Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Never Purchase a Puppy From a Pet Shop!

Reason #10: Emotional Problems

These puppies are the offspring of intensively confined (caged) parents who have little or no socialization, so chances are great that your puppy will suffer from inherited emotional and behavioral disorders such as nervousness, hyperactivity, fear, and food aggression.

Reason #9: High Cost

The mark-up of a puppy sold in a pet shop can be as high as 1,000 (one thousand!) percent. Many brokers or pet shops pay as little as $10.00 for a puppy or as high as $300.00, then turn around and sell the puppy to you for as much as $3,000.00! High price does NOT mean a healthy puppy!

Reason #8: Purebred Papers

“Papers” from canine registries like the AKC, ACA, IKC, APRI, and others do NOT guarantee the quality of the dog, nor do they guarantee the health of the dog. These papers are often switched or fraudulently filed by the breeder or broker, making them virtually worthless.

Reason #7: Poor Breeding and/or Inbreeding

Most of the dogs in pet shops come from puppy mills: there is NO guarantee that your puppy will be what you think he/she is. Many puppies grow into dogs that have uncharacteristically long or short legs, ears and tails. Some people end up with 20-pound Chihuahuas or 50-pound cocker spaniels; others get Shepherds that are mixed with Malamutes and Huskies; still, others purchase what they are told is a Maltese that look more like Havanese and ShihTzus as they mature. Remember, there are NO breed standards in puppy mill dogs or pet shop puppies!

Reason #6: Impulse Purchases

You simply don’t know what you are getting into. Most pet shop employees have limited knowledge about different breeds. They do not properly screen buyers to match them up with the “best” companion animal, resulting in a puppy that needs lots of exercise but is confined to a crate all day while no one is home; or a puppy that is not good with children, and so on. The innocent victims of these “impulse purchases” end up in shelters or rescues sooner or later. Remember, pet shops are only interested in making the initial sale – most are not interested in providing follow-up support or additional resources and information to buyers.

Reason #5: The Puppy’s Health

Non-congenital illnesses seen in pet shop puppies are typically kennel cough, pneumonia, coccidia, parasites, and sarcoptic mange, among others. Serious illnesses include distemper and parvovirus, which can be fatal.

Reason #4: Bad Genes

Inherited disorders might not show up for 5-6 months. They include demodectic mange, deafness, blindness, hip dysplasia, cherry eye, premature cataracts, glaucoma, epilepsy, retained testicles, spinal arthritis, overbite, underbite and more.

Reason #3: Additional Vet Costs

If your puppy is sick from the get-go, be prepared to spend many more times his/her purchase price to treat or cure him, or for surgeries down the road. Although the Pet Purchase Protection Act (commonly referred to as the NJ Puppy Lemon Law) provides for consumers to be reimbursed up to TWO TIMES the purchase price of the dog, future veterinary costs can run into the thousands of dollars! Beware of the pet store “lifetime” or “extended” health warranties: many have hidden meanings, have time limits, or simply do not apply to specific health problems.

Reason #2: USDA Inspected/Licensed Breeders

Neither of these terms means “quality.” If anything, they mean “quantity”, as in large-scale commercial kennels (puppy mills). “USDA licensed” means these facilities are inspected only once in a 12-month period and that the breeders are required by law to provide only food, water and shelter. Many puppy mills operate under deplorable conditions with known violations, but that doesn’t stop the puppies from ending up in a pet shop near you.

And the #1 Reason: PUPPY MILLS!

The bottom line is this: You are supporting puppy mills with every purchase of a puppy from a pet shop. It’s the “supply & demand” theory: what goes out must come in! For every puppy purchased at a pet shop, a homeless or shelter animal dies.