Pet-Shop puppy

Did anyone see the news last night?
A couple had bought a Pomeranian puppy at a pet-shop(forgot the name),he said they were going to a breeder originally ,but fell in love with the pup in the store.
They paid $900 for him.
Soon enough,the little pup was sick,vomitting and the runs.
Taken to the vet,it was found he had earmites and PARVO,he is now fighting for his life in Hospital.
It was hard to see a grown man cry,but he was devestated.:sad:
An estimate of the cost for medical care for this little life is over $5.000,but they say everything will be done for this pup.

The Pet-Shop in question says the pup was 100% healthy leaving the store(sure!!)that he must have picked up Parvo elsewhere.
Still they gave the couple the $900 back..

This brings to mind the sad little Basset-pup from a few months back:sad:
When will this ever stop,when will there be no more puppy-mills ,producing sick little babies,from sick and depraved mother/father dogs???

Terrible. Did the story mention anything about the likelihood/ prevalance of puppy mills???
Hopefully it did, and this opened some more eyes. I honestly don't think enough people know where these puppies are coming from, and then see their cute little faces and that it it.
:pray: that the little Pom makes it through, and that the pet store gets the hint!

I saw that chico. I didn't get to listen to all of it. The phone rang part way through. But I do appreciate them putting the story on. Maybe it will make people start to look closer at things before buying a pet from a pet store. :wall:
:pray: puppy gets better.

No,that was one thing that bothered me,no mention of where the pup came from:yell:if not a puppy-mill.then aa BYB I'm sure!

OH my gosh, remember that poor little bassett, Horton, fighting for his life and breaking all our hearts ! :sad:

I know I told the story a long time ago about how Cooper came from a pet shop. Joey was a rescue dog, and man did he have issues. We spent 5 years making sure no one ever came up to him quickly, tried to pet him without me by his side for security. He was scared of the whole world but loved me and needed me in his sight. He bit Tom, or tried to, almost every day. I don't know what happened in his life but he was a mess.

Naturally we loved him to pieces! He was a trial but worth every minute, poor little man.

When he died we mourned until friends made fun of us. That was fine. I don't give a rat's patootie what people think. About a week later we were in the mall and there was a pet store--probably one of the worst--and the cutest little baby was in the window trying to get attention. I just leaned on the glass with tears in my eyes.

3 days later Tom bought him. I know he was trying to heal my broken heart . I never dreamed he would EVER do something like that since he had always been adamant that any pet that came into this house would be from a shelter.

Well once we had him I was in love and couldn't send him back to that wire prison but have had a measure of guilt about supporting that store. I know two people who have gotten dogs from there and both had terrible medical issues.


We've been so lucky with Cooper. Healthy, happy and wonderful temperament. But I always say that he's our compenstation for having loved Joey so much. God gave us a stretch of easy.

A couple weeks ago I saw that the store went out of business!!!! I hate those places and wish they didn't exist.

oh my goodness! This sounds familiar! How many times will this happen? I don't know who could be blind enough to not see the problem!

Puppies are always healthy when they leave the store.. Yeah right! no pet store ever owns up and says maybe they got sick there.. geez they don't even care, they honestly dont care about the puppies.

This is scary. Parvo, what about all the other puppies, if they were there, especially near that puppy, they will have all been exposed and it doesn't take much.

This just breaks my heart, when are people going to learn not to buy from pet stores because they get their pups from puppymills :yell: :frustrated: :sad:. I hope the pup pulls through. :pray:

THIS WILL STOP WHEN THE PUBLIC WILL REALISE THAT THEY ARE TO BLAME FOR KEEPING THESE MONEY HUNGRY PEOPLE IN BUSINESS !!!!!! Supply and demand. I am excluding good and reputable breeders !!!! Please adopt homeless cats and dogs from reputable rescues !!!!!

I did a recent search on ckc code of ethics. It's an interesting read. As you can see by this site. It says that breeders aren't allowed to sell to pet stores.

http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=81

It was on CHCH TV news the other day about a puppy purchased from Pet Needs in Burlington. Apparently the pup has parvo. I hope the pup survives.

There is a local store that I found out buys 3-5 week old pups and sells them as 8-12 week old pups. Very sickening! And a bunch of the breeds are usually sold with CKC papers, how very sad :sad: We stopped supporting that business years ago once I found out these things.

