# Please don't bash me but I went in a pet store that sold dogs.



## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

Please don't bash me but I went in a pet store that sold dogs. I haven't been in one of these in years since our town no longer has these type of stores. My son lives in this area and took us there. We did take pictures of these poor dogs. No I did not buy any of these dogs. I just felt sorry for them. They had one large dog that was just put in a small dog coral in the pet store. The little dogs had maybe two dogs in a small cage. I was shocked to see that they let a couple of kids around seven to ten years old take these dogs and play with them in another part of the store. There was not any adults with them. The little dogs' areas to play was just like a big bin or whatever you call it with glass around it and several little dogs in there.
Anyway, here are some pictures. Poor things.








These poor dogs shared the same small cage.








Poor little thing.








I couldn't resist. It looked like my dog.








How about this sign? It says Ugly Dog sale - make a offer. I think the dogs were around $399 but not sure if it was just a certain kind of what.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

No one should bash you. You didn't buy one and support where they come from. Besides, many here have purchased from pet stores before we knew better.


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

Snuggles said:


> *How about this sign? It says Ugly Dog sale - make a offer.* I think the dogs were around $399 but not sure if it was just a certain kind of what.


That is just awful.


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

And I didn't even think they were ugly at all.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

No dog is ugly. That shows they don't actually care about the dogs, they're just trying to make a quick sale, anyone should be able to see that.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

I go into our local petland when i feel a bit grumpy. I always ask the sales folk there about where the puppies come from. Then when they go in to the spill of sending inspectors to the places they come from and they are from reputable sources. I tend to get a little condescending. But you know... I really think alot of those employees are really just ignorant to the fact that they are selling pups from mills...Most of them look like they are still in school...

I only do this once every so often, but it sure makes me feel better.

I also call the humane society on them for shits and giggles at least once a month, And report the fact they are selling sick pups. Every single time i have visited..there was at least one or more pups that needed vet care.

There is a Petsmart about to open right next door in a few weeks. I sure hope it will lead to the doors closing on it forever.


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## PappyMom (Jun 5, 2009)

I used to work in a puppy store, and I could tell you horror stories. =[

Unfortunately, those pics look much nicer then the store I worked at..


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## tw1n (May 12, 2009)

digits mama said:


> But you know... I really think alot of those employees are really just ignorant to the fact that they are selling pups from mills...Most of them look like they are still in school...


Yeah the majority of them are just teenagers, who prob just work their so they can play with the puppies. But don't really know the whole deal behind it.


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

I don't think teens are concerned with it. I would love playing with the pups. In fact the store we went to had a kid working there. I think he was the manager/owner's son. He looked very young.


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## MakeShift Heart (Sep 12, 2009)

I don't know anything about these pet store puppies or anything because we don't have one around here. I do have a question though, sorry if this is hi-jacking your thread, but is the petsmart kittens the same idea? I always thought they were rescues :/.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

MakeShift Heart said:


> ..... but is the petsmart kittens the same idea? I always thought they were rescues :/.


The Petsmart cats/kittens are rescues. They donate adoption space to rescue agencies.


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## MakeShift Heart (Sep 12, 2009)

Willowy said:


> The Petsmart cats/kittens are rescues. They donate adoption space to rescue agencies.


Okay thanks for letting me know!! Sorry I know that was a bit of a stupid question..back to the main topic now LOL!


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## Leroy&Lucy'sMom (Mar 2, 2009)

By now you figure people would KNOW not to buy from a pet store. It is a shock to me that they even stay in business. I guess there are will always be some ignorant people...



digits mama said:


> I also call the humane society on them for shits and giggles at least once a month, And report the fact they are selling sick pups. Every single time i have visited..there was at least one or more pups that needed vet care.


That is a good idea but do u know if the humane society actually follows up on the call?


