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So the odds are pretty good that if a pet store has been around for years that it most likely is not selling puppies from puppy mills.
this is absolutely, 100% wrong.
a puppy isn't like a toaster - the problems in its breeding may not show up immediately, whereas the problems of a defective toaster are pretty evident early on. if people get a puppy from a pet store and it shows signs of hip dysplasia or some other genetic defect 6 years later, do you really think they're necessarily going to connect the dots back to the pet store they bought the dog from? that's if the dog is even still with the original buyers. and even if they do, they may just think they had bad luck with that particular puppy. while these stores treat these animals as products, the consumer sees them as living things that we are emotionally connected to.
there was just a special on animal planet where a guy proved that petland, one of the biggest pet store chains in the country, possibly THE biggest chain that still sells puppies and kittens, buys dogs from puppy mills with deplorable conditions, despite their claims to the contrary. in the documentary they spoke to a vet who used to work for petland who said that almost all the puppies that came through the store were sick. as far as i know, every pet store that sells puppies and kittens gets them from these kinds of breeders.
as for families who accidentally breed litters, i'm not sure what the solution is. i don't think confiscating the litter is fair. mandatory spay and neuter would solve the problem but i know you have issues with that. perhaps a fine for unauthorized breeding, and/or a stipulation that dogs bred by families can be given away but not sold. if people choose not to spay and neuter their animals, they need to be responsible about preventing breeding, and there should be consequences if they aren't. "teaching their kids about the facts of life" is a completely bs reason to contribute to the pet overpopulation problem.
a puppy isn't like a toaster - the problems in its breeding may not show up immediately, whereas the problems of a defective toaster are pretty evident early on. if people get a puppy from a pet store and it shows signs of hip dysplasia or some other genetic defect 6 years later, do you really think they're necessarily going to connect the dots back to the pet store they bought the dog from? that's if the dog is even still with the original buyers. and even if they do, they may just think they had bad luck with that particular puppy. while these stores treat these animals as products, the consumer sees them as living things that we are emotionally connected to.
there was just a special on animal planet where a guy proved that petland, one of the biggest pet store chains in the country, possibly THE biggest chain that still sells puppies and kittens, buys dogs from puppy mills with deplorable conditions, despite their claims to the contrary. in the documentary they spoke to a vet who used to work for petland who said that almost all the puppies that came through the store were sick. as far as i know, every pet store that sells puppies and kittens gets them from these kinds of breeders.
as for families who accidentally breed litters, i'm not sure what the solution is. i don't think confiscating the litter is fair. mandatory spay and neuter would solve the problem but i know you have issues with that. perhaps a fine for unauthorized breeding, and/or a stipulation that dogs bred by families can be given away but not sold. if people choose not to spay and neuter their animals, they need to be responsible about preventing breeding, and there should be consequences if they aren't. "teaching their kids about the facts of life" is a completely bs reason to contribute to the pet overpopulation problem.
wish i could rep you again..... but gotta spread the love around a bit......
eta .... that animal planet show about petland was only run one time, that i am aware of ..... HIGHLY unusual for them ..... i was not able to watch the night it DID run and have been hoping to catch it since.... but no luck ..... usually, their shows are repeated ad nauseum ..... wonder why this one was not......
dogpaw, I think it is bc some believe only if one stays home many hours a day the dog will be well taken care of.
Is that what it is. Well then, my poor dogs, how crappy it must of been living with me being gone all day while they slept. I don't know how they ended up being so well rounded and well behaved.
I think if you're going to be gone all day, you should get two dogs. They are pack animals.
that depends on the dog(s). some dogs would really rather not have another dog in the household - i think my dog might be one of those. she really doesn't like other dogs that much. she doesn't get into fights or anything, she's just not that interested in other dogs, and some of them really annoy her. i'm sure she could get used to another dog but i seriously doubt she would be happier if we got one. and some dogs HATE other dogs and really can't be around them.
my dog seems to do just fine hanging out with the cats and sleeping for the 6-7 hours a day that we're both gone.
I think it depends on the dog. Some would rather be the only dog in the house. And the family is the dog's pack. It doesn't have to be another dog.
I agree completely. And if everyone's gone 5 or 6 hours a day, that's one thing. But someone like my bro and his wife, who are gone for 10 or 14 hours...they should either have two dogs or none.
I don't know any well-adjusted dogs who don't enjoy the company of people and other dogs.
I don't know any well-adjusted dogs who don't enjoy the company of people and other dogs.
well i got my dog as an adult from a shelter, so i have no idea what her history is, but i'd consider her pretty well adjusted despite the fact that she doesn't have much interest in other dogs. well, most dogs. every once in a while she meets a dog she likes a lot, but it's rare. but she loves people and has almost no behavioral issues.
and yknow, not everyone has a well adjusted dog. that's not a crime; in fact i'd consider people who adopt dogs with issues (including dog aggression issues) and work on those issues to be pretty amazing.
all that being said, 12-14 hours is definitely too long to leave a dog alone. people who have to be out that much need to hire dog walkers at the very least, even if their dogs have access to the outside. and i would definitely question whether someone who is out that much really has the time needed to devote proper attention to a dog.
Groar, I also wanted to rep you again, but have to "spread some around"...Petland is absolutely lying about their animals being "healthy" and "well cared for"...I saw these animals with my own eyes, and I've cared for enough animals in my time to know sickness and depression when I see it. One was even eating his own poop, and his ribs were poking though his skin.
RE: well-adjusted dogs...Im one of those people that takes on the "problem cases", and it can be a struggle, but it's more than worth it in the end when I know I've saved a life that would have most likely expired in another person's care. My 8 year old, one-eyed chihuahua Boo is such a case. She is aggressive, she marks, and she's extremely high-strung. She was abused and neglected for the first 8 years of her life, and when she came to the e-vet center with a popped eye, the owners surrendered her and told us to "just put her down"...by all shelter standards, she's "unadoptable", but when I looked into her eye I knew I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't give up on her like her family did. She's a work-in-progress, she's come so far in certain areas, and has improved at least a little in most all areas...but it's a lot work, love, and patience. She probably won't ever be the "perfect" dog, or even be what most people consider to be "well-adjusted"...but she's safe and loved and finally realizing that she can trust me and the rest of the pack. I wouldn't trade her for the most expensive, pure-bred dog in the world...I love my Boo, and I'll make sure the second half of her life makes up for what she went through in the first half!!!
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