There is a pet store at my nearest mall. I feel so sad to see the dogs in there. Absolutely, they take advantage of the impulse buyers, who have NO clue what they are doing. Really makes me mad how pet stores are allowed to function, yet a dog is euthanized because it's a certain "breed". All I can say is

I AGREE with everyone. That's why my family never bought a pup from a pet store. I didn't know all the facts you guys are telling me but I knew what a healthy puppy was supposed to look and they just didn't. It just seemed wrong and I didn't know if I was being unfair or not. I saw today on some silly reality show a guy about to buy a puppy from a pet store and I thought how horrible. I realized that I didn't have all the facts about pet stores and puppy mills and I wanted to educate myself on how this sick business is run. The question now is how can we put an end to this?

One of the supervisors at work bought a Newfoundland puppy from a small petstore during a Sunday drive. She paid $1000 for him with no papers. Before he was 2 he was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia and is already having trouble getting around.

I knew someone else who bought a mixed breed (lab/australian shepherd) home at age 4 months and COULD NOT potty train them! The dog would lay on it's pillow in the living room and pee itself. It would poop/pee in it's crate and lay in it without whining. There were numerous trips to the vet that found no physical cause...Why? Those were the conditions it lived in the first 4 months of it's life.

That kind of damage is so hard to reverse...if a pup grows up in filthy conditions it does not learn proper 'den' behavior. A reputable breeder wouldn't dream of sending a litter 'off to market' so just any weirdo could take the pups home. I got the 3rd degree before I got to take my pup home. My mom breeds Corgis and if she doesn't think you're a good home she'll send you off empty handed...she is merciless A good breeder would pay close attention to health and genetics to reduce the chances of crippling diseases like dysplasia.

I think some public service announcement showing the appalling conditions some of these animals are forced to live in would be a start for the general public, and then maybe some of the pet stores will start rethinking their business practices.