Petco....
 

This must be why Petco doesn't sell puppies....I was wondering that the other day. I went to get some puppy stuff and noticed they had everything but dogs. They did have a small section with cages for adoption days, a grooming section, clinics and even training classes .....Good job, Petco! I'll just go there from now on:) I was going there anyway but I'll make it a point now to avoid pet stores that have a lot of dogs...There is a pet store in the Dartmouth mall that just closed down...I guess there is no way to do it the right way if you own a pet store...still have to be careful cuz some people say they're breeders and they are puppy mills! Kind of like Petland talking their bull over and over again...No way, we'd never buy from a puppy mill...

The Pet Store at the Mall of Rockingham Park in Salem, NH is now closed. However, Seaworld Pet Center in Salem, NH is open (that's where Sully came from) and there's also a new Pet Store right across from it called "Puppy Palace". They sell only small breed pups - a lot of yorkies. They are really clean and seem to take really good care of their pups. They make everyone use hand sanitizer before they pet the puppies and they only let serious buyers actually hold the pups and even then it's supervised. It's a husband and wife owned store and they seem to be really picky about who buys and who holds their pups. Not sure where they get them. I asked to see their papers and I was told if I was buying the puppy I could see the papers, but if I was just in there as some kind of animal rights person that I could not. I forgot to ask what happens to them if they don't sell. I actually can't say I've seen the same puppy there for more than a week or two. They said they sell the yorkies as fast as they come in. Seaworld on the other hand has a bunch of older pups. 5 now to be exact. 1 since before xmas, 1 since right after xmas and 3 since January.

99% of the puppies you see in pet stores come from puppy mills, so you can bet that's where they came from. Remember, reputable breeders care about where their puppies go so they never sell to pet stores or brokers.

It doesn't matter how clean the puppies are kept once they get there, they still came from puppy mills.

Just the fact that they won't show you the papers because they are afraid you are an animal rights activist is a tip off right there.

Basically they are admitting that they are getting their puppies from midwest commercial kennels, but claiming they are "good" ones. :thumbdown

“Where Do You Get Your Puppies?”

Is one of the most frequently asked questions. It’s obvious people are either concerned about or have a preconception that “pet store puppies” come from puppy mills. We are well aware that puppy mills exist, and can assure you we do not and will not acquire any puppy from a mill. There really are quite a few very good breeders out there, even in the mid-west!

The Puppy Palace

OMG - I just went on their site - Did you see what's on their main page?! A Clearance Sale on puppies!!! That seems so odd! It's like their selling sheets or shoes!

You are 1000 % right .

I would like to add that in addition to the above the newest scammer out there is the Puppymill/Puppy broker posing as a rescue. :mad::mad::mad: When you see a rescue advertising themselves as having returned or unwanted puppies RUN! What this is doing is two fold---The puppies that are returned to the mill that cannot be sold in the stores are still valuable so when they are returned they will take them to "Rescue Puppy Store". The owners of the puppy store claim to be a rescue but really all they are is a second hand puppy broker. They buy the unwanted puppies when they are returned and sell them at a cut rate and people are falling for this. To make is sound more legitimate they will make you fill out an application for their "rescue" but pretty much anyone can buy and have a puppy shipped from these places. A real rescue will be a background check, home visit, interview the adoptive family and they will NEVER ship a puppy across the country NEVER NEVER NEVER! When you see one of these store advertised and decide that is the way to rescue RUN!!!! All you are doing when you purchase from these type of scam artists is making a new spot in another Pet Shop and supporting the mills!

Also a while back there was another thread about a puppy ranch. Also bad news. A rescue will not meet you in a parking lot with a van full of year old dogs and puppies. RUN!!!!!! They are a puppymill in hiding too scamming good hearted people into thinking they are saving a puppy.

It is not so much the puppies in the store that are the problem. When you go into any pet shop that sells puppies you have to remember were it is they came from. The mommy is left behind in horrible conditions to pump out more and more litters of puppies to sell. That is why it is truly wrong to buy from a pet shop. It doesn't matter how well taken care of the puppies are in the store, how much hand sanitizer, what kind of security system they have, what matters is ALL OF THE DOGS BACK AT THE MILL! The horrible treatment and lack of humane care they have to endure their entire life. That is the reason that you shouldn't purchase a puppy from a pet shop. The ones that are left behind to suffer. :(

Wow - good point.... It makes sense too. I tried to contact the breeder who was listed on Sully's papers to see if they would like a picture of him and tell them how he was doing and I asked if they could send me a picture of his parents. They never responded or wrote back to me. Now I'm thinking that maybe..... oh boy.....I don't even want to think about it.

pet store puppies
 

as far as answering your question i think they send them back to the owner i had a friend that sold her puppies to a broker that sold them to pet stores and when they got older and didn't sell the broker found an excuse that there was something wrong with the puppy and it was returned to the owner. As far as buying a puppy from a pet store thats entirely up to you I myself would stay away from that store buying these puppies just gives pets stores more money and the oportunity to buy more from puppy mills.

Who is the breeder listed on Sully's papers? If you really want to know post it and someone will who has the USDA breeder list. There is also a site that you can submit the breeder and they will trace it so that you know.

You can look Sully's breeder up yourself. This is the USDA "puppymill" list by state:

http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/ListA2006.pdf

If Sully came from a pet shop, you can get a free report here:

http://www.petshoppuppies.org/psppuppyreport.htm

shipping.....is it a read flag?
 

It's not neccessarily wrong for a breeder to ship a puppy to you right? There's a breeder on here that I'm seriously contemplating looking into getting one from but they ship....I've been known to make a stupid mistake and wouldn't like to do it again...ya know what I mean....

The last time I walked into a petstore I was horrified. The pups there were in terrible shape, walking on those wire bottomed cages. There was a siberian husky pup that looked gravely ill. His eyes were infected and half closed and he was very lethargic. Let me tell you, the image of those dogs stayed with me for days. I agree with not supporting puppy mills, but I too wonder....what about the poor angels that are sick and suffering in those stores. I wish the government would ban selling puppies in stores, or put into place strict regulations.

I cant even stand to go into petland or jack's aquariums because they sell puppies. I refuse to purchase anything from either of those stores and I pressure my friends and family to totally boycott these stores also. I work at the petshotel at petsmart and we get people in there all the time asking if the dogs there for daycamp are for sale and when I tell them no they ask where the puppies for sale are and I let them know we dont sell dogs, but we do hold adoption events on weekends. They usually dont like that answer so they will ask who does sell puppies I tell them I dont know. There's no way I'm giving people ithe nformation to buy puppymill puppies. I've had people get mad at me for "not knowing" but I really dont care! The most I'll EVER do for these people is offer them the phone numbers and e-mail addresses to shelters we work with, but the customers don't usually take the numbers. I wish i could tell people about stores like petland when they ask, but unfortunately, if I'm wearing the petsmart uniform I'm not allowed to bash the competitors. It makes me so mad because the people are obviously unknowledgable and someone needs to tell them!

I did google her name when we first got him with breeder and she is on the USDA licensed breeder list so that's a good thing....right? At least if they have a license they have to follow some guidelines and have some type of inspection done.

No, that is not good. USDA licensed breeders are large scale commercial kennels, what we call puppy mills. They have bare minimum guidelines for care and are under inspected. :thumbdown

Puppymills - commercial dog kennels and the USDA