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

The problem doesn't really lie in visiting a pet store, I know the puppies, the kitties, the bunnies, birds & whatever other live animals they can profit from sales of are so cute. Just as those in your photos are all adorable!
The problem lies in purchasing anything at all from such stores. Any purchase support pet stores & keep them in business.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I go to pet stores quite often and ask them questions about the breeds of dogs they have. For example, last time I went I saw a Papillon for the first time. She was 7 lbs at 3 months old and 12-13 in tall. She had no puppy fur at all, not the furry kind that a 3 month old Pap should have and instead had a very short lab like coat. She also had a very different face/ears from any Pap I had seen but I asked and they said she was purebred. They even asked me if my Pap had long hair  and I told them yes and they just laughed and said she she doesn't. 

That pet store was terrible because it had tons of dogs that weren't sold and are not 8-10 months old still living in the tiny cages that puppies live in. It's pretty sad..

I feel pretty bad for those dogs. The pics you took the puppies look so sad and desperate for a home. When I went to the pet store, the papilion i was talking about clung to me and wagged her tail at me pretty badly and didn't want to go back to the sales person when I gave her back, it made me feel so bad. I wanted to buy her...but that would just be contributing to the puppymills and pet stores.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

It is funny that I should come home and read this thread. Today a co-worker came in to tell me all about her experience at the pet store. She is looking for a puppy. Thank God, she didn't purchase one of the puppies. I told her that ALL puppies in pet stores come from mills or at least unethical breeders. After explaining to her that any ethical breeder would never consider sending one of their puppies off to a faceless nameless home she seemed to understand. I am hopeful that she will make a better choice when the time comes. She is going to the humane society to "see what they have there". My fingers are crossed.


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

I worked at a Petland once. I lasted 4 days. Then I made this big post on this site about it and emailed friends to get the word out. Last I heard it got to Michigan (which is cool because I live in PA). ANyways, I saw all kinds of things in my brief stint there: PARVO, an actual dead dog....no joke. A humane officer was asking for paperwork about it on my third day there. The paperwork was "missing". 

It was so sick, sad, disgusting, and makes me feel helpless because so many people are ignorant about it. I work at Petco now and you would not believe the people asking about puppies they can buy at a pet store. I tell as many people as possible the horrors about them that I have seen in just 4 days at a petland but after I do they ask me "So you don't know any stores?" Or "Where is Petland?" (sigh)

Not to mention how they "train" you on how to work there. 

I think the best we can do is try to educate people so the money stops greasing these company's wheels


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

Thinking back, we got our first dog at a pet store (no longer there-now a Walgreens/McDonalds). It was allergic to wheat, barley and something else. We had to feed her a meal of cottage cheese, hamburger and I think rice and something else. When we got her, she had worms also. The diet came a little later. No big deal just watching what dog food we bought. She lived to twelve. I remember the first night we got her. I guess she had worms so bad that she was shaking. I thought she was going to die.

Our second dog (this is married life) we got from a shelter. Third and fourth dogs (present dogs) we got from homes. I guess we learn as we got along.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Yes, And how I do know is that "through the grapevine" they have been being "harrassed" by the humane society. (poor babies) I have a feeling many more people have been calling. I know 5 people that call and report them too. Hopefully more.

Only thing I dont know is.. What happens when they do follow up. That I would like to know.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I worked at the shelter when our pet store here was charged with animal cruelty. All dogs were seized and housed through the shelter. The pet store was found guilty on two counts of animal cruelty. The bad news is we only got to keep those two dogs that were found to be neglected. The rest of the pups went back to the store. I can't stand that place, it's awful. The pups are all sick and the ear crops on them are terrible. Every time I go in there I see pups with very infected cropped ears. 

It's tragic enough that stores can sell dogs, but it's more tragic that people will STILL SHOP THERE even if the store has been convicted of animal cruelty.


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## PappyMom (Jun 5, 2009)

It is hard for me to even bash people who buy a puppy from a puppy store. In Connecticut, it is legal for the pet shop owner to euthanize a puppy that they can't sell.

