I don't remember much from the place I was born. It was cramped and dark, and we were never played with by the humans. I remember Mom and her soft fur, but she was often sick, and very thin. She had hardly any milk for me and my brothers and sisters. I remember many of them dying, and I missed them so.

I do remember the day I was taken from Mom. I was so sad and scared, my milk teeth had only just come in, and I really should have been with Mom still, but she was so sick, and the Humans kept saying that they wanted money and were sick of the "mess" that me and my sister made. So we were crated up and taken to a strange place. Just the two of us. We huddled together and were scared, still no human hands came to pet or love us.

So many sights and sounds, and smells! We are in a store where there are many different animals! Some that squawk! some that meow! Some that Peep! My sister and I are jammed into a small cage, I hear other puppies here. I see humans look at me, I like the 'little humans', the kids. they look so sweet, and fun, like they would play with me!

All day we stay in the small cage, sometimes mean people will hit the glass and frighten us, every once in a while we are taken out to be held or shown to humans. Some are gentle, some hurt us, we always hear "Aw they are So cute! I want one!" but we never get to go with any.

My sister died last night, when the store was dark. I lay my head on her soft fur and felt the life leave her small thin body. I had heard them say she was sick, and that I should be sold at a "discount price" so that I would quickly leave the store. I think my soft whine was the only one that mourned for her as her body was taken out of the cage in the morning and dumped.

Today, a family came and bought me! Oh happy day! They are a nice family, they really, really wanted me! They had bought a dish and food and the little girl held me so tenderly in her arms. I love her so much! The mom and dad say what a sweet and good puppy I am! I am named Angel. I love to lick my new humans!

The family takes such good care of me, they are loving and tender and sweet. They gently teach me right and wrong, give me good food, and lots of love! I want only to please these wonderful people! I love the little girl and I enjoy running and playing with her.

Today I went to the veterinarian. it was a strange place and I was frightened. I got some shots, but my best friend the little girl held me softly and said it would be OK. So I relaxed. The Vet must have said sad words to my beloved family, because they looked awfully sad. I heard Severe hip dysplacia, and something about my heart... I heard the vet say something about, back yard breeders and my parents not being tested. I know not what any of that means, just that it hurts me to see my family so sad. But they still love me, and I still love them very much!

I am 6 months old now. Where most other puppies are robust and rowdy, it hurts me terribly just to move. The pain never lets up. It hurts to run and play with my beloved little girl, and I find it hard to breath. I keep trying my best to be the strong pup I know I am supposed to be, but it is so hard. It breaks my heart to see the little girl so sad, and to hear the Mom and Dad talk about "it might now be the time". Several times I have went to that veterinarians place, and the news is never good. Always talk about Congenital Problems. I just want to feel the warm sunshine and run, and play and nuzzle with my family.

Last night was the worst, Pain has been my constant companion now, it hurts even to get up and get a drink. I try to get up but can only whine in pain. I am taken in the car one last time. Everyone is so sad, and I don't know why. Have I been bad? I try to be good and loving, what have I done wrong? Oh if only this pain would be gone! If only I could soothe the tears of the little girl. I reach out my muzzle to lick her hand, but can only whine in pain.

The veterinarians table is so cold. I am so frightened. The humans all hug and love me, they cry into my soft fur. I can feel their love and sadness. I manage to lick softly their hands. Even the vet doesn't seem so scary today. he is gentle and I sense some kind of relief for my pain. The little girl holds me softly and I thank her, for giving me all her love. I feel a soft pinch in my foreleg. The pain is beginning to lift, I am beginning to feel a peace descend upon me. I can now softly lick her hand. My vision is becoming dreamlike now, and I see my Mother and my brothers and sisters, in a far off green place. They tell me there is no pain there, only peace and happiness. I tell the family, good-bye in the only way I know how, a soft wag of my tail and a nuzzle of my nose. I had hoped to spend many, many moons with them, but it was not meant to be. "You see," said the veterinarian, "Pet shop puppies do not come from ethical breeders."

The pain ends now, and I know it will be many years until I see my beloved family again. If only things could have been different.

(This story may be published or reprinted in the hopes that it will stop unethical breeders and those who breed only for money and not for the betterment of the breed. Copyright 1999 J. Ellis)

-- Stephanie (aubrey56@maine.rr.com), November 01, 2001

Answers

I am sad to say I have heard lots of stories like this from puppy customers who after dealing with a pet store come to me for a pup.Genetic testing please ! A good breeder would NEVER sell it's pups to a pet store.I place each pup in an approved home and have turned down allot of people.I refuse to buy anything in a pet shop that sells pups.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), November 02, 2001.

