Maybe you should spend some time with one of the breeders that make it out of these horrible places....Im really hoping your comment wasnt serious :confused:

Everyone can help in their own way:

I do a lot of rescue work and have managed the paperwork on several hoarder/mill situations here in NC. We pulled animals out of conditions you just could not believe. And the woman got 3 months in jail. If you steal a dog, its a felony....if you starve it to death....its a misdemeanor here in NC. TOO SAD.

But if you can't face that try one of these:

Write your local and state representatives to make puppy mills and selling pets in stores illegal.

donate time walking dogs and cuddling with them at the local shelter

donate food/towels/blankets/supplies to local pet rescue organizations

foster a dog for a rescue group

become part of the rescue "train" that moves animals across the country...you typically agree to drive a few hours one way with a dog to meet another volunteer

ABSOLUTELY REFUSE TO FREQUENT ANY PET STORES WHICH SELL DOGS OR CATS. Tell them how much you spend annually. Tell them why they won't be getting it. Do it in writing to the parent company if its a large group.

Talk to your friends. Your church group. Your clubs. Your familiy. The more people who know, the more they can spread the word.

Contribute money to reputable rescue groups and shelters.

So there is something for EVERYONE, no matter how much time or money they have (don't buy one dog dress, donate that money to a group). We made our teenage son volunteer with our vet who does rescue work, 3 days a week after school all last year.

Doesn't matter who you are, you can help!

All excellent advice! I too have my teenage daughter help with rescue. I think it's a great way to give back and to learn.

Pet Store Puppy
 

What a beautiful poem that really touches the heart, soul, and body of a person and thank you for sharing.:animal36 Bently 1.

The thing is that the puppies in the stores are not the ones suffering in misery. They are the lucky one to make it out of the mills. Their mommas and daddies are the ones suffering for years and years pumping out those cute little puppies. :( Then they pack those puppies onto the trucks and ship them off and ifthey survive you see them in the pet shop windows. What about the ones dumping into the trash behind the stores when they die in transport? :confused: Now take all of the little ones that have genetic defects that are sold to unsuspecting families that fell in love with that cute little puppy. Yes, it's a crap shoot~some are healthy and live long lives. :) But others have genetic defects and become sick but you can assume there are plenty of loving new owners who will pay any money to fix their sick baby but what about those that don't? They might end up in a rescue given the surgeries to fix them to make them whole again. Those are the lucky ones that are not PTS because the owners do not know about rescues that will take that little puppy and make him well.

THESE are the reasons that we ALL need to STAY OUT OF THE PET SHOPS!!!!! If we do not buy they will not produce!

The poem was sad.
Nancy I love reading your post.



My self I have never seen out pet stores where I live ever dirty. some of the workers there love their dogs just as much as we do. most of the are young school kids needing jobs. I have watched them work with the puppy's there and they treat them really good. but I cant say any thing about other pet stores. only the ones I've been in. and those ones have always been clean.

Its not the puppy store that really gets to me its the mills.
No I have never bought a puppy from a pet store but have family, friends who have. and they have been lucky to get a healthy one.
There's many breeders that are the same way. dogs in dirty cages. puppies taken away to early sick puppys sold, its all very sad. I know that there are many members here who have dogs that came from pets stores, and I know they all feel that they are happy that they got their babies and that they took them from those horrible places. and I have to agree. its not those puppies fault that they were born to mills.and I'm glad they now have a family that love them. But we cant save them all. I wish that we could. but I feel instead of wasting time with the pet stores we need to work more on shutting down the mills that's where its all starting at. those poor Mommy's and daddy's have never been loved. sutting down the mills and BYB will keep the petstores from having these pups.

yorkieshadow:

I agree that some stores look clean. Well, the front does. Who knows what is going on back where we can't see? I know lots of ex puppy store workers talk about "sick rooms" and being told to throw puppies out in the trash. which is why they hire young, young girls who need the money and who usually will do what they are told, no matter how odious.

The reason to work on the mills AND the stores is that if there is no market for pet store dogs, it slows the flow from the mills. It also drives prices down, and if you can't get the $$$$$$ then they stop breeding the dogs. Yes, the internet still exists, and its harder to shut down, but a lot of people aren't net savvy so, if we take the wet noses our of our malls, it will cut demand dramatically.

Please, everyone, speak with your wallets. Refuse to frequent these stores, tell them WHY. take your money elsewhere.

they can't survive if enough of us do it.

I dont feel that this poem is about the pet story and cleanliness of the store its about the bigger picture of trying to stop the millers and the pet store is a main supporter of the miller. So stopping sells in the pet store is a good start.

Great post :thumbup: :thumbup: