When buying a puppy, it's very important to know what conditions it has been exposed to in the first months of it's life. Dogs, like humans, are imprinted by their earliest experiences. When buying from a pet store, find the supplier of the puppies and how they were transported to the store. Most stores that "stock" puppies buy from puppy mills, and they're transported in cages in a tractor trailer. Temperature controlled? Nope, it's just livestock to them. Many have emotional or aggression issues due to inbreeding or lack of socialization from being kept in an unnatural environment. Buying from a local breeder does not guarantee a humanely raised dog, unless you visit the the facility to observe the conditions personally. Puppy mills and the pet stores that market their "products" could not stay in business without the publics support. It's the responsibility of the consumer to purchase from a humane breeder, or better yet,support your local shelter. There is no shortage of stable and loving canines in need of the same from humans. To Quote Ghandi: "The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated."
Puppy mills are something I really despise with a vengeance. I live in a rural area where puppy mills abound. It used to be that cattle dogs like australian cattle dogs and livestock guardian dogs like great pyrenees and kuvasz were bred everywhere- anything for a buck. What has become even more popular are designer dogs: seems like everybody wants to cross their poodles with schanuzers [schnoodles] or labradors [labradoodles]. It's becoming ridiculous. People are selling these designer dogs for more than what you would pay for a purebred dog. These dogs are cute as pups, but as they become adults all kinds of genetic defects are exhibited. Animal shelters are full of them. I think that if you are going to buy a pup, get one from a reputable breeder, preferably one who has kids that are socializing the pups . That definitely makes for a nicer dog. It's really too bad that they don't legislate better laws to regulate puppy mills. Oh well, we can only hope ! PAX
