What's a nice way to inform someone of petshop pups....
 

when they've just introduced me to their new baby they got at the mall? this has happened twice to me in the last few weeks. Today a long time customer came in with their new morkie. I asked where they got her from and they said at the petshop in the Orange mall (that mall and store is really ghetto). Most of the dogs in there are mixes and most don't have papers. The ones that do are APR, ACA, etc. they don't list prices on the windows, so i don't know how much they cost, but I can only guess.

The dog didn't look part yorkie at all. It just looked like a mutt. It had blonde hair, aren't malteses pure white?

The other time was a lady who bought from the same store, a yorkie, and they said it was a "one day special, today only" type deal. :rolleyes:

Then there was the time last summer when another local petshop raffled one off at a summer festival. the family that won her wanted a yorkie b/c the love Uni so much.

How can I politely inform my customers or other people I meet about petshops and puppymills without sounding like a total meanie raining on their new puppy parade? Most of the times the pup is right in front of me!

I would start out by telling them how adorable their new puppy is, and how lucky the puppy is to have found a good home. and then explain to them the conditions that the were born into.

Just tell them to google puppymill.com

I never know this either; I've known a few people come to me ALL excited because they just got a new pup, and
I'll ask "oh, where did you get him?" nicely and they'll reply "such-and-such pet store" and I kind of cringe inside
just because I know about it. But I also understand not everybody knows about it... I still haven't figured out
a nice way to explain to them so I usually just smile, nod, and tell them how cute their dog is. I think sometimes
even when you tell people about it... they don't quite GET it.

Although in my college speech class, I did a presentation on puppy mills to a class of about 30 and everyone
was shocked and really interested in the whole thing. They all learned something new and said I had one of
the best impacting speeches ever in the class! So it made an impact on those 30-some people, so hopefully
I made somewhat of a difference and my peers will think twice about getting a new puppy from a pet store!

If it's a yorkie invite them to YT. They'd learn quickly. :D

Maltese's are pure white, but since it was a yorkie/maltese, it's quite possible the puppy could be blonde. I've seen morkies look all kinds of ways.

I think that is a great idea, invite them to YorkieTalk. Then someone else can tell them. Most people just don't want to think about where they come from or might even think they are saving one that came from a puppy mill.

I think it's kinda hard after the fact. After all, it's not like they could bring him/her back but I always make sure I tell people beforehand. I know I have personally warned several people and none of them have bought from a pet store so maybe if we all do this, eventually as a group we will have an impact...

Oh that's a really good idea! thanks! :thumbup:

Yes, I have talked to a lot of people before they buy them, that's the easier way. But it's so hard when they just got the pup, many times, with the pup right there!

Good job Brit! :thumbup:

After they already have their pup is not the time to try to educate them. It will only make them sad about their pup and maybe mad at you for being the "bearer of bad news"

I like the idea of inviting them to YT and letting them get their own education. Maybe when they are ready for their next dog, they will know/do better.

I wish someone had told us where to get a Yorkie.

My husband was so excited that I said yes to a dog, and picked out a Yorkie (male was all i wanted!) that he went right away searching the internet for dogs for sale and we had one within 2 weeks. We were willing to wait for a breeder's litter if needed, but my husband was so excited! he had bought the crate, and puppy pads and all this shampoo, flea stuff, combs, brushes etc.. he was so excited I don't think he would have cared who it came from.

We emailed a few people, and some of them had websites, others didn't. We ended up taking a pup from a family that seemed really sweet, and were ready to deliver. Keep in mind my husband surprised me with most of this, but that's because I let him "find our Yorkie".

I tried to email the breeder recently to give them an update and pictures, but their email wasn't working :( My husband long erased their phone number, so we now have no contact with Derby's parents.

It's kind of sketchy thinking about it now...

We have a bigger Yorkie (my husband's choice, I wanted a smaller one) and we have papers for him but his breeders were not CKC registered and we assumed it because they had big Yorkies. He's a healthy guy, and had all his shots done etc but his tail is cropped too short... Not sure if they are first breeders, or what because I never met them- my husband did. I guess it was hard letting Derby go because their little girl cried when my husband took him. He was the favorite, even though he was the biggest one of the bunch.

