5 Reasons Not to Adopt in a Pet Store: factories That Produce Puppies for Sale to Pet stores do not care about the welfare of the animals they raise. Puppies are born under crowded and unsanitary conditions. Still not convinced? Here are the 5 reasons not to adopt in a pet store.
1 / Origin
The first of the 5 reasons not to adopt in a pet store is the origin of the puppy. The actual origin of these dogs is often unknown. In fact, puppies very rarely come from local small animal breeders. Most of the time they come from battery farms, like chickens. Lives are doomed to produce puppies until they are dead. You will never see the daylight, not know the joys of daily walks and let alone the warmth of a house. Which dog really wants to have such a life? Is your puppy's life worth the price for so much abuse?
Sometimes puppies even come from abroad. We then have even less information about their origin. They come from puppy factories in Eastern Europe or from unregulated kennels. The reason? "Purebred" dogs can be purchased cheaply and then resold at a high price. But don't be deceived. A dog can only be considered a "breed" if it has a stud-book (LOF). Otherwise, it is considered simply associated with a race. Whether your dog is crossed or not does matter. But the pet store will sell it to you at the same price as an official breed dog.
Many pet shops say to buy their dogs from responsible breeders. But the word "breeder" can apply to anyone who composes two dogs. In addition, a truly responsible breeder usually does not want to sell his dogs to a pet store. They prefer to sell them personally. Some pet shops even invent responsible "breeder guarantees". But if you take a closer look, this guarantee is only provided by the pet store. There is no external view of this "guarantee".
2 / the behavior of puppies
For a dog good in his paws, like an adult, he must be socialized in the first months of his life. This means that from birth he must be able to discover at his own pace, as much as possible positive. This allows him to forge a threshold of tolerance in adulthood. It will be less likely to be afraid or to have deviant behavior such as aggression.
Unfortunately, puppies from pet shops are not so lucky. After leaving the kennel, the puppies are immediately locked in the windows without having come into contact with the outside world. They stay in their box all day without going out to be considered fair animals. This lack of socialization, coupled with the violent separation from the mother, often leads to behavioral problems in dogs. In short, they are more likely to have a puppy that will have behavioral problems growing up. Even if it does not affect 100% of puppies, buying in a pet store is to accept that it happens.
For puppies that have passed through the countries of the East, it is not uncommon that they were separated from their mother before the age of legal sale in France. Either before your 2 months. It is then an additional risk for the puppy to have developmental problems.
3 / puppies are often sick
In dog factories, whether in France or abroad, there is no genetic selection. This means that neither the behavior nor the health of the breeding dogs is selected. No health tests are carried out before reproduction.
The breeding work also makes it possible to preserve the characteristics of a breed as much as possible. But also to establish a selection work on the lines. If this selection is not made or done wrong, we significantly increase the risk of genetic diseases occurring. This non-selection often leads to weaker puppies.
Hereditary diseases that can affect dogs are diverse. Here are some examples :
Bone and joint irregularities: achondroplasia, elbow dysplasia, coxofemorale dysplasia, shoulder dysplasia (osteochondritis dissecting), congenital dislocation of the elbow, dislocation of the Patella, herniated disc, spina bifida, the upper and lower over idealism.
Problems of the neuromuscular system: congenital Hydrocephalus, cerebellar hypoplasia, cerebellar Degeneration, abiotrophy, malignant hyperthermia, essential epilepsy, narcolepsy, catalepsy, degenerative myelopathy, hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia.
Skin and integument change primary seborrhea, dermoid sinus, congenital alopecia, congenital hypotrichosis, atopy, demodicosis, immune-mediated dermatitis, discoid lupus erythematosus, sebaceous adenitis, canine Dermatomyositis.
Eye abnormalities: microphthalmia, distichiasis, entropion, ectropium, congenital and hereditary cataracts, primary lens dislocation, primary glaucoma, retinal dysplasia, primary photoreceptor atrophy.
And many other diseases.
4 / not sold
When the puppies offered for sale reach an age when they are no longer as cute as before, their chances of being adopted will be significantly reduced. You can no longer keep pet stores in the window. Obviously, pet stores do not really communicate the fate of these" unsold " items.
But after running an animal welfare association a few years ago, we know that unsold products very often do not have a good future. Let me explain. An unsaleable puppy returned to the factory. The latter then has the choice to use him as a breeder to try to sell him or to euthanize him. In rare cases, the puppy can be given to one of the employees of the pet store for a bite of bread. In a pet store, the dog is just a consumer product like any other.
5 / the animal cause
Let's stop lying, pet shops are taking part in a form of abuse by acting as we have seen above. In this sense, in order to show your disagreement with these cruel practices and to get pet shops to stop selling animals, you prefer to adopt your dog from a serious breeder or shelter.
Serious breeders exist. And contrary to what you might think. Taking a dog from a serious breeder is not against animal welfare. He will give you guarantees and not hide the origin of his dogs.
You can also adopt in a shelter or association. Adopt one animal and you save two. Who will be in your family and who can take his place as a refuge.
Good breeders and shelters are often put in opposition. However, these are not purebred dogs that we find in shelters. But many dogs are often crossed or related breeds. This means that most dogs in the shelter were mainly family dogs from undeclared litters.
For me, these are the 5 reasons not to adopt in a pet store. It is better to take your time and look for a good breeding or even the right coup in a club instead of giving money to pet shops.
Buying in a pet shop is a total contribution to the mistreatment of your animals. Whether before, during or after the passage through the window. It is also a contribution to the destiny reserved for breeders: a life of misery to fulfill the wishes of many people.