' having been done already, what they were doing seems like it will almost certainly be better for the dogs in the long run... so in this case, it seems reasonable to me as well. Would you rather they take them to the 'high kill' shelter, or dump them somewhere? At least they're trying.

I see so many dogs out here where we live who are very thin or starving, wandering lose all the time (people think that because it is the country and they have a couple of acres that they don't need a fence), infested with fleas and other parasites, tied out to a stake or tree for their ENTIRE lives in any kind of weather, etc. People who take puppies like this on a whim as a pet more often will be the type of owners who will view them as disposeable.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure they are going to be better off. Chances are, many of them will either live a life of misery at the end of a short rope or die later after years of suffering, neglect or being hit by a car. Far better to have a chance at adoption in the shelter by a person who had thought out their decision (puppies do have the best chance for being picked), but if not, to die quicky and peacefully.
A woman in our neighborhood kept her dog tied out 24/7. The poor animal tried to chase something one day that went past. He came to the end of the leash with such force that he dog broke his back and had to be put to sleep. Another neighbor shot his Lab when it got sick with parvo "to end its suffering" and then let the dog's 2 pups die from the parvo as well since he refused to take them to the vet. I didn't know about this until after the fact, or I would have called on the situation...though I don't know how much if any good it would have done.