I know now that next time we get a puppy, I am alot more educated about Yorkies and know now what i should be looking for.

Yorkietalk RULES!!!

Well just b/c he is big is not the reason he is not CKC (Canadian equivalent to AKC, am I right?) It's just if the dam and sire are CKC that the pups will be also if registered, and it's up to genetics how big the pup will get. So that is very possible a bigger dog that is still CKC (or AKC in the US).

But anyway, I guess we are in a similar boat. We did not do ANY research before we got Uni. We got SOOOOO lucky. She does not have huge medical problems, she does have grade 3 LP, which we supplement with glucosamine, thank god! She is to standard according to her size (under 7 lbs) but her color is too light, and her legs are too long (but I think they make her more agile and cat like :D)

I guess my breeder was not one of the worst. She came with 2 sets of shots and microchipped, but not one of the best. but I would not go back to her knowing what I know now. Anyway, I lost her contact info as well. She did ask about the baby (Uni) and ask for photos though. And her daughter played with the pups everyday and "named" them all. But I guess you could have called her borderline byb/hobby breeder. (Hobby breeders don't get mad, she had a dog stroller/dog clothing manufacturing company, so I know she did love dogs, just didn't do all the testing she should have.)

Yes CKC is the Canadian AKC.

Like I said, I was very uneducated..lol

Ya, we were lucky too. Derby's breeders seemed super cool and their little girl was very attached to Derby. She cried when my husband took him! but my husband said he really got a good "feeling" from the breeders and felt that they were "good people" and with a good price at $850 he thought he was getting a deal vs some ads saying $1200-$1500 for CKC pups. He came with pee pads, papers that say "Yorkshire" on it, papers with the shots they had gotten done, a few toys, food (although now we know it was crap food -Iams!-). He's on Orijen now, the vet says he's healthy and at 10 pounds we're not complaining. lol

He's definitely not puppy mill material, but I couldn't tell you if he was the first litter for these breeders, or they were backyard breeders...Honestly, I don't care.

What I would have liked to see were Derby's puppy parents. That, I never saw :( neither did my husband since these people "delivered". We didn't have a car, and they wanted to see our home and living conditions... They had a heart for who their dogs were going to at least.

I have heard that usually when the breeders will "deliver" for you that is a bad sign.... or a sign of a puppy mill..... however-- the fact that they seemed to be so in love with the puppy is wonderful..... you never know. I met the lady at a shopping area when I bought Hendrix because again- I didn't know any better and I guess that is also a big red flag of a puppy mill..... but I (just like you) don't care. I have a happy healthy puppy and that's what matters :)

I heard delivery is bad too, but given the circumstances where we physically couldn't get to their house, my husband didn't see it as a big deal! But education wasn't there either. They brought their remaining 2 pups. I'll upload the original pictures they sent us...

What's the difference between a puppy mill and a backyard breeder anyway?

But look at them- both with big Dumbo ears... big Yorkies... tails cropped too short... I want to believe he is a purebred yorkie, but what do I know?

I can't keep my yap shut when it comes to petstores/puppymills...
 

I always, ALWAYS educate about petstores and puppymills, even if the person has recently bought a puppy from a petstore. I just can't help myself. Generally after a person tells me they got their pet from a petstore, I will ask if the new puppy has been healthy so far. If they say yes, then I go on to tell them about how we weren't so lucky with our pug dog that we purchased from Pet Habitat in Brentwood Mall, BC. Then I explain to them about all the health issues she's had over the years, and how most of them weren't obvious in the first couple of years. The lastest health problem that I tell them about is her worst one. It's called spondylosis (degenerative disease of the spine). Our pug "Tang" was diagnosed with this disease at age 7. Our vet told us that she has this disease from being poorly bred, and it is likely that both her Mom and Dad would have had the disease in order for it to be passed down to her. She is slowly becoming paralyzed and there is nothing that we can do for her other than pain killers/anti-inflammatories, and live with her peeing and pooping everywhere because she has no feeling from the waist down. My dog can hardly walk anymore. She stands with her back sloped and kind of drags/scuffles her feet behind her. I have to carry her around most of the time. To watch her suffer, and KNOW that it's because of how she was bred is truly heartbreaking, and something that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I can always tell by people reactions that my story does "hit home". I will continue to educate everyone I can when it comes to pet stores and puppymills. I just be sure to do it in a kind, informative manner so that people will listen with an open mind. Someone has to speak up for these furry little ones, so it might as well be me! The only way of stopping puppymills is by not purchasing these puppies. Apparently, not even pressing criminal charges against these pet store owners will stop them, because the owner of the pet store that our pug "Tang" came from is still in business!

