NEW JERSEY PET SHOPS
How much is that puppy mill puppy in the window?
New Jersey has about 50 pet shops that sell puppies and kittens - about a fourth sell puppies purchased exclusively from Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite puppy mills - and we’ve received complaints on most of them!
Almost all puppies in pet shops come from puppy mills and there is NO guarantee that your puppy will be what you think s/he is. Remember, there are NO breed standards in puppy mill dogs and pet shop puppies! 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; Maltese that look more like Havanese and ShihTzus mixes, and so on.
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.
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.
Non-congenital illnesses seen in pet shop puppies are typically kennel cough, pneumonia, coccidia, giardia, parasites, and sarcoptic mange, among others. Serious illnesses include distemper and parvovirus, which can be fatal.
Inherited disorders might not show up for 3 – 9 months. They include demodectic mange, deafness, blindness, hip dysplasia, cherry eye, premature cataracts, glaucoma, epilepsy, retained testicles, spinal arthritis, overbite, underbite and more.
The mark-up of a puppy sold in a pet shop can be as high as 1,000 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 and registration papers do NOT mean a quality or healthy puppy.
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. Paying for veterinary expenses cuts into their profits and many store owners will fight you every step of the way should your new puppy become ill shortly after purchase, even blaming you, the buyer, for your puppy’s health problems.
The pet store trade is one business where, once you leave the store with a puppy, the customer is never right!
It's the law!
Puppy cages in NJ pet stores selling dogs or cats must have a label listing:
the sex and breed of each animal kept in the cage,
the date and place of birth of each animal,
the name and address of the veterinarian attending to the animal, and
the date of the initial examination of the animal.
Each store shall also display conspicuously on the business premises a sign not smaller than 22 inches by 18 inches which clearly states to the public in letters no less than one inch high the following:
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
The sale of dogs and cats is subject to a regulation of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Read your animal history and health certificate, the Statement of New Jersey Law Governing the Sale of Dogs and Cats and your Contract. In the event of a complaint you may contact: Division of Consumer Affairs, Post Office Box 45025, 124 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey 07101. (973) 504-6200.
Actual sign posted in a NJ pet store!
Commercial breeder vs. Puppy Mill
There is a distinction between a legitimate commercial kennel, which also exists to produce and sell puppies, and a puppy mill. The former is generally clean, provides veterinary care for the pups and adults, and socializes the pups before shipping them to retail outlets. The latter is a vile death trap for dogs, cluttered, overcrowded disease-ridden, and foul smelling. Commercial kennels are registered with the USDA under the Federal Animal Welfare Act; puppy mills fall through the regulatory cracks.
At the Pet Shop, we purchase our puppies only from legitimate commercial kennels.
In other words, puppy mills, right?
What is the true monetary value of your pet shop puppy?
A few years ago we obtained wholesale price lists from Hunte and Lambriar, the nation’s two largest puppy brokers. We know the economy is currently unstable and the pet industry has its ups & downs but wholesale prices appear to be remaining stable, as reflected by what we’re told by breeders.
With that in mind, we thought readers and potential puppy purchasers would like to see what astronomical markups there are on the heads of little pet shop puppies!
Hunte in 2005 was offering most breeds starting at $199 and up to $499. Puppies 11-13 weeks old started at $50 for Hunte’s special one day sale in June 2005!
Lambriar on the other hand, offered deep discounts for the same period.
Black Labradors and Cocker Spaniels were going for $49.00, the lowest price, while Yellow Labs and Siberian Huskies were offered at $79. For the low price of only $99 each, a store could order limitless Soft Coated Wheatens, Pomeranians, Corgis, Maltese, Jack Russell Terriers, Daschunds, Boxers, and Norwegian Elkhounds. Bichons were $149, while Yorkies topped off at $330.
A breeder in Texas reported being paid only $200 and $260 for male and female Yorkies, respectively, from Lambriar. The NJ pet store sold the Yorkie for $3,700.00!
Articles of Interest
Pets, Lies & Videotape: Exposing NJ Pet Shop Consumer Fraud and Abuse
The Truth Behind Pet Store Puppies
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.