Wow! What a subject and I can sort of agree with both sides.
Brookef18, I so see your point and have bought puppies from pet shops.
Did you know that in Japan puppies are bought at a "market" once a week. Very similar to the same kind of fish market where stores and restaurants go to buy thier fresh fish. These puppies definately come from puppie mills and have had NO medical care or shots. They are often only 6 weeks old. If they are not sold by a certain age they are gassed and if they get sick while at the shop they are killed or just let to die. Doesn't pay for the shop owners to get them medical care. I don't know how different things are here in the states but my bet would be not much.
So, on Brookef18's side...
I went into one of these pet shops in Japan lured in by the cuties in the shop window. I always feel so bad for them. In one of the cages was 3 Maltese babies. One of them was hiding in the back corner of the cage and looking so sad. I couldn't help myself and had to give him a snuggle. (he just looked like he needed one) The man got him out for me and as I held him close to snuggle him I could hear that his little chest was cogested and I could tell this litle guy just didn't feel well. I tried to tell the shop owner that the puppy wasn't well and he just took him and tossed him back in the cage. I couldn't believe it and for the rest of the day that poor baby just tugged at my heart. Later that evening I went back and bought that puppy. 1100 + a large amount for a months of insurance for if anything went wrong. My Little Sammy. This was about 5 years ago and to type this now still brings tears to my eyes. I brought him home on a Friday and had him into the vet on Monday. Told that day that my little Sammy had a congenital heart defect and that his heart was quite enlarged. The vet put him on many different meds and told me to just love him, he won't be here for long. I had my Japanese friend call the shop and explain what the vet said and the shop owner told her to have me bring the puppy back and he would give me another. I had her ask him what he would do with the puppy and he said he would just let him die. I said NO WAY! This baby had a terrible (short) life and that he would be loved in whatever little time he had left. My Sammy dies less than a week later in my kitchen while I was giving him his morning meds with my children there eating thier breakfast. He didn't go quietly although it was fairly quickly. It was the devestating to us all.
The way I see it is that my Sammy was able to feel some love and feel safe before he died and he so deserved that. If I had not bought him he would have suffered and died alone not ever knowing what love was. If I had the money and the room I would save them all. It so breaks my heart how they suffer.
So, yes those places should all be shut down but until they are those babies deserve some love too.
ON THE OTHER SIDE:
Here in Alaska you CAN NOT find a pet shop that sells cats or dogs. There is not a one that I have ever seen. Instead, they offer adoptions on the weekends from the local shelters. Therefore there is NO NEED for puppy mills anywhere in this area. So, I believe that the answer lies not in makeing the babies that already in the shops suffer but instead lies in taking away the demand totally. The anwers lie in the pet shops not the customers who buy. If this cause is close to your heart I would appeal to the pet shops in your area. If they don't carry them, people can't buy them and the puppy mills will effectively loose thier livelyhood.
I'm sorry I have rambled and I hope that I have made sense as once I got started and the tears rolling I just went on without much thought!
Kim |