by Marcy LaHart, JD
Lies, Damn Lies and Pet Store Lies
Below are a few whoppers pet store employees will tell you when trying to convince you that you should buy their product :
1. “Our puppies don’t come from puppy mills.”
Pet stores blatantly deny that their puppies come from puppy mills, and instead assure you that their puppies came from “private breeders” or “reputable commercial breeders.” Pet store puppies are produced by puppy farmers who breed to make money, and whether the pet store calls them “private” or “commercial” or “reputable” the simple truth is that profit is the breeder’s bottom line. If the pet store is so sure the breeder is reputable- ask if you can have the breeder’s name and phone number so you can find out how many dogs the breeder has and chat about the genetic screening they do prior to breeding.
2. “Our puppies come from USDA licensed breeders—not puppy mills.”
A USDA license does not mean that a breeder is humane or produces well bred dogs, or that it is not a puppy mill. USDA regulations allow a medium sized dog to spend her entire life in a cage the size of your refrigerator with several other dogs, and the breeder is in full compliance. Commercial breeders typically house their dogs in unheated wire cages, and USDA regulations do not require that the dogs ever be allowed out of those cages to relieve themselves or get exercise. Not daily, not weekly, not ever. Enforcement of the woefully inadequate regulations is almost non-existent; there are too few inspectors and even when violations are found the breeders are rarely fined—the USDA issues a warning to “encourage compliance.”
3. “Your puppy passed a rigorous exam and comes with a certificate of good health.”
Florida law (and that of many other states) requires that each puppy sold in the state be accompanied by an Official Certificate of Inspection that lists the vaccines and medications that have been administered. If the veterinarian that conducts the pre-purchase examination is honest, he or she will tell you that the pre-purchase exam is precursory at best, they sometimes exam 40 or more puppies in an hour. And if a veterinarian finds too many puppies unfit for sale, it is likely that one of his or her competitors will soon become the pet store’s new “recommended vet.”
4. “We recommend that you use our vet, Dr. Incahoots, because he is the best in town!”
Pet store veterinarians do not charge pet stores for signing health certificates and treating sick puppies during the statutory warranty period in exchange for getting referrals of new clients from the pet store. The pet store refers you to that vet so that he or she will keep giving the store free services. In fact, if your vet has such a relationship with a pet store, you have a good reason to take your business elsewhere to a vet that does not support the inherently cruel puppy mill industry. Good veterinarians build their client base by referrals from current happy clients, not by finagling a monopoly on pet store customers.
5. “If your puppy gets sick in the first 14 days, you must go to our vet or we are not liable for the expenses.”
The pet store wants you to use their vet during the warranty period because that vet doesn’t charge them for his or her services. But some states (reference the Florida Puppy Lemon Law) requires that the pet store reimburse a consumer for reasonable veterinary expenses incurred in treating the animal for illness or disease during the first two weeks up to the purchase price of the dog and specifically allows the consumer to use an independent veterinarian rather than one that has a relationship with the pet store. Because the pet store vet is not getting paid he or she may not be treating sick animals as aggressively as an independent veterinarian would.
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This is one reason I dislike the term "Puppy Mill". It's basically a derogetory term that was set up by Animal Rights groups to disuade people from buying dogs from them. Unfortunately, it's only led to confusion by the general public and instances like what you're mentioning "oh, we're not a puppy mill, we're a commercial breeder" actually confuses people into thinking it's ok.
I think we'd all be better served if we went back to calling all commercial breeders commercial breeders...and pretty much anyone who makes money off of breeding qualifies. I don't know of anyone I'd consider "reputable" that doesn't lose money on the sale of their puppies...
Brent August 11th, 2008 05:07:00 PM
I liked #4 the best. I swear your blogs have timing---an acquaintence bought a mini-schnauzer from a pet store (she admitted guilt) , saw it advertised with a picture on the computer. She was told it was from a "breeder" in MO. , not a puppy mill. Ok, and the dogs ears are cropped & HEALED, it is currently less than 4 1/2 lbs, and 8 weeks old. It doesn't have AKC papers, but does have "papers"!! (I am going to be truthful here and tell you this puppy is adorable!)
Now---to add to the story, her daughter bought the same breed puppy a few weeks earlier from a "breeder" , ears uncropped, to join household of 2 other grown dogs. One dog doesn't like puppy. Puppy is now sitting in a PET SHOP on "consignment"
Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire August 11th, 2008 06:27:00 PM
BARK magazine published a piece I did this spring on 2 more puppy mill scams:
1. Making themselves look like good quality breeders online
2. Using local agents to help sell pups "for a friend"
There is actually a much worse third scam that didn't make it into the article. I'm still hoping to sell that piece somewhere since I spent a month doing investigative and even under-cover work on it. If not, I may just post it on my blog sometime soon.