Sandra,yes we watch ChCh news,that's where we saw it,thank's!
The problem is people don't know,we all know,but the average person just see an adorable puppy.
The media could help,putting this business out of business!

And a bunch of the breeds are usually sold with CKC papers,

Are you sure they are sold with CKC papers?......It is my understanding that the CKC does not allow any dogs registered with them to be sold in pet stores. As a rule the dogs in pet stores come with AKC papers.

Are you sure they are sold with CKC papers?......It is my understanding that the CKC does not allow any dogs registered with them to be sold in pet stores. As a rule the dogs in pet stores come with AKC papers.

I equally find this very very hard to believe. Anyone can produce false paperwork.

I cant figure out why anyone would want to go to a pet store to buy there animal when there are so many on the brink of being put down at shelters. :frustrated: There cheaper at a shelter, and you have it fixed, all its shots, and it had a checkup with the vet. I dont get it. :wall:

I cant figure out why anyone would want to go to a pet store to buy there animal when there are so many on the brink of being put down at shelters. :frustrated: There cheaper at a shelter, and you have it fixed, all its shots, and it had a checkup with the vet. I dont get it. :wall:

Unfortunately Edwina there are a lot of people who are unaware of rescues and other resources available :sad:

Unfortunately Edwina there are a lot of people who are unaware of rescues and other resources available :sad:

Even more unfortunately, I think many people ARE aware of rescues/shelters but have this assumption that all rescue dogs are "damaged" or have "issues" - or there's the old "I have to get a puppy so that it grows up with my cat/other dog/child" - as if there aren't dogs in rescue that are already used to other pets and children. It seems to me that people want to have absolute control over the way their dog is raised from a puppy to ensure it is well-trained (to their specifications) and has no problems - of course the people who feel this way and buy from pet stores are more often than not ill-prepared to raise a happy, well-trained dog and end up creating more dogs with ISSUES! Funny how that works, huh? :frustrated:

What is even MORE frustrating is that people buy DSH kittens for $300 at pet stores when shelters are literally overflowing with kittens - rescues don't often have puppies but there is NOT A SINGLE EXCUSE for someone who buys a kitten from a pet store.

I agree with you EOF, but I still think that there are many, many people who are unaware.......Hopefully little by little with a little education from those that do know, they then will be enlightened.

Chris is absolutely right. People just don't know about rescues. Just last night I was at a party and people were 'amazed' about rescues and the work they do.....it was an eye opener not just for them but for me as well.

I have heard advertisements for shelters but never for rescues. This is something that dog mags and cat fancier mags should write about to promote rescues. More that is written or shown - this WILL help in our efforts.

My very best friend did not know anything about rescues. I brought her with me and showed her. She is now a rescue worker and a voice to the animals.

I'm shocked that people wouldn't know about rescues - especially friends of yours, BenMax (although I guess that didn't last long!! :thumbs up). I can certainly understand that fewer are aware of the rescues than the shelters - but I suppose I'm living in my own bubble here (along with all of you!). I do know that friends of mine have the "rescue dogs are damaged" attitude, and worse yet they had no idea that pet stores were "bad" or why. They simply thought that pet store dogs were lower in quality than pups from breeders - which is true for the most part - but they are also clueless about what constitutes a good breeder and what makes someone a backyard breeder :frustrated:

I suppose no matter how you look at it, it all comes down to ignorance and a need for education. :shrug: Geez, I often wish I could do more about that...

Well my close friends know now - but the new acquaintances I have made never heard of it! So it is very sad to hear this, but they are of the wiser now.

I respond to Craigslist and Kijiji adds every darn day and give them a list of rescues they can call instead of posting them on these forms of media. Some say thanks and others tell me to hang myself.

Damaged dogs in rescue? There is a very small percentage that are in need of full rehabilitation. Most rescues need refresher courses or re-inforcement on good canine behaviour. The damaged ones are the abused or the guard dogs. Most of these dogs are fabulous once they have the right home and the right people. Some unfortunately are 'lost'. The chances of anyone getting a dog through a good rescue still 'damaged' is very slim as most dogs will go with instructions on how to assist the dog going forward.

