IT CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED THAT EVERY TIME A PUPPY IS SOLD 

IN A PET STORE, A MOTHER DOG IS SENTENCED TO A LIFETIME OF MISERY 

IN A PUPPY MILL.

• Responsible breeders won't sell their puppies to pet stores as pet store puppies are purchase on impulse which happens far too often at pet stores. Good breeders screen prospective purchasers to ensure their puppies are going into good homes. They want to ensure their particular breed is a good match for the buyer and that the buyer is prepared for such a commitment. Responsible breeders inquire about such things as young children, fenced in yard, exercise requirements, grooming needs, willing to walk every morning, who in the household will actually care for the dog, possible pet allergies, etc

• Pet stores are not a suitable place for marketing of puppies. a problem common to almost all pet stores is the lack of adequate living space afforded the puppies since they are usually confined in a small cage at the pet store and are denied adequate socialization during an important time in their development. 

• Puppies at pet stores come into contact with random source puppies from a wide variety of breeding mills. Many of these puppies might already have diseases from lack of veterinary care at the puppy mill and are likely to be heavily parasitized from unsanitary conditions. The puppy's immune system is not fully developed at 8 weeks of age, and yet at this most vulnerable time, they are exposed to so many other puppies from random sources.

• Pet store puppies have the added stress of being separated from their mothers at a very young age and have to endure long transports across the country before arriving at the pet store. Most of these puppies are transported to an intermediate buyer who then transports them to a broker who then ships them on to the pet store. This transportation adds additional stress to the puppy's undeveloped immune system and leaves the puppy more susceptible to disease.

• Responsible breeders will not sell their dogs to pet stores. They simply don't want their puppies stuck in a cage with no socialization and exposed to other random source puppies. Caring breeders want their puppies raised in a home environment. In fact, almost all American Kennel Club (AKC) breed clubs have a code of ethics prohibiting their members from selling puppies to pet stores.

• Pet store puppies often have behavioral problems. At 8 weeks of age, dogs are extremely sensitive to disturbances and stressful situations, and tend to remember or be psychologically "marked" by them for some time, perhaps permanently. A psychologically abnormal dog can present as many, if not more, problems to the consumer than a sick dog -- especially if it has been purchased as a pet for a family with small children. The stress of transportation and being caged frequently causes dogs to become fear biters or develop abnormal behaviors. These dogs are soon surrendered to animal shelters or abandoned -- only to add to the surplus of dog problems faced by local governments.

• This is a consumer issue since puppies from pet stores can often be ill and have behavioral problems due to the substandard conditions in which they are raised in as well as the conditions in which they are shipped to market, and even how they are housed at the pet store. The Centers for Disease Control reported in the American Journal of Public Health (March 1987), that a significant percentage of dogs in sold in pet stores were infected with parasites transmissible to humans. The CDC also disclosed that in their study sample, puppies from large commercial establishments (puppy mills) had a higher infection rate of Giardia than those from private kennels or homes. Subsequent studies have revealed that pet store puppies are more likely to be ill as compared to puppies from home breeders.

• Private practicing veterinarians can certainly attest to the number of sick animals they treat that originate from pet stores. These puppies can be suffering from a whole host of problems ranging from respiratory illnesses like kennel cough or pneumonia, to internal parasites, viruses such as Parvo and Distemper, and even genetic defects. Animal shelters and consumer agencies receive a very large number of complaints every year from consumers who have unknowingly purchased sick puppies from pet stores. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) concluded their recent extensive study into the marketing of puppies in Missouri with the following caveat, "Meanwhile, breeders and others in Missouri, with seeming impunity, will continue to send sick puppies to be purchased by unwary consumers."

• Less than one-third of all pet stores sell dogs and some of these retailers openly advocate against the sale of puppies, stressing their belief that pet stores should be referring puppy buyers to local breeders or adopting out dogs from rescue organizations. In fact, the most profitable pet store chains in the country such as PetSmart and Petco, do not retail puppies. Those that continue to sell puppies do so as a cheap marketing tool. They know that by placing puppies in their store window, they can attract traffic walking by their store to come in and look at the puppies. These stores thrive on impulse buying. Interestingly, the majority of consumers who purchase sick dogs in pet stores and file complaints with animal shelters, humane societies, and consumer agencies, admit that when they left the house that day, they had no intention of buying a puppy. Unfortunately, dogs purchased on impulse often end up in shelters when they outgrow their "cuteness". 

• While pet stores claim that they only buy from USDA licensed breeders, USDA requirements are bare minimum and are "survival" standards and do not require humane standards of care.

• Under USDA regulations, a mother dog can be confined to a cage only 6 inches larger than herself. The breeding dogs are rarely allowed out of their cages. They never have an opportunity to walk on solid surface as the puppy mill breeders keep their dogs on wire flooring so they don't have to bother to clean the cages - hoping the excrement will fall through the wire.

• These minimum standards of care, as required by USDA, are not adequately enforced. The Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog agency, as well as the USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) have issued, on several occasions, reports extremely critical of USDA's enforcement efforts on commercial dog breeders. Most recently, in 2010, the OIG issued a report stating that USDA "was not aggressively pursuing enforcement actions" and that their "enforcement process was ineffective."

• In 2010 the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) study on the "Puppy Marketing Industry in Missouri" reported that "the policing of dog breeders and sellers seems to be a low priority in Missouri and elsewhere." The BBB reported that "the lack of more vigorous enforcement of the laws and regulations has allowed many breeders to continue operating substandard kennels."

 

MISSOURI ALLIANCE FOR ANIMAL LEGISLATION

director@maal.org

314-361-3944