*** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

Hello Everyone!

I am not new to LIF but I am new to the Pets forum because we recently welcomed our little girl Lola to our family! I am so utterly in love with this puppy and so is my DH. I posted about my CHi last weekend and I will admit it that I purchased her from a pet store! I felt so ashamed when I came on and saw all the posts about why NOT to get the cute lil puppy, etc. And then on my thread someone remarked (not rudely at all) that they hoped I didnt get it from a petstore. Im not offended at all by the way but I just feel really sad that I contributed to a bad thing.

We used to breed Chi's when I was a little girl and all of our puppies were AKC. We purchased all our Chi's from a breeder in Kentucky (who currently has the worlds smallest Chi in the world named Boo, and was on Oprah recently.) Anyway, I always thought I would also get my first Chi from Lana in Kentucky but honestly and truley I fell madly in love with Lola and could not imagine her spending one more night in the pet store. She is so happy and is so content in her new home. We will give her a fabulous life! I am sorry that I bought her at a petstore but honestly, I feel like it was out of my control, she was meant to be with us!

Does anyone else feel like this?! Meaning feels ashamed of WHERE they got their pet.

By the way, everyone is free to post on this site and if you want to express your opinion please do. I know its a hot topic and I really do not want to cause a fight or anything.

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Message edited 6/14/2009 7:25:39 PM.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

LONG!!!!

I don't think you deserve any flames for this. Intelligent conversation is always welcomed.

I have to say I have never bought from a petstore. Why? Well I never had a dog growing up, just cats (most were strays we took in off the street). Dh has bad allergies and asthma, so marrying him, I knew cats were not something i could own. I was crushed, but I accepted it. I would tell DH though...I dont think I can go my whole life without a pet to love. I just cant...so DH and I felt maybe a non shedding dog might work for us. He always wanted a dog growing up and I never had one, so we agreed, we would do some research.

When we had narrowed down some breeds that might work for us. My main reason NOT to buy from a petstore was i didn't want a dog who might be sick and would die on me/cost me alot of $ and heartache. One day, we went into the Pet Company in Roosevelt Field and we held a little puppy and my heart broke. They showed me her "papers" so I thought, she is "registered", etc. But as much as I wanted her, I was afraid of all the things I had heard over the years about pet store dogs....so we left her there. My heart would break whenever I would walk in, I would want to buy them all and save them....

Anyway, we thought for about 2 years if we wanted a dog, what kind, what they need, etc etc. Dh has bad asthma and allergies, so we knew we had to go to a breeder (as opposed to adopt) b/c we were so afraid if the breed wasn't what we were told, DH might have an allergic reaction. We also knew if Dh had a bad reaction, a reputable breeder would gladly take her/his dog back. So that comforted us but we KNEW we could never give a dog that we love back. So we had to be sure of the breed/background, etc.

So I did research and asked around. And we wound up going to a local reputable breeder. We met our dogs mom, saw where they lived, etc. It just felt right.

Well thinking back to the pet store, I never knew about puppy mills/BYB until I came onto LIF. When the lovely ladies here educated us on the topic, I was very thankful that I did not contribute to the situation. And then I saw OPRAH and I was SICK to my stomach! You see, I always worried about getting a sick dog that might crush my heart if she/he died on me, but I NEVER THOUGHT OR KNEW about how the mother dogs suffer and are mistreated and live lives of sheer torture.

I was sick for days. SICK. I still shudder when I replay that Oprah show in my mind. I still think back to that sad little puppy I left in the store that day. I wonder where he/she is and how they are, and how their mom is out there in some cage somewhere.

So I guess the moral of the story is, I don't fault you at all b/c I kNOW what it is like to fall in love and feel you are rescuing a puppy from a pet store cage. I UNDERSTAND that entirely and I almost did the same myself. But I didn't do it for reasons that were not the main reasons that i would not do it now. The moms..,..all the mom dogs out there suffering.

Do I fault you? No. But maybe if you are on this board for a while, and the ladies have the strength to speak up about it (it often doesn't go over well, as you know it's a heated topic), you might too one day pass up that little beauty in the store. But trust me, I don't blame you one bit and all I can say is live and learn I guess.

Message edited 6/14/2009 9:50:10 PM.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

As a teenager I would always visit the puppy store in the mall for at least an hour. I loved seeing the dogs (even though we had at least 3 at any given time at home), but I had no idea about puppy mills until my mid-twenties. My family had always bought our dogs from breeders.

