The only animal I have gotten from a pet store -- well except the hamsters and mice for my kids I guess-- is a little pig. He is not a Vietnamese Potbelly so I think they just call these mini pigs.

They were one week old!!! You could purchase them but not pick them up until the next week because they were just starting on solid food. I knew people were going to get these adorable little pigs with out being prepared for what they would grow up to be. So I bought Humphrey to 'save' him.

I got my other dogs in the past from backyard breeders that advertise in the paper or from the shelter. The two we have now just showed up here.

I got my Yorkie from searching the online classifieds in the Atlanta Journal. The lady was near me because she was visiting her daughter. She was from Florida. She brought two litters of puppies with her in the Winnebago, Morkies and Yorkies. She had two Yorkies with her that she said were the grandmothers to my dog. I felt like the puppies were clean and healthy and seemed well socialized. They aren't show quality but were just $750, about half price around here. It sounds like I could have been buying from a puppy mill or some other horrible situation, but if so my dog doesn't seem to be affected by it.

Has anyone heard of Love Kennels in Florida? Love is the breeders last name.

really because at first I was looking in the AJC for pups but was not sure if it was a good idea

newspaper ads
 

Anyone looking to sell puppies might advertise there, good or bad. I don't think looking there is a bad idea, just take what you have learned here about puppy mills and brokers to heart.

I spoke with one woman from AJC online who had me fill out a long questionnaire and plan a meeting. I went with this other one for price and location (remember, my husband was resistant to getting one) but I'll bet the first one was the kind of breeder we should be buying from. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with my dog. She has some flaws as far as the breed standard, but when you buy an over-bred breed at the low price end ($750) that is what one would expect. She has never been abused, was healthy, worm and parasite free and clean when I got her. The two grown dogs she brought with her were healthy and loved their daddy.

If I had it to do over again I would make a list of what is important in the order of importance and stick to the list.

On the list (you put in order of importance to you)
health
personality
price
color
guarantee
size
confirmation
????

End the end I did get what I really wanted. A healthy, beautiful dog with an outgoing personality. I was a little worried about size but now that I see what an 8.5 lb dog is like I am happy with that too.

(And no, I don't remember the other breeder I filled out the questionnaire for)

Good luck!!

This is a picture of Daisy when I got her

I already have a Shih Tzu who I got from a wonderful home breeder.

I was creeping for a Yorkie, found a puppy mill who had one. I didn't know it was a puppy mill at first. But when I put 2+2 together = duh. So I declined. I could have gotten a "yorkie" for $250. Instead I decided to go with another home breeder, much more expensive, but she cares and it's obvious. She loves the dogs she brings into the world. That's worth the extra money.

While I got Genghis and Spunky(Bichon that lived for 17 years) from breeder's I used to go to puppy stores during lunch almost everyday to play with the puppies, it was always so sad to see them locked up in their crates with the wire bottoms, it seemed uncomfortable. That being said I wouldn't buy from a puppy store. Also as a small child I used to remember playing with puppies from the beverly center, and I've been back to visit many times. I didn't know about puppy mills till recently.

I

I think some people buy from a pet store because

They have a payment plan or finance Company easier then comming up with a huge chunk of money all at once

or they can use Visa and or Mastercard
that is how they rationalize it, well its only 50 bucks a month etc

i agree

me too, however I honestly think the general public has no idea about puppy mills.

mmmm yes
 

i have two babys one of them is from a pet store, i did not know about the puppy mills at that time, but i love him so muuuuuchhhhh, with all my heart and i never going to regret buying him, just because the love he gives me and how he is in my heart, tough i will never buy from a pet store again now that i know the truth about the puppy mills. I just feel realy bad for all those babys and i wish in a way that they will find a home coz is not their faul how some "humans" behaive

I got a Sadie from a pet store, also not knowing anything about where pet stores get their dogs from. It was a small store and the owner told me they work with a "select group of breeders." I was so gullible, that I believed her. Yeah, right. It turns out most of these "breeders" are from Missouri. Sadie was very expensive and I love her dearly, but she doesn't look pure Yorkie. She has a pointy nose, coarse wavy hair and is tall and bowlegged. She came to me with a persistent kennel cough that took months to clear up, and terrible giardia, with bloody poop. I am very lucky that, while not a pretty girl, she has the most incredible personality, sweet and loving and energetic, but not high strung. Everyone loves her. But since learning all about pet stores and puppy mills, I cannot even bring myself to go into that pet store, even if it's to buy a toy or treat.

I purchased Bree at a pet store. Unfortunately, I did not know anything about puppy mills until I joined this website. Immediately after I brought her, I took her to the vet and she was in excellent health. I have had her almost two years and have not had one single problem.