I wasn't a sales associate, I kept to myself in the kennels, cleaning and caring for puppies. I never worked an 8 hr shift. Everyday was 12 hrs long for me, even if I wasn't getting paid. I saw the most horrible things, and tried to do everything in my power to help the puppies. I saw so many lifeless bodies, and fought for them all. I spent 2 hours grooming a Shih-tzu puppy, who was no more than 4 lbs..but covered from head to toe in feces, his paws totally matted, and fur and feces caked over his little butt.

We had the tiniest, prettiest chihuahua. All white, with blue/green eyes. A face that I can't keep out of my head. One of the sales associates forgot to close the kennel door all the way, and the chihuahua pushed it back open, while putting its front paws on the door. He was on the top kennel, which was taller then me, at 5'6". He fell out, hit his tiny head on a stool, and then bounced off to the ground. They scooped him up and brought him into the backroom..where they let him lay in privacy for a while, and then deemed him ok to sell. He never saw a vet. He fell on Thursday..Friday, his stools were bloody. Saturday, he was lethargic. Sunday, he died from internal injuries.

I worked at this store for 4 months. In 4 months, 6 puppies died from Parvo, not including the chihuahua above. I tried my best, alone, to clean 80-something dog kennels thoroughly with a bleach-water cleaner and very hot water. But was always told I was going too slow for them. I always sanitized their food bowls and water bottles in bleach and hot water too, but then I was yelled at for that...that all they needed was to be washed in dish soap.

When I quit, I was pregnant, and still being forced to change cat litters, and work with the bleach etc. (I had also had to go get stitches from slitting my thumb to the bone when trying to feed the dogs. I was a mess, lol) The last couple of days of my 2 weeks, a little GSD boy was on his way out. He was a mess with horrid mucousy bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. He reaked of Parvo. The owner told me it was giardia. I was rippin' pissed by then. I looked him square in the eyes, and let him know if this dog died of Parvo, before I left, I was going to raise holy hell in this store. I cuddled that dog the whole night, feeding him baby food and trying to keep some water down him. The next day, my last day, the dog was gone, with a note from the owner that he'd been taken to the vet. Before I left I learned that he passed from Parvo. I called the HSUS, CT Dept of Agriculture..PETA, BAAC..any animal rights group you could think of, I had contacted them.. The stupid owner didn't even get shut down..he got 2 counts of animal cruelty against him, now, thanks to me, but I guess here it's a 3 strikes your out game..and he's cleaned up most of his messes to the naked eye, good. Sometimes I wish I still worked there, as it would be easier for me to make a case behind closed doors.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Pappymom, Your story pretty much summed up things for me. Sometimes when i go in there on my tangent, I do notice some of them are not happy with things..Not that they say but when I bring up the fact that these puppies come from horrid conditions..I can sense some of them know that. Sometimes I can see a bit of sadness and some of them probably stay working there for the sake of the animals. Maybe there is no way to fight it..A huge system built of greed. Paid for with love from the unsuspecting customers. Education is the key. And since that Petland opened up. I do find people are "getting" educated..slowly but surely.

I commend you for trying.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Oh the horrors of pet stores. But some people don't listen, neither do they care. 

Our 2 dogs Popcorn and Truffles both came from the Harrods pet shop. I told my aunt all the terrible stories regarding pet stores and showed her puppy mills and such but she doesn't care. As long as they're cute and clean and healthy (Harrods does a vet check for puppies that are leaving and any pup that doesn't pass gets sent back to the 'breeder') it's good enough for her. I'm sure it's the same with many other people shopping in pet stores. 

Although I haven't seen any animal cruelty in Harrods and I also know a past employee, I can't say that the puppies came from reputable sources either...


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## Cockapoodledoo (Feb 18, 2009)

Leroy&Lucy'sMom said:


> By now you figure people would KNOW not to buy from a pet store. It is a shock to me that they even stay in business. I guess there are will always be some ignorant people...
> 
> 
> 
> That is a good idea but do u know if the humane society actually follows up on the call?


