Why is it important not to buy from pet shops or pet farms

Yeah. I don't believe in buying from places like Petco and stuff. The little rats I got from there did not even last long. I always try to buy from an individual becuase I feel that they take better care and the animals will come from better quality than those just shipped our for a fast sale.

Hi ronaldinu, That is so sad, they should have been looking after the puppy and making sure the puppy is well checked out by the vet, I think its disgusting of these people. I got my cats from cats protection and the are chiped and well looked after, they have their own vet at the centre which is very good, they didn't wnat any money for the kitted I got from them but I give them donation as I was going out, thanks to them my cats are now 9 and 10 years old. Tamara

Personally I don't like to have to pay for a special breed of dogs anyway. They usually are inbred so are pron to have health problems any way. I do prefer to get what we call a mutt. It has no special breed and has all the best qualities of those special breeds. If a person is going to buy a puppy the best place to buy one is through and individual that you can visit to see the conditions the parents are kept in. Puppy mills keep the mother dog in a very small cage and she doesn't get any exercise. She and those surrounding her may be ill. If people would stop buying puppies from pet stores then these horrible puppy mills will shut them selves down.

actually they just raided another puppy mill here in montreal, where all the animals are mistreated, and half starving these animals are then sold to pet shops, it is terrible.

Petco is one of the pet shops mentioned on a discussion here a while ago these pet shops have petitions against them. if you search discussion under pet abuse, you can probably find these other pet shop names. if I remember correctly prices of pets in the pet shops are about the same as if you get them from local shelter. I was going to get one from humane society maybe 4 or 5 years ago, but the one we wanted was already sold. this kitten was still in a cage and miawing like crazy when she saw us coming. hubby said that this kitten wants us to buy her but her cage was tagged 'sold'. I hope that lovely kitten found a good home. I already have a cat now, but somehow this story reminds me of her. I wish I have enough money to build a shelter for animals, I will never treat them like the mills do. They may not go to pet spa, play expensive toys, eat expensive food or dress like celebrity pets. but they will be alive and healthy.

The puppy mills are so terrible, the only way to do away with them is to not buy from them. Also to report them in areas where there are laws against their existence. I know that government services are getting worse everywhere due to lack of funds so the only way to shut these mills down is to take away their market. A good kennel will give you a guarantee for a certain time on any health problems as long as you follow the Vet schedule. So buy from them they will be cheaper in the long run.

Yes, this is a sad but known fact. Also what many may not think of is taking their beloved pet into this places with them to purchase things for them. They get parvo, as it is an airborne virus. Please be careful where you take your loved pets.

THat's sad, but why discriminate against pet shops and pet farms?? I guess pets shops wont really know about the disease that the pet is carrying.. Because they are not the breeder.. SO instead, the breeder should be repsonsible because they sell the ill puppy to pet shops.. After all, pet shops are more like maintaining and taking care of those little pets, so how will they know if the pets are dying soon because of illness??

We call them puppy mills here and the conditions are so inhumane that those people should be put in jail for life. A female dog in most of them spends her life in a cage barely big enough to turn around in, constantly pregnant and denied any love or affection. I always got my dogs from shelters and rescue associations. I will not buy from a pet shop because they get their dogs from puppy mills. They buy them for $50 or so each and sell them for $1,000! I don't begrudge them the profit if people are stupid enough to buy from them but I do resent that they are making money from the misery of poor creatures that want nothing but a kind word and get nothing but misery.

It is so sad reading about Patches. It is generally believed that it is a bad practice to buy pets from pet stores. There are many reasons for this. I would like you to read this excellent article by Brenda Nelson at http://dogcarereviews.com/paying-for-cruelty/. It tells you why you should avoid and discourage these kind of pet shops.

On pet farms (because of overcrowding and ill treatment) animals have health and behaviorable problems that wouldn't be conducive in a family environment, especially around small children. The VERY best place to get a pet is really at the Humane Society because all the animals are either spayed or neutered, deflead, given all their shots and are implanted with a computer chip for tracking should they run away and get lost. Also, if the animal comes into the shelter sick they aren't allowed to be adopted until they are completely healthy. The Humane Society is less likely to cheat and lie to you about an animal's health because if they get enough complaints they can be put under investigation and lose their license. So, the Humane Society is very strict in it's procedures regarding adoption. Another benefit from adopting a pet from the Humane Society is that a lot of these animals were given away by a previous owner or simply homeless and looking for a loving home and if not adopted in a given amount of time they are put to sleep. Not all shelters do this, but, some do. So, go to the Humane Society and save an animal's life. I have a cat (Mija) whom I adopted from the Humane Society nearly 5 years ago here in San Diego and she is the sweetest thing. She is my buddy and I love her very much:) Soooooo.........the next time you're thinking about adopting a pet please go to the Humane Society because there are so many homeless pets out there looking for someone to love them. I feel so badly for your friend who lost her little Shih Tzu. That was definitely a lot of money for a dog. We had a Shih Tzu when we were younger and they do not cost that much. If they did my parents would definitely not have gotten the dog. That's another point to make. Most private breeders or puppy mills will rip you off big time. Purrs, Catwoman=^..^= & Mija

We always get ours from the pound or from friends. The way I see it, a $900 dog is just as likely to be your best friend as a $30 dog, only you're saving the $30 dog's life. My favorite dog was one we got from the pound and we had him for almost 11 years!

pet is a number of my family , but the aim of the seller is make more money who can't take care of pet,so we should buy pet from reputable breeder.

i agree that you shouldn't buy from pet stores and puppy mills but most people want purebreds as their dog, (although i couldn't understand why) but there is a way to get purebreds and still save a life. you see, there are "specialised" animal shelters that only contain a type of dog. if you really want a shih tzu, search on the internet for shih tzu puppies for adoption. also, they dont cost much and you are contributing to saving a life. and what's wrong with adopting a "mixed" puppy? its not that big a deal. so the only way for us to get rid of them completely is to encourage everyone to adopt instead of buy. you make your wallet fatter and the world better.

I think we should consider to get dogs from animal shelter to avoid overpopulation of dogs. I know that some people are crazy about specific dog and want to have dog for show, but if not, all dogs are cute....

I will make every effort not to rant...but if you have read any of my posts, you will know my feelings regarding pet stores/shops! Yuck! They should be banned! Their lack of morality & eithics is deplorable...and NOTHING should be subject to that existence! But, I think that I am even angrier at the people that support them! Why do you need a designer dog...a purebred? Your ego...id, what is it? Better than the "Jones?" I get even angrier at the people that support the "in" breed of the day.....just look at any site...and now there are a "zillion" chihuahua's for sale....reason, the recent Walt Disney Chihuahua movie, geared to kids to pressure the parents! Rippling effect....Puppy Mills jump on the band wagon, produce a bumper crop of inbred dogs, and then that dog falls out of vogue, and is in a rescue centre. Seen it happen with every breed of Dog that was subject of of real popular movie! Said I wouldn't rant..Sorry! But if I had one Christmas Wish...banish Puppy Mills....other than that, Seasons Greetings!