I bought a rare breed dog a while ago and that breeder turned out to be a back yard breeder. :(

She was 6 and a half month old pup when I got her and little did I know he hadn't housetrained her. After I got her no way she was going to housetrain. And my cocker spaniel just hated her. After and blood and guts fight no way I was going to be able to keep her. So back to the breeder she went. He gave me such a hard time about giving me my money back. Anyhow it went to court and yes I won the case and finally got my money back.

I found out afterwards he was breeding at least 30 dogs, every dog and breeding every cycle. He has since passed away but his daughter took over breeding his dogs. I hope she is better then he was. But I did hear rumours she wasn't good to deal with either. Which doesn't surprise me. I never met her so I can't make comment on her.

I feel sorry for those poor dogs.

Well my close friends know now - but the new acquaintances I have made never heard of it! So it is very sad to hear this, but they are of the wiser now.

I respond to Craigslist and Kijiji adds every darn day and give them a list of rescues they can call instead of posting them on these forms of media. Some say thanks and others tell me to hang myself.

Damaged dogs in rescue? There is a very small percentage that are in need of full rehabilitation. Most rescues need refresher courses or re-inforcement on good canine behaviour. The damaged ones are the abused or the guard dogs. Most of these dogs are fabulous once they have the right home and the right people. Some unfortunately are 'lost'. The chances of anyone getting a dog through a good rescue still 'damaged' is very slim as most dogs will go with instructions on how to assist the dog going forward.

LOL BenMax, I've totally done the Craigslist/Kijiji thing. Most people are like "blah I don't want to jump through hoops to get a dog through rescue", many more don't even answer me. I honestly had to stop visiting those sites because they made me SO VERY angry. They make me hate the human race. :mad:

I've tried to explain to my friends about rescue dogs. They seem to confuse rescue dogs with shelter dogs (where shelters have fewer resources to deal with behavioural issues in dogs, etc.). How do you educate someone who thinks they know better because they met ONE "aggressive" rescue dog, or because their parents told them so? I suppose you at least have the credentials - so many years in the field; your friends must listen to you! I don't have a leg to stand on...but I keep trying!

I bought a rare breed dog a while ago and that breeder turned out to be a back yard breeder. :(

She was 6 and a half month old pup when I got her and little did I know he hadn't housetrained her. After I got her no way she was going to housetrain.

Just curious, what breed was it?? It's not impossible to housebreak a dog at that age. Milo was 6 months when we got him, and it was definitely tough (especially since he originally came from a pet store), but he's trained now. And Pugs are notoriously difficult to housebreak, apparently!

I wonder whatever happened to those poor puppies..? Did the "breeder" say what he would do with her?

She was a small munsterlander. After I returned her he re-sold the dog. Those new owners also returned her. So I assume he kept the dog then.

I had her spayed when I had her. Now here is a stupid back yard breeder comment to the judge during the hearing. "she's no good to me like that being spayed" :rolleyes:

I've tried to explain to my friends about rescue dogs. They seem to confuse rescue dogs with shelter dogs (where shelters have fewer resources to deal with behavioural issues in dogs, etc.). How do you educate someone who thinks they know better because they met ONE "aggressive" rescue dog, or because their parents told them so? I suppose you at least have the credentials - so many years in the field; your friends must listen to you! I don't have a leg to stand on...but I keep trying!

My best examples are my fosters. They speak volumes. People ask me where I get my dogs from and how come they see me with a new dog every month or so.:laughing:

I tell them and through this I educate without being nausiating. So many of them have ask for help with training, where to get certain breeds or if I have a this or a that. I have placed a few dogs and cats this way.

The downside of this of course is this getting around. So I have had the kittens in a box by my door. The pit tied to my landing, and the budgies in the cage. Not to mention the 'I have a friend who does not want their ....'.

Anyways - my personal dog is a bad example to show or tell. My fosters on the other hand are all great dogs and people are aware now.

She was a small munsterlander. After I returned her he re-sold the dog. Those new owners also returned her. So I assume he kept the dog then.

I had her spayed when I had her. Now here is a stupid back yard breeder comment to the judge during the hearing. "she's no good to me like that being spayed" :rolleyes:

Beautiful breed! Crazy enough, there were a couple in Toronto Animal Services not that long ago and I was shocked because they're so rare here!

