RANT: Pets with a Background

One of my "Pet Causes" is "Pet Stores"

Many pet stores are very busy at this time of the year. It is because they are hoping to cash in on people who want to buy a loved one a pet for Christmas.

First off, Christmas is not the time to bring home a puppy or kitten. There is always so much hustle and bustle, that the new pet, already stressed out, becomes a mass of nerves.

Second, you should always think once, twice, three times, or 50 times about getting pets at pet stores. The vast majority of pet store dogs come from what are known as puppy mills. The female dogs are there only to be bred and turn out puppies. They are bred on their first season, and bred every season thereafter. The dogs are usually kept in wire cages, with little to no exercise, and very little human interaction. Quite often, the puppies are taken away from their mothers at the age of 4 or 5 weeks, when the accepted practice of weaning is at 6 to 8 weeks. Those last few weeks are critical for learning socialization skills from their mother and their litter mates.And they are critical, in healthy dogs, to getting the last bit of immunity to keep disease away. Adding in the stress of the travel, and the stress of being in a store, many puppies succumb to illness. They may have so many health issues that you are most likely to have vet bills from the very beginning.

Third, there is already a huge pet population problem in our animal shelters and dog pounds. An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. If you are thinking adopting a pet, remember..you must commit to become a 'forever home' for the new member of your family.

To give you an idea, here is an article about Pet Land and puppy mills. Make sure to take the time to watch the videos in the article. The movies of the puppy mills are very disturbing, as you will see behavior problems of many of the dogs. Also take the time to see the video of Baby, a puppy mill survivor.

If you are thinking of a new pet, please please PLEASE avoid pet stores. If you MUST have a pedigreed purebred, then go to a reputable breeder. Or find a rescue organization for that breed, they can help you the most. And please, don't buy dogs with an eye to breed them and make money off of them. There are too, too many puppies who grow up to be killed at the shelters.

Spay and Neuter! Don't add to the population in shelters!

Don't abandon your pet in your foreclosed home.

Be responsible pet owners.