Pet Habitat in Burnaby Charged with Animal Cruelty
BCSPCA Press Release

May 4, 2005. For immediate release. Crown Counsel has approved charges of animal cruelty against Thomas Peters, owner of the Pet Habitat store in Brentwood Mall in Burnaby. BC SPCA animal protection officers have responded to nearly 80 complaints from the public about the Burnaby pet store during the past five years.
"The primary concerns have been lack of proper veterinary care for sick or injured animals and filthy or substandard housing conditions," says BC SPCA Senior Animal Protection Officer Eileen Drever. "We have responded to frequent complaints at the store and after each visit the situation improves for a brief time but the animals are soon subjected again to the same conditions."
Recently, SPCA animal cruelty officers discovered a Fox Terrier puppy at the store in thin body condition with its ribs visible, lethargic and depressed, with laboured breathing. An order was issued to seek immediate veterinary care. At that time birds were also observed with overgrown twisted nails, and cages were dirty and overcrowded. Smaller animals in the store were also inadequately housed. "During another recent inspection of the store SPCA officers found a bird with a broken leg," says Drever. "Unfortunately, the Fox Terrier puppy and the injured bird were subsequently euthanized." The SPCA forwarded a recommendation to Crown Counsel that Mr. Peters be charged with animal cruelty with regard to these recent incidents.

If that's not enough to make someone never purchase from a petstore again, then I don't know what is :confused: I won't even buy pet supplies from a store that sells animals.

I guess that was a long-winded answer to your question, but I guess my point is that I feel it's important to say SOMETHING at least. If they've bought one puppy from a petstore, chances are they may buy another in the future. Especially if their most recent experience wasn't a bad one.

One thing that I always tell people who buy their pets without seeing where the really came from is to make sure that the pup goes to the vet immediately. Sometimes the vets can discover problems in the pup so that the new owner can decide whether or not this is the pup for them. Just my 2 cents.

:thumbup: I totally agree. There is no "nice" way to hurt someones feelings.:animal-pa

I think the main difference is puppymills are very high volume breeders. Breeding at each and every heat, dogs in cages 24/7, multiple breeds, etc. BYB usually breed the family pets, can also have multiple breeds. they both do it for money and don't do testing. Then I guess hobby breeders, do it b/c they love it, a hobby. most of the time, a hobby costs you money, not makes you money. BUT most millers and byb will call themselves hobby breeders. :thumbdown

This is exactly how I feel, that's why I started this thread. Other than inviting them to YT I don't know what to do or say. I don't have a personal pet shop pup horror story to tell them. I'm afraid if I say something right then and there they will think I'm a snob or a know it all. :(

I'm so sorry to hear about your pug Shaunna. That story is so sad. :(

Anyone who knows you through your posts would know immediately you are neither a snob or a know it all...only that you are impassioned by the subject :)

awwww, thanks :)

Puppy Stores
 

If you find a breeder online and have the puppy shipped to you, you really don't know if it's from a puppy mill either. And if not from a puppy mill, it could be an at home breeder who over breeds his dogs. You'd have to check the webpage and see how often their dogs have litters, and if they list the sire & dam as the same dogs or different ones. Before getting my dog I was looking at Havanese & found a "breeder" near me. Turns out it's in a house in the city with a tiny yard & about 20 dogs running around in their own messes. I worked for the AKC & they don't regulate cleanliness. As long as you have AKC dogs you can register your puppies for a free. The AKC traces the dog's lineage. The only way to find a good breeder is by a friend referring them to you.