When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in Petland. I have always been fascinated with animals of all sorts, and the local store had a wide variety of animals. I bought my first goldfish there. I also bought crickets to feed my pet anoles and wild-caught northern fence lizards. I was like going to the zoo in the middle of a shopping mall, and as someone who has always hated going to shopping malls and always loved going to the zoo, the store was my little respite.
The truth is I did not know much about the sordid background of pet stores and puppy mills. I just wanted a few minutes away from my parents who wanted to spend more time buying clothes. (Yes, I hate shopping.)
But I never thought about the puppies that Petland sold. I always remember that they were very well-groomed and held in glass-fronted cages with grating on the bottom. They were taken out of the cages several times a day to let them play. I thought they had all come from local breeders.
Of course, they probably didn’t. They very likely came from commercial breeders.who mass produce all sorts of dogs without any careful regard to their health and temperament. You know–what we usually call puppy mills.
The HSUS is suing on behalf of people who purchased puppies from Petland, which told them that the puppies came from the best dog breeders who ensured that the dogs were healthy.
In reality, most Petland pups come from the Hunte Corporation, which is major commercial breeding and dog dealing firm in Missouri. This corporation is to domestic dogs what factory farm enterprises are for hogs. Now, we can debate the ethics of factory farming, but the average person isn’t going to live with the hogs produced in this manner. The average person’s interaction with factory farming is consuming the pork produced in this manner.
The average puppy buyer expects a much more from the dogs he or she purchases. People make dogs part of their families. They bond to them strongly, and they will spend as much money as they can to help their “fur kids” get through any medical issues.
Puppy mills can never produce the quality dogs that everyone wants. Mass farming might get us meat on the table. It won’t get you the dog you want, for it is impossible to mass-produce healthy purebred dogs. There are too many inherited conditions that must be screened for, and to screen for all of them is very cost prohibitive, even for a single breed. Further, to ensure quality puppies, a breeder must assess the quality of the adult breeding stock, which takes even more time than is cost-effective.
The HSUS is suing for the cost of the veterinary care that these puppies received, and it is also suing to force new standards for commercial breeders. I don’t know how successful this suit will be. But here’s a rule everyone should follow: Never purchase anything from a pet store that sells live domestic dogs or cats. This is the only way to stop the barbaric practice of puppy mills and mass production. Also, never go to someone who is selling five or six breeds, and never buy a puppy without getting health information on the parents. It is best if you can see one or more of the parents, but if you can’t see at least one of them (and get information on the other), you can bet that this is a puppy mill front of some sort.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. I mean, it’s so obvious that Petland and Hunte in general are being dishonest about their pup’s backgrounds and health, it could only go on for so long until someone gathered enough evidence to slam them for it.
I’m not a fan of puppy mills, but if all puppy mills went out of business the remaining quality breeders would not be able to meet buyer demand for puppies. Yes, shelters and rescue groups can meet some of the demand, but many buyers only want puppies and only want particular breeds or types of dogs. I don’t know how to resolve this problem, but I haven’t seen any credible solutions yet.
Well, that’s what we would call “TS.”
Not everyone should have a dog.
Dogs are being destroyed because of “supply and demand.” My own breed is totally being ruined because it’s so popular and it doesn’t have the gene pool that can withstand mass production.
People buy dogs for incredibly stupid reasons.
Please do not defend mass production of companion animals. It is one of the reasons why dog are so screwed up as it is.
If you want a specific breed, you just have to wait. And I’m okay with it. If I want a particular breed, I won’t settle for just any dog from Jim-Bob and Suzie’s dog factory. I want a dog with brains, health, and ability.
The average pet owner should consider a crossbred dog that has no specific behaviors.
A dog is not something that is eaten. It is meant to be enjoyed over its lifetime. It simply cannot be mass produced to satisfy the needs of “consumers.”
There are tons of Lab and Golden (and Lab mix & Golden mix) puppies available through shelters & rescues, for heaven’s sake. It would be a much better world if everyone who owns one purebred dog (and can accomodate 2 dogs) would rescue another dog. I’m not saying an unhealthy dog, an aggressive dog, a fearful dog, etc. Just a dog from a breed rescue that has been fostered so you know something about it. Forgive me, I’m overly idealistic.
Mass production of companion animals is sick and twisted — and ruining many breeds & to some extent, the reputation of dogs in general.
My veterinarian told me not to buy a dog from a pet store 36 years ago. I was a child. I took his advice.
I was wondering if anybody knew where Cuban Knight Anoles, and other lizards that Pet Land and other large pet stores sell come from… Are they caught in the wild, or bred in captivity? Please respond or e-mail me 4d_boy@live.com thanks a lot! Is there anyway of telling where my lizard came from?!
I know that native green anoles come from wild-caught animals. When I was growing up, I ordered a pair of them from East Texas, and they arrived in a cage through the mail. They were wild caught.
I have no idea about the Cuban knight anole. We can’t import anything from Cuba, if that is the only place they are found, but I’ve heard that there are feral populations in South Florida. If that’s true, they are probably wild caught from Florida.