Do you know why the new owners returned her?? Poor, poor puppy. But good on you for spaying her :thumbs up That showed the moron!

If the dog could not be used to reproduce, cannot be resold then chances are the dog is dead. True BYB's and millers will not feed a dog unless they produce serious coin.

The downside of this of course is this getting around. So I have had the kittens in a box by my door. The pit tied to my landing, and the budgies in the cage. Not to mention the 'I have a friend who does not want their ....'.

Anyways - my personal dog is a bad example to show or tell. My fosters on the other hand are all great dogs and people are aware now.

I'm not even involved in rescue, but because I talk about it I've had friends of relatives, etc. asking me where to find such and such a dog, and recently had someone asking me if I knew anyone who wanted a Himalayan! I can only imagine what you have to put up with.

And I totally understand the personal dog = bad example thing! My rescue Husky is not a great example of what rescues can do - for a combination of reasons. But I don't know if rescues were the same 9 years ago (when we got her) as they are now - I bet they've improved a lot. I have learned a lot from having Autumn, though, and it will stay with me for the rest of my life, for sure.

Sorry everyone, this has gotten kind of :offtopic:! :sorry: about the inadvertent threadjack...

I saw one online in the Hamilton SPCA last month as well. They had the breed listed as part brittany spaniel. I guess they didn't know their breeds. As this dog WAS a purebred small munsterlander.

The new owners got fed up with her not wanting to housetrain either. When I was at their house she peed at my feet without any warning at all as usual. I went to their house to photocopy paperwork for me to use for the courtcase. ;)

They contacted me to see why I returned her. When I returned her I gave him her spay/needles certificates. In case he re-sold her and they wanted to take her for obedience training. Nothing would have made me happier if he re-sold her and it worked out but sadly it didn't happen that way.

I since found out after I returned her, she had never been in a house before. She was strictly kept outdoors only.

I don't think he put her down though, I think he kept her or his daughter took her.

To be honest with you,before joining this Forum and having only cats,I never knew of rescues,or dogs being fostered.
I also thought dogs in shelters must be there because they were trouble,did I ever learn and that's great:thumbs up
I thought it's perfectly normal to get a puppy in a Pet-Shop,I got a Cocker and a Collie/Shepard puppy from a pet-shop,500 yrs ago:laughing:
Mind you,there was nothing wrong with them,but I guess we were lucky.
Now I have certainly been educated and were we ever to get another dog/cat,it would never be from a Pet-Shop.
I've also been educated on how many wonderful people there are,who rescue,foster and adopt these dumped animals,give them love and get them ready for a new home:grouphug:

Are you sure they are sold with CKC papers?......It is my understanding that the CKC does not allow any dogs registered with them to be sold in pet stores. As a rule the dogs in pet stores come with AKC papers.

Yuppers, I've seen many papers for purebreds (working in rescue), and I asked to see them. They said the papers would be transfered over from the breeder to new owner once proof of sale was shown. :shrug: I don't know if they falsified them, I wouldn't doubt it, but being byb's it wouldn't surprise me if they did scam the CKC just to sell "purebred papered" dogs.

I think for some buyers, when the seller says the dogs are CKC registered, the buyer assumes that means Canadian Kennel Club, when in fact it's more likely the Continental Kennel Club - who will sell you a certificate saying your Tabby Kitty is actually a purebred Irish Wolfhound for the right price. As for the AKC, unfortunately, they are still in the dark ages IMO. They care nothing for the ethics of a breeder, if the breeder is constantly throwing sick puppies or even the health of the dogs in the various dog shows. All they care about is if both parents were also AKC registered, and in the case of show dogs - if they have the correct appearance. For them to impose some restrictions on the registration of puppies would not effect the ethical breeder, it would only effect the mills. I thoroughly read through the AKC's requirements to have pups registered looking for possible ways to get a supposedly reputable breeder banned from being able to get pups registered. I always tell people that 'having papers' does not equate to 'being healthy'.