I am, however, ashamed to say that I now own a lab from a puppy shop. My DH (bless his heart) got me a dog for my bday a couple years ago. I pestered him about getting a dog for months, and adamantly refused. So I dropped the subject. Lo and behold, I walk in after work on my bday, and there's a little chocolate lab running around (I wanted a Weimaraner, but that's another story altogether). He told me where he got the dog, and I couldn't believe it!!! In his defense, he had no idea that puppy mills even existed. But we discussed weimaraners when I was pestering him about getting a dog, and they don't usually sell Weims in pet shops, so I never brought it up (I even printed out breeders and left the papers lying around for him so he didn't have to do any of the work).

So I am a little embarrassed to say that I own a puppy store dog. But I do love her.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

Don't feel bad. Many people don't know.

I used to look in Pet stores all the time and considered buying our first dog. I had nooo idea about puppy mills and puppy stores. We ended up adopting, but had we not we definately would have bought from a store (without knowing any better).

The Oprah show on puppy mills changed my whole outlook. Now, I'll never buy a dog from a store.


Enjoy your new puppy

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

The only time I really get upset is when people know the facts, know the dangers of buying from stores or backyard breeders and choose to ignore that, especially when they do it more than once.

I don't think people who buy from *reputable* breeders are evil people either and I do think breeders have a valuable place in this world.

In a perfect world, people would research facts, breeds and behavior prior to getting an animal. They would choose on personality and how that animal fits into their family rather than how cute it is. They would spend time training and socializing their animal to give it the best chance at a happy life within their family.

But lets face it, how many people do you know who do that? I don't know many. I don't think you should regret loving your dog. You sound compassionate and that now that you know the truth, you wouldn't give puppy mills any more business. Good enough for me, enjoy your dog and give it a good life.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

No flaming from here-Before we got our puppy, we scouted some stores to get an idea of what dog we wanted, not to buy. There was one puppy that melted my heart-he was obviously way too young to be taken away from the mother to be in a store and it was so hard to leave him but we had to leave him. Its so sad to know that by saving one puppy you would be sacrificing even more.

I get judged constantly for getting our dog from a reputable breeder. We wanted a specific dog with a certain temperament with minimal medical problems. We know what we could handle and what was meant for us. I have had 2 horrible experiences with adopting shelter dogs in my youth and could not handle another bad experience. We were very unlucky in those instances, I am sure there are wonderful, loving dogs to be adopted.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

Don't feel bad.. I bought Chico from a pet store and while I said I would never do it, he stole our hearts and we came back to get him after the store closed..

We happened to have been VERY lucky that there was nothing wrong with Chico except for a little kennel cough and the vet took care of that right away with no fee.. We've had no problems with him since (*knock on wood*)..

As long as your puppy is ok and well taken care of, I wouldn't worry as to wear you purchased the dog..

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

When I was married to my ex-husband, he purchased a doberman pup for me from a pet store. We had gone in with friends and I thought the pup was the most adorable thing. He went back later and bought the dog.
Although he was a wonderful dog - he had lots of problems healthwise and that led me to start looking into petstores. What I learned appalled me.
I also have a problem with the fact that there is no screening done in petstores...anyone with good credit can walk away with a puppy.

Fast Forward 10 years and when DH and I decided to get a dog, we discussed what we wanted and where we would get the dog from. We decided on a Weimaraner and contacted the Weimaraner rescue...two weeks later we had a dog. The sad part is that she is a petstore dog. The couple we got her from bought her at a pet store and of course, knowing nothing about the breed, were in for the shock of their lives when they tried raising this puppy.
The good thing is we got a wonderful dog that we love to death.

I do think it's important to learn and grow from previous experiences. I feel if you buy a puppy from a pet store unknowingly it's "excusable"...but once you have learned the facts, I think it's deplorable to even think about buying from a pet store.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

Don't feel bad. Those dogs need a home too. It's not Lola's fault that she ended up in a pet store.

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

I bought my first dog from a pet store , I really had no knowlege about puppy mills and I just fell in love with my little yorkie . He was so sick that I only had him for 5 weeks and he passed away . Poor thing, it broke my heart and after that then I vowed only to get from a breeder.
The dog I have now is from a breeder a

My next dog will be a rescue since I will be a home owner and have the space for a bigger dog. I wanted a little lap dog since I used to live in a small apartment.

No flames here .

Re: *** Please do NOT flame me! I would really like to open this topic up for a civil conversation

before this website i honestly never looked into the facts about buying from a pet store. it really opened my eyes though after reading about it . and then we decided to adopt our dog.

with all that said, my parents bought 2 dogs from the pet store because they didnt realize either. but they are wonderful dogs anyhow, and i would be sad if they were not in my life at all.

But i do thank everyone from this site , and for that i will only adopt.

but to each is own, no flaming here.. I wish everyone the best with their pet.. no matter where they came from!