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chloeTG · 02-28-2006, 01:33 PM

Snickersmom,
Please don't beat yourself up over this! In a perfect world, all pups would be born in lovely homes and they would be abundant, easy to locate and reasonably priced. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world.

I got my pup from a petshop, too. It wasn't the ideal and it wasn't something I had planned to do but I think it was a blessing for me and for Bobby. The pet shop made no money on him and likely took a loss.

Frankly, I think the price people are willing to pay for a pup is the big problem, across the board. When people who have no business breeding -- and companies looking for a sure product -- see that folks will pay around $2,000 for a puppy, greed sets in.

There are some "reputable breeder" practices that I just can't stomach, too. A woman I knew years ago bred Dalmatians -- deafness is a problem with the breed and even the best breeders will sometimes have a deaf puppy. Most of them euthanize the deaf pups. My friend couldn't bring herself to do that so she would try HARD to place them and had success in learning sign language, teaching it to the dogs and training them to be companions to deaf children! Or she would agree to adopt the dog for a deposit that would be returned when the pup was spayed or neutered. Luckily, she didn't have many deaf dogs but when she did, it wasn't a death sentence. A lot of "reputable breeders" routinely euthanize less-than-perfect dogs. Many might agree with this practice but I don't. I think they should be given the chance at a loving pet home.

Please don't think I am advocating pet shops or puppy mills -- I'm just saying that the situation is a lot more complicated and it's not as simple a solution as "don't buy from pet shops." There needs to be a lot more regulation on animal care and sales, including price regulation. When there is a continuous market of people willing to pay $2,000 for a puppy, there will be a whole industry of people willing to provide them and many will not be ethical.

Julie

Julie,

I totally agree with you...as long as their is a price on their heads there will be puppymills and backyard breeders. Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast and while we can crack down on some of these there will always be a new one to pop up in its place...makes me sick to think of it...If Breeders are charging a large adoption fee for these babies then others will continue to make their profits. Some people will go as far to sell "Champion Lines" for 10,000 dollars...are you telling me it cost 10,000 dollars to bring a puppy into the world? You're right the situation is a lot more complicated then not buying from a pet store or closing down a puppymill. We live in a country where life is monopolized, and as always it is the innocent that suffer.

02-28-2006, 01:33 PM	#18
chloeTG Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 239	Complicated! Snickersmom, Please don't beat yourself up over this! In a perfect world, all pups would be born in lovely homes and they would be abundant, easy to locate and reasonably priced. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. I got my pup from a petshop, too. It wasn't the ideal and it wasn't something I had planned to do but I think it was a blessing for me and for Bobby. The pet shop made no money on him and likely took a loss. Frankly, I think the price people are willing to pay for a pup is the big problem, across the board. When people who have no business breeding -- and companies looking for a sure product -- see that folks will pay around $2,000 for a puppy, greed sets in. There are some "reputable breeder" practices that I just can't stomach, too. A woman I knew years ago bred Dalmatians -- deafness is a problem with the breed and even the best breeders will sometimes have a deaf puppy. Most of them euthanize the deaf pups. My friend couldn't bring herself to do that so she would try HARD to place them and had success in learning sign language, teaching it to the dogs and training them to be companions to deaf children! Or she would agree to adopt the dog for a deposit that would be returned when the pup was spayed or neutered. Luckily, she didn't have many deaf dogs but when she did, it wasn't a death sentence. A lot of "reputable breeders" routinely euthanize less-than-perfect dogs. Many might agree with this practice but I don't. I think they should be given the chance at a loving pet home. Please don't think I am advocating pet shops or puppy mills -- I'm just saying that the situation is a lot more complicated and it's not as simple a solution as "don't buy from pet shops." There needs to be a lot more regulation on animal care and sales, including price regulation. When there is a continuous market of people willing to pay $2,000 for a puppy, there will be a whole industry of people willing to provide them and many will not be ethical. Julie Julie, I totally agree with you...as long as their is a price on their heads there will be puppymills and backyard breeders. Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast and while we can crack down on some of these there will always be a new one to pop up in its place...makes me sick to think of it...If Breeders are charging a large adoption fee for these babies then others will continue to make their profits. Some people will go as far to sell "Champion Lines" for 10,000 dollars...are you telling me it cost 10,000 dollars to bring a puppy into the world? You're right the situation is a lot more complicated then not buying from a pet store or closing down a puppymill. We live in a country where life is monopolized, and as always it is the innocent that suffer.