I bought a basset hound that died in my daughter's arms, we tried everything. It turns out that the breeder knew their was a congential problem and sold (big bucks - show basset) anyway. I tried to call AmericanBreeding and nothing. It makes me sick. It gives the good breeders a bad reputation because I need a sheep guard dog but am sick at breeders and don't trust them. Yes, I do know that not all are, but with my luck I get dollar sign breeder.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), November 02, 2001.

Stephanie:

You're absolutely right about the heartbreak factor! Even with all the publicity there's been about puppy mills and backyard breeders, too much of their "inventory" still ends up in petshops.

And the situation's not much better for the dogs that produce all those puppies. I've had two dogs that were retired breeders -- a Cocker who'd spent three years as a stud in an Oregon dog farm and showed signs of being badly abused, and a luckier Yorkie whose owner got rid of her early on because she wasn't profitable enough (he wasn't impressed when she delivered a two-puppy litter).

There's a story I heard a long time ago that ought to make some of these unethical breeders nervous. When humans die, they find themselves on one side of a bottomless pit. A bridge crosses the pit, and Paradise awaits on the other side...as does every animal the human being has dealt with in life. And it's up to the animals to decide whether the human gets to cross the bridge or not.

I like that.

-- Christine (cytrowbridge@zianet.com), November 02, 2001.

I like that one Christine .A good breeder will not sell a pup with defects .You should ask for a written contract also .Yes no matter how we try we do get pups with problem .If and when this happens the pup is put to sleep if to serious or given to older folks who understand the dogs problem .In doing this the dogs have always lived long healthy lives .I could never sell I dog I would not buy .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), November 02, 2001.

We have 2 border collies, siblings and 4 years old. One we got at 10 weeks and the other we rescued through our vet at 1 year old from a neglectful, abusive situation. The litter was an accidental (?) breeding from the mother and her son from a previous litter. Both have heart murmurs and the rescued one now has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, severe in one hip. We love them both dearly and they are part of our family, living indoors, helping with the sheep when we are out. Accidental or not the breeder was selling them for $250.00!We have the afflicted one now on glucosamine (and aspirin when he's real lame). Anyone have any helpful info on Hip Dysplasia for me?Sad for the dogs and shame on unscrupulous breeders! Kate

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), November 02, 2001.

I wish everybody who has ever considered buying a dog (or kitten for that matter) would be required to read this and also be required to hold some of the THOUSANDS of perfectly loving, healthy animals as they're killed at shelters all over the country for no other reason except there are not enough homes to go around.

NEVER, NEVER, EVER buy an animal from a pet store. No ethical breeder would EVER sell his or her precious puppies to a pet store. These animals come from puppy mills. If you want a pet, adopt from a shelter. If you want a purebred, do your homework and find a responsible, ethical breeder. And remember, a slick ad in 'Dog World' doesn't mean diddly-squat. Successful puppy-millers have lots of money to buy ads.

Can you tell I'm kinda passionate about this one? :-)

-- Jorja Hernandez (jorja@color-country.net), November 02, 2001.

AKC papers also mean NOTHING !!!!!! And remember sometimes you get what you pay for .Cheap usually is not the best way to go.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), November 02, 2001.

Absolutely! The AKC is simply the best known of the many purebred registries. They will register just about anything that's breathing if you pay the fee and submit the paperwork. And I think some of the smaller and rare-breed registries are even worse. It's about the money and very little else.

That said, there are many, many wonderful people affiliated with the AKC, UKC, etc. and various rarebreed groups, running dogshows and active in breed and mutt rescue. People who truly care about their animals and go to great lengths to place their non-show-quality pups as spayed or neutered pets.

-- Jorja Hernandez (jorja@color-country.net), November 02, 2001.

My daughter's best friend is a pomeranian that we rescued from a breeder. The breeder worked with my husband and told him that she had gotten a dog with a hernia back from a customer . The dog had NEVER been out of a cage about the size of a rabbit hutch! When we first brought her home my daughter lovingly reached in and brought the dog out. She was shaking so badly that Jess just sat and held her. That is all that she did that first day! It took several weeks to get her accustomed to us and our MANY other animals in the managerie. She is now my daughter's shadow. Sleeps on her pillow wrapped around her head. Sits in the bottom of the shower. Sits beside her during her lessons. The hard part was house breaking her because she had never been out of that stupid horrible box! It took some time, but now she is trained. She loves to cuddle with us all, but you don't go into Jess' room unnannounced! I truly think that all 4 pounds of Ladybug would catapult through the air and eat you alive! I know that there are LOTS more of these dogs than we know!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 03, 2001.