I really don't know anything about pet stores, but these animals still need homes. What happens to them if nobody buys them?


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

User Name said:


> I really don't know anything about pet stores, but these animals still need homes. What happens to them if nobody buys them?


This really is getting a bit of topic IMO, there are plenty of other topics dealing with the issue of selling pets.
And I really don't know what happens to the pets that don't get sold, I suppose they have a sale, then another 1, perhaps the pup gets sent back to puppy mill & it then takes the place of it's mom or dad to be kept in a tiny cage it's entire life only to breed. 
PLEASE - RESEARCH STORES THAT SELL LIVE PETS & WHERE THE PETS COME FROM! I really don't believe anyone would have the stomach to support anything that supports puppy mills. Please do NOT buy from stores that sell live pets, they come from horrid puppy mills.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Its a double edged sword.

but if you do buy from them.. the mothers sitting in 1 foot by one foot pens with thier paws all mangled from living on chicken wire has another litter, and another and another..till they die in thier own feces. 

I know it is really hard to walk away from a pet store pup. But knowing that I contribute to the entire mess keeps me from ever doing it. The less pups people buy there..the less money those pet stores have, The less litters the mother has..The more of the chance that they will be closed down forever.

Its all about stopping the cycle.. and unfortunatly..there are sacrifices.. And that in itself is a terrible thing. But we have to start somewhere...


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## Cockapoodledoo (Feb 18, 2009)

DJsMom said:


> This really is getting a bit of topic IMO, there are plenty of other topics dealing with the issue of selling pets.
> And I really don't know what happens to the pets that don't get sold, I suppose they have a sale, then another 1, perhaps the pup gets sent back to puppy mill & it then takes the place of it's mom or dad to be kept in a tiny cage it's entire life only to breed.
> PLEASE - RESEARCH STORES THAT SELL LIVE PETS & WHERE THE PETS COME FROM! I really don't believe anyone would have the stomach to support anything that supports puppy mills. Please do NOT buy from stores that sell live pets, they come from horrid puppy mills.


Why don't you relax, I was only asking a question, the topic is on pet stores, so I asked a question and after your long spew you could not even answer the question. I just don't understand why people have to jump in and be so rude.


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

User Name said:


> Why don't you relax, I was only asking a question, the topic is on pet stores, so I asked a question and after your long spew you could not even answer the question. I just don't understand why people have to jump in and be so rude.


I do apologize for coming across as rude.


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## Cockapoodledoo (Feb 18, 2009)

DJsMom said:


> I do apologize for coming across as rude.


Thank you, I appreciate that.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

User Name said:


> I really don't know anything about pet stores, but these animals still need homes. What happens to them if nobody buys them?


It depends on the place. Typically they keep going 'on sale' until someone buys them. I've seen some that euthanize puppies, very few get sent to shelters, some sent to research labs. Most often though they go back to the breeder and become a breeding dog. 

The problem with buying them is if you do, there's now another spot for another pup to be sold and the parents are condemned to being kept in tiny cages to breed more puppies.


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

That is just so sad. Also, to go to research places? I can imagine what happens there.


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## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

Both of my babies almost ended up in a Pet store. Peanut was 'too big' and Hallie was dying so they were basically puppies the pet store wouldn't take. Hallie's mill sold to Pet stores as a seasonal thing, and Peanut's did though I'm not sure how regularly. I love my pet store rejects! And I'm glad neither ended up in one of those places...though the mills are much more worse than the pet stores. Hallie has really bad allergies..to just about everything, and Peanut is really snappy and has bad knees. I believe their faults are due to their breeding.


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## Pickleisaminidaschi (Jun 25, 2008)

I went in one of those things, just a few weeks ago. There where so many, and some looked just like Pickle did when he was a baby. It took me awhile to leave them there....


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

We are headed on a craft/food/etc. drive tomorrow. I have heard that they are selling dogs at one stop. I think they were there last year also. I bet that is a puppy mill place.


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