I am appalled at the sheer numbers of people that ignore what goes on around them. We had a bigger petstore move into our area 2 years ago. Here I was, all excited - made my mom go with me, even though she doesn't have any pets right now. I'm ooohing and ahhing over the brands of food they have, the treats, the toys, etc - and I walk around a corner to find a tank with puppies in it. Ugh. I found a man greeting people who I assumed was the owner. I asked him straight out why he was supporting puppy millers by having these dogs here. He starts the whole speel about they aren't from a puppy mill, they are from a government certified breeder. He was quite shocked when I told him that ANY person or breeder selling dogs in a commercial venue has to be certified by the dept of Agriculture, but the certification itself means nothing. It is supposed to have provisions for inspections and such, but they don't have enough employees to do that - so it's basically just paying a fee every year. I also told him, over and over, that NO respectable breeder would allow their dogs to be sold in a pet store and that he should participate in adoption clinics rather than sell people sick dogs. His final word before I walked out was that he does allow our Humane Society to have adoption clinics there, but he was a businessman and people want the smaller dogs that he sells.

It wasn't too long after he opened that the puppy mill story ran on Oprah - and I've seen a few letters to the editor of our local newspaper warning people about where these pet store puppies are coming from. Even with the exposure, the vast majority of people I come into contact with have no clue where pet store puppies come from or have even heard of a puppy mill or know what a puppy mill is! I get so frustrated and my husband tells me that he believes less than 1% of people have any clue about puppy mills - even with the increased publicity (he actually says I'm the only one...lol). And then of course you have the folks who know where that pup in the window came from, and still buy it.

It won't ever stop until people quit supporting the pet stores that sell the dogs. It's a simple matter of economics. As long as the demand is there, the puppy mills will stay in business.

Sad but true Kandy. :(

As far as I know,Oakville has no store that sells puppies and kittens,the last one closed down a few yrs ago,I think because they were constantly scrutinized by vets and HS.
I know my then vet,reported the store.
I cheered when I saw the CLOSED sign and later the FOR LEASE sign on the building:thumbs up

We have a few in Etobicoke. I used to drive to Mississauga to buy food from a pet store on Dundas, because at the time I thought that was the nearest store that sold Eagle Pack. They did (still do) sell puppies, kittens, ferrets, other small furries and birds. I was there one day with my boyfriend, and overheard a girl in her late teens talking about one of the puppies - a lab/German shorthaired pointer mix. She was talking to a woman, and I heard the words "Do you think we can pass this off as a black lab?"

I'm thinking, stupid girl, they're probably here picking up a puppy and don't want the father/husband or whoever to find out they didn't get a purebred lab. So I start talking to by boyfriend, overly loud, about how my mom almost adopted a GSP puppy from Toronto Animal Services when we were looking for a dog, and how I told her it probably wouldn't be a good fit because they are SO active and need lots and lots of exercise and stimulation. I hoped the girl would understand that the appearance of the dog should have been secondary, and they needed to take into account the breed characteristics of BOTH breeds. Well, I saw her listening to me out of the corner of my eye, and then we left.

After we left the store, my boyfriend told me he believed the teen girl was AN EMPLOYEE. I was like WHAT?! It's bad enough they're selling puppies, and lately haven't been selling many so some are growing up in their cages, getting up to 6 months old - but they're trying to lie about the breed of the puppy now? That was the last time we went to that store. Ridiculous. They also once had a black Pug puppy they were showing to a family. The thing was TINY, so I just had to ask how old. "5 weeks" :wall:

Since then, I found out Pet Valu sells amazing foods, and I only go there. It's only a 5 minute drive from my house, too! :thumbs up

Too bad the owner didn't go to the SPCA here . . . We almost always have some kind of small dog in need of a home. There's a Pom/Schipperke mix that's been looking for a home for a while now. It should be made illegal for pet stores to sell dogs and small animals (rats, rabbits, etc).

Too bad the owner didn't go to the SPCA here . . . We almost always have some kind of small dog in need of a home. There's a Pom/Schipperke mix that's been looking for a home for a while now. It should be made illegal for pet stores to sell dogs and small animals (rats, rabbits, etc).

hmm - would this SPCA work with a rescue group for this particular dog?

I think so, yes. They do work with rescues. Usually small dogs go fast so I'm surprised he's still there. But then again he's black and a lot of black and black and tan (and brindle) dogs get overlooked here :( There's a Mastiff/Boxer mix who's been there since December and a GSD mix who's been there since January.