Oh..thought that I would say...my husband no longer works with this woman. He is not a mush bucket like I am and even he was appalled when he went to get Ladybug from that place. Wish that we could have saved them all!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 03, 2001.

I'll put my foot right in it when I say with a strong and firm voice, BULL CRAP! I have worked in and owned my own pet shop and yes, there are shops that sell animals like that, but not mine and not the one I worked in. Any time you are working with livestock of any sort, you have to be careful who you are getting animals from. There are pet shops out there that are the equivalent of livestock dealers, who simply get any animal at a low price and sell it at a higher one regardless of condition on a buyer beware basis. If you are foolish enough to buy an animal from such a person, than you get what you paid for!!!!! On the other hand, there are shops out there like the one where I worked before I had my shop. This shop had many dogs and cats, and in the year that I worked there, we had only one litter of kittens come in that were sick. The shop owner was very conscientious with new puppies, hand-feeding them supplements to make sure they adjusted to the store and making sure each puppy had human socialization each day. Cleanliness was paramount. The owner raised several types of puppies himself and had a network of local breeders that he worked with. He would even set up breeders with good initial breeding stock, and they were contracted to provide the store with so many puppies in return.

When I opened my shop, I decided that dogs and cats were not the direction I wanted to go in, and my shop mainly dealt in birds and fish. I bred and hand-fed birds, and worked with many local breeders to get my livestock. I closed my shop down when my daughter was born because I couldn't give the store, the animals and the daughter the attention they all needed, and the daughter had priority! I still own 2 pet birds and love them dearly. It grates on me no end when people make assumptions such as saying that all pet shops sell bad animals. I'm here to say that we don't and that many of us care a great deal for the animals we sell. To me, it's a foolish pet shop owner who sells sick or poor quality stock. These animals are our bread and butter and most of our money is made selling supplies for them, so we want them to live a long and healthy life!

Beyond knowing that the person or shop you are buying livestock from are respectable, you also need to know toward what purpose they are breeding the animals. At the shop I worked at, the owner was breeding dogs for pets, not show. Some breeders are breeding to show standards, which may not necessarily be what you want in a house pet. Personally, I recommend mutt puppies. Hybridization tends to soften breed faults while still retaining breed assets. A lab cross will still be friendly but might be a little easier to housebreak! Okay, I'll stop now...ain't it awful when I get on my soapbox?!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), November 03, 2001.

Yep! Everyone has to have a soap box every once in a while! Makes us feel better! I think that mainly what Stephanie was talking about was the pet stores and breeders that are inhumane! I know that there are many that are loving and caring of the animals that they raise. Unfortunately the ones that aren't cause a lot of heartache. We are all on the same side of this argument for sure. We all love animals and hate to see them mistreated in any way! Your pet store sounds like it is a wonderful place to do business. Wish that we could do away with the ones that aren't as nice as yours!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 03, 2001.

In reference to the original letter in this thread and to all other true animal lovers out there, STOP TRYING TO HUMANIZE ANIMALS! That is sometimes as cruel a thing as one can do. Animals do not think feel nor emotionally react the same as humans. To better protect and live with animals one must learn to understand them more on their terms, not ours. The story was very emotion raising for us humans, but the puppies you referred to probably never felt nor thought one thing that you wrote! Quit attacking human beings and using animal stories as an emotional tool for your "cause". Simple common sense and a true understanding of animals is the best approach to taking good care of pets. Most pet shops I've ever been in have employees who love animals and animals who seem to be very well cared for. I've worked in pet shops many years ago and found them to be wonderful places where pets were also "placed" in homes but for a profit. I think that is part of the problem for many humane organizations, these pet shops compete with them for profit rather than having people "donate" to their "causes" . Get a life people! All petshops and dog breeders are not out there to hurt animals. Most in fact are true animal lovers who serve the pet loving population well.

-- Pert (pert@mstar2.net), November 04, 2001.

I enjoyed this story for its emotional value and have read the responses and enjoyed them also. I will say that I rescued a puppy from a humane shelter and paid almost $200. Now, this is no AKC registered pup. Nor is it a full breed. She is german shephard,golden retreiver, and chow mix and 6 months old at that. Now, don't you think that $200 is alot for a dog that needed a home in the worst way? I, of course, would do it all over again because I love her, but many now find it less expensive to go to a pet store and get a young puppy for $200 instead of a 6 month old for that amount. Maybe, the shelters should start considering people who really want puppies can't afford to shell out alot of money.

-- (dr_avon@yahoo.com), November 06, 2001.

Pert ,nice rosy picture you paint about pet store puppies .Truth is it the breeders cared about more than a fast buck they would do genetic testing nad NOT sell to just anyone .I have seen people spend 1,000"s of dollