Petland - does anyone have experience buying a dog from Petland on Fruitville Road in Sarasota (Christmas: sales, hotels)

[Floridaa]

Please pass this info on to anyone interested in buying a dog.

PuppyMills have to be shut down.

Adoption is the way to go!

Also lets get rid of the Circus Animals,no elephant or tiger deserves to spend its life in a cage,traveling from place tp place,never feeling grass between its feet,just feeling the whip of the trainer,to do tricks which they were never were meant to do.

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by bbronston

As someone else mentioned, there are no guarantees with any dog no matter where they come from. But, I won't paint all stores with a "puppy mill brush"....sorry. There must be some stores out there that work directly with responsible breeders and who provide excellent information, service and products....and even some guarantees. It's no slap to the shelters for all they do and it doesn't support mills. I'm just very leary when I hear people trying to suggest that their way is the only way...I don't know...I'm a born contrarian, I guess.

nope.... ANY pet store selling pure bred puppies is buying those puppies from a mill or a broker who bought it from a mill.... REPUTABLE breeders do NOT sell puppies through pet stores or on the internet....

Originally Posted by bbronston

Although I agree with the pound puppy comments, I don't see any problem with buying from a store that doesn't buy from mills. Those dogs need owners, too.

problem is, stores like that do not exist....

Originally Posted by =^..^=

They all buy from Puppy Mills because reputable breeders do not wholesale puppies to stores.

yep....

Originally Posted by coastal chic

Petfinder is a great resource....but just to throw out another "warning"...if you are looking at Petfinder, and you find a "rescue" group that has ONLY puppies, or dogs under a year old or so....THESE ARE BROKERS SELLING PUPPY MILL PUPPIES and disguising them as "rescues". Apalling practice, but it is common so beware.

I work in Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed rescue and when people email me wanting a puppy I always explain that rescue groups very rarely get puppies. Dogs don't become a "pain" until they're around a year old! When people can't train them, get tired of the chewing, etc, then they think about finding them a new home. The majority of our rescue dogs are between 2-5 years old. Sometimes younger, sometimes older.

more excellent advice....

and reps to all that i could.....

[bbronston]

Uh...."late to the party"...apt...I appreciate the corrections but, if you bother to read the whole thread, others have already imparted the exact same information (which I appreciate) and I'm not a big fan of useless piling on. Thanks, though.

[Floridaa]

As far as I am concerned the warning not to buy at a pet store and to adopt from a shelter can never be emphasied too often!

[bbronston]

Originally Posted by Floridaa

As far as I am concerned the warning not to buy at a pet store and to adopt from a shelter can never be emphasied too often!

It's not the message I am objecting to or the frequency, it is the method of delivery. When you quote someone, you are basically either answering or making a counter-point to that individual. I appreciate the opportunity to learn things I don't know and I did not realize how bad the pet store/puppy mill connection was until this thread came up. That's great. I guess I may be a bit sensitive to this because I love dogs and have had dogs, cats, birds and fish as pets and this seemed to me to be a "see what I can bring to the conversation" comment (even though it's been already covered) at my expense since it was directed to me and I already wrote that my eyes had been opened.

[coastal chic]

Originally Posted by bbronston

It's not the message I am objecting to or the frequency, it is the method of delivery. When you quote someone, you are basically either answering or making a counter-point to that individual. I already wrote that my eyes had been opened.

I understand your point (I've been there myself on these boards), but people don't always read the whole thread before posting a comment. They read until they see a comment they feel the urge to respond to, and then maybe they finish reading the thread and by then---oops, too late to edit!

You're obviously an educated, responsible person...and the point is that until it is repeated over and over again until people from ALL walks of life understand that pet stores sell exploited animals, people will still buy pets from stores.

So, anyway, try not to take it personally----your opinion just happened to be a serious point that needed to be commented on. Glad the responses opened your eyes about it and just think of how many more people it will also help enlighten if it's quoted a couple extra times. No one thinks any less of you because you honestly thought some stores sold dogs from local breeders.

[JMC49]

Buying a dog from Petland is more like a rescue.

[nphomeowner]

Originally Posted by JMC49

Buying a dog from Petland is more like a rescue.

How so? You pay WAY too much for an animal and you keep perpetuating the problem. Can't compare in my opinon.

[observer53]

ALL the chain pet stores that sell pups buy from puppy mills, pretty much. They won't be able to show you health clearances on the parents, like a reputable breeder would. If you want a purebred puppy for showing, obedience, etc, do your research and buy from an ethical breeder. If you want a loving companion for life, look at Petfinder site for rescue/shelter dogs in your area, or visit your local pound or humane society.

[JMC49]

Originally Posted by nphomeowner

How so? You pay WAY too much for an animal and you keep perpetuating the problem. Can't compare in my opinon.

I meant because of the conditions.