Sunday, February 24, 2013

Adding my voice


There is a pet store in Maine who sells puppies.

I am sure you know where this is going.. yes, she gets her puppies from a "USDA commercial breeder".  Recently several of the dogs sold there died, the most recent one died from parvo.

There is a group who has been keeping up on this and scheduled a protest in front of the store on this past Saturday.  I thought it would be nice to show up and be a part of it - even if I am all kitties all the time.

The store chose not to open for business on the day of the protest.  They were under quarantine because of the parvo, so they weren't selling dogs at this point anyway - not that they want you to know that though, the sign on the window said they couldn't sell dogs because of "renovations"



There were about 70 people there. There were a few news people as well.


There was a lot of honking from passers by which was really nice.  One guy had "Dixie" play when he honked, he went by twice :)  They even got a few woofs

Photo by  Chelsea Thompson, more photos here 

It even made the CBS local news, but unfortunately I can't embed nor link to their version of the story. If you are interested in seeing it you can view it here

Responsible breeders do not sell to pet stores. They want you to see the sires, they want you to know their blood lines. They want you to ask questions, see what is going on, they make you sign a contract and not a bill of sale. They also want to know about you.  They want to know the dog (or cat) will be cared for, they want to know that you have the resources and the authority to have a dog (aka not living in an apartment that won't allow dogs) It might feel intrusive if you expect to just go into a store and plunk down money and bring home a dog, but it is the RIGHT way to bring a dog (or cat) into your home. If you can make a decision to get a dog, and then get one on the spot, then you have a puppy (or kitten) mill.

Are there "good" USDA commercial breeding facilities? *shrug* guess it depends on your definition of good. These dogs are kept in cages, they are bred continually, they do not live in a home, do not know anything of the love that you will be bestowing on their offspring.  The good ones are fed regularly and have water. The good ones don't stand in their own feces and urine and don't have matted fur.  Is that good enough for you? It isn't for me. All dogs (and cats) should be loved. They should be cared for. They should have no less than what you are willing to give their offspring.

http://www.thepuppymillproject.org/

if you are looking for a specific type of dog, look to a rescue, check out petfinder.com, or find a reputable breeder.  Just looking for a dog, check out your local shelter.  

10 comments:

  1. pet store in the UK don't sell dogs or cats but some of the big chains like pets at home do sell small animals but I must say they are quite good as they a vet practice in the store and if an animal that has been brought from them and your circumstances change and can no longer keep the pet they will take the animal back and put it up for adoption in in their store with their adoption service which I think is very responisble.puppy farms in the UK are few and far between and those are normally breed for labs still disgusting but they are being gradually shut down as there are now new laws here that came in last year to do with protecting the animals welfare

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  2. I know this too well. When I was training to be a groomer, I was in a school that had "many school dogs". I didn't know when I signed up that these were actually breeding dogs. The dogs only human interaction was when they were brought out to be groomed every 2 weeks. It kinda still makes me sick when I think of it.

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  3. No breeder I know or my human knows personally would EVER sell their cats in a pet store! My human had to get to know my breeder and then she had to wait several months for a litter. A real breeder loves their kittens as much as a rescue human loves the kittens they have raised, and is as careful about screening for a good home (and in spite of the fees, they don't really make money - it is an expensive hobby!). I would never allow my human to shop at a pet store that sold puppies or kittens.

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  4. I am glad you were there to be the voice of the animals. It doesn't really matter if it is dogs, cats, rabbits, donkeys, elephants, dolphins ... they need us more than ever.

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  5. Great post and good for you for joining the protest. Several pet stores around here are out of business - I can't say for certain it is due to protests about puppy mills, but I know they have had to deal with it. Every time one person stands up and says "no more" the message goes that much further. There are resources out there - puppy mills AND kitten mills need to be shut down.

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  6. Why can't this store do the right thing and showcase adoptable animals from local shelters and/or rescue groups??

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  7. Speedy is right about the UK situation. There are still those who break the law, but at least there is a law that can be enforced!

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  8. In Pennsylvania puppy mills are legislated by the Department of Agriculture, and we have one of the worst track records with regulating how dogs are bred in the entire country. More humane laws have even been passed, but cut down and modified by other interests. We don't patronize any business that sells animals from breeding mills, period.

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  9. We've seen the saddest situations when rescuing from puppy mills. Our shelter is called by the MO Dep't of Agriculture when it goes to shut down a mill, and we rescue the dogs and rehabilitate them. The health is often horrible, and the mental health - they are actually afraid to step out of their cages and experience grass under their paws because they've never known it. This is just wrong.

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  10. This just breaks the heart doesn't it? There is a pet store here in a few cities that along with all the pet food and supplies it sells, it brings in cats and dogs from their local SPCA! Love it! My girlfriend and her hubby adopted their kitty from there. There are so many shelter pets needing a loving home.
    Great post.
    xo Catherine

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