I hope this works, but here's a link to a scanned PDF of the article that I just posted last week on my main site.
<http://www.roxannehawn.com/uploads/BARK_-_Puppy_Mi...>
Roxanne August 11th, 2008 06:59:00 PM
Good list!! A favorite of mine is "You have to feed such and such brand of food or the health guarantee is void". As if every health problem that can occur is the result of not feeding a specific diet.
Dawn August 11th, 2008 07:50:00 PM
It STILL amazes me how many people - in this age of Oprah and 20/20 - don't know better than to buy a puppy from a pet store. Even "experts" who should KNOW better think it's an OK option, like the Dog Bite Law web site. On his "advice for parents" page (http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/advice.htm) it says at the top that you should get a dog from a professional breeder or a "good pet store". Riiiiight.
Of course, lower down on that page he talks about a "pit bull gene" (excuse me??) infiltrating "gentler" breeds like Labs and Goldens, resulting in aggressive behavior in those breeds. So I guess that shows how much of an expert he is. I'm going to go let my head explode now...
Barb August 11th, 2008 11:19:00 PM
Pet shops haven't sold dog or cats in Germany for ages (a voluntary decision), but now some shops are starting to sell kittens and plan to sell puppies soon. I'm not looking forward to this and I'm sure we'll be hearing the same lies repeated here. The breeder associations won't allow their members to sell to pet shops, so it will be anyone's guess where the puppies will come from.
My favourite pet shop lie right now is: "Nooo, the green iguana won't grow as much when the tank is small, you can keep it in a 50g without problems" (insert herp/fish of choice for ig). And: "Yeah, the gerbils will stop breeding when they have no more room and the babies will not mate with their mother or siblings, that would be incest!"
Jennifer August 12th, 2008 01:56:00 AM
Jennifer: I love that lie. I hear it often when it comes to herps. As if you could bonzai a boa!
Dr. Patty Khuly August 12th, 2008 08:10:00 AM
We had a shop around here that used to bring puppies and kittens from the local pound and you could adopt them right from the shop. Of course, that's no longer going on -- but it did.
On another note, I would never use someone's recommended vet. I love my vet and would not trade his opinions for anything.
ashleigh August 12th, 2008 01:21:00 PM
It's just this simple. No reputable breeder who actually cares about their puppies or kittens will EVER put them in a retail situation, sell them based on whether the buyer credit card clears or sell them via the internet without extensive interviews, reference checks and probably a home visit by them or a colleague.
So it is essentially impossible for any retail puppy in a pet shop to have come from a non-puppy mill or not from a puppy mill supplier .
I think stores and shops brining in shelter pets for direct adoption is a great thing. They do around here and it is very successful
JenniferJ August 12th, 2008 01:49:00 PM
How about all of the educated people you know (family and friends) that "SAVE" a puppy from a pet store? They actually think they are doing a good deed! Are you kidding me???
Kelly August 14th, 2008 12:50:00 PM
Okay, it was my understanding that AVMA ethics rules forbid veterinarians from paying out for referrals.
IOW, it would be an ethics violation for for a vet to take anything of value from me (a trainer) in exchange for referring to me.
So how is it then okay for Dr. Incahoots to *receive* referrals in exchange for free warranty work?
This is an actual question, not a rhetorical one.
I once severed business relations with a clinic that not only held the Petland contract, but TWICE placed my business materials (advertising the puppy kindergarten I conducted at their clinic) in the store. I would have thought that the blast damage from my first "conversation" with their practice manager would have settled it. Of course I had no idea they had the Petland contract when I agreed to teach there.
One session of puppy class was almost all Petland puppies. "Remedial" does not begin to cover it.
H Houlahan August 14th, 2008 09:23:00 PM
I forgot to mention that this is an outstanding post, and I'll refer people to it who don't believe it when I tell them the simple fact "If it came from a pet store, it came from a puppy mill. Period. End of discussion. No gray area. The clerk lied to you."
Thanks, Ms. LaHart
H Houlahan August 14th, 2008 11:25:00 PM
H Houlahan: This ethics rule you speak of is part of each state's practice act but it typically applies only to referrals between veterinarians. Hope that answers your question.
Dr. Patty Khuly August 16th, 2008 10:41:00 AM
THANK YOU
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Good...... July 28th, 2009 09:29:58 AM
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