Maxie. Poor wee little Maxie. As people who know me know, we’ve had a lot of problems with little Maxie. The day after we brought him home, he was diagnosed with Giardia. We gave him his round of medicine. He seems better now.
However, the looks received when I point out we got him at a pet store are becoming intolerable. In all honesty, until Max came along, I was one of those tskers. Tsk, a pet store. Tsk, not a breeder. Tsk, those dogs have problems. I’ve been fighting the tsks for the last week. It is not a reputable breeder. I had always said that I would never buy a puppy from a pet store. The literature on why not to buy a dog at a pet store is compelling. The majority of the arguments are irrefutable. The Humane Society outlines them all very clearly on its website. In all honesty, many of the problems they discuss, little Max has.
1) We were impulsive about when we got Max. We were not, however, impulsive about getting a second dog. So, yes, the pet shop catered to our desire to get what we wanted when we wanted it.
2) Nope, no one asked us what kind of home into which we were bringing him. Although, bringing JD to meet him ahead of time would have tipped off anyone that we were suckers for our dogs.
3) He was sold to us as a Cockapoo (tee hee! cockapoo!). However, our groomer is convinced that he is more likely a Maltipoo. Does it matter to us? Nope.
4) He does, indeed, already have several little health problems. Aside from the Giardia, his dewclaw on one side was removed poorly leaving scar tissue, but not trimmed at all on the other side. His tail was cropped too close which can cause anal gland problems. However, other than that, he seems to be ok so far. He has been given medicine for his Giardia, and he seems healthy.
Now, am I angry at the manner in which we were treated? Oh, golly, yes. Do we want to go back and fight for some money back? Oh, you betcha. Was some of it our fault? Once more, I answer in the affirmative. Additional review of his medical records from the store indicates he had dirty ears, kennel cough (which we had already noted at the time we got him), and a previous instance of bloody stool. He had previously been treated with the dewormer we gave him. However, at no point in these records is there a record of a test for Giardia having been done. For his sake, and on his behalf, my anger swells.
Now, other articles on the pet shop dogs discuss issues including not being housebroken, not being leash trained, and having aggression issues. He had a bit of a problem with housebreaking and leashes. However, his personality is stellar, and he is becoming an affectionate little man. If only he would stop chewing flip flops.
Some of the behavioral and health issues revealed after bringing the dog home are partially the buyers’ faults. For example, we did not know what the medicines given to Max meant. We were not proactive enough to have researched that his medical record of bloody stool had severe ramifications. These were our fault, our ignorance. They are mistakes that would not happen again. Prior to purchasing a pet, regardless of where the pet comes from, potential owners should educate themselves about things that are common to the pet in question. Purchasers should know what to look for in the behavior of the puppy and be clear as to what puppy characteristics they want. True, if the dog is sick, this may not be foolproof. However, some of the behavioral problems about which people are warned, such as agression, can be seen prior to purchase if the buyer looks for them. In that respect, buyer beware is buyer be learned.
We’ve been toiling over the idea that Max might have had more serious healthy problems if he had been left at the store. However, not buying the dogs is not going to stop the puppy mills or save these dogs. Particularly with the rise of internet dog sales, puppy mills are probably making a killing, in more ways than one. Local breeders are often hard to find as they do not advertise widely. People will turn to the internet and out of state breeders for the purchase of a puppy.
Purchasing Max was not a mistake nor was it cruel. Demonizing people for purchasing a dog in a pet store and patronizing them when they feel they have rescued the poor animal is unnecessary. By telling people that they are as bad as the puppy mills when they bring the puppy home, some people ignore the fact that these puppies would not get treatment and would be allowed to simply fade away. In attempting to protect these female dogs, the puppies themselves become victims. The breeders are not going to magically release these female dogs. They are not, additionally, going to stop breeding dogs until it becomes illegal. Ignoring the plight of the puppies themselves in a futile effort to protect the moms from being bred again is tantamount to a death sentence for some of these dogs. Giving people a look of disdain for taking a dog home from a pet shop ignores the fact that this dog will likely have a better life than it would otherwise have had.
There is no cure for puppy mills. Defending them is not an option. Cursing them is not a cure. These puppies, however, should not be punished anymore than their mothers should be. Puppy mills will continue to breed. Until the demand for pets dies, puppy mills will supply pets. As there is no option but for making them illegal, no recourse exissts to prevent these “breeders” from making puppies. Why should the puppies suffer? The answer: they should not. Encouraging people to ignore pet store puppies or puppy mill puppies is a good idea, in theory. The reality is that both of these institutions are here to stay.
All that being said, for as many horrible stories of pet shop purchases, there are likely an equal or greater number of positive stories. Max is one of those. Watching him play tug of war with JD and watching her respond to him is a joy. My little pet shop boy is just as wonderful as my well bred girl. Perhaps instead of acting condescendingly towards the purchasers of pet shop dogs, we should focus more on people like Deion Sanders and his willingness to lend his support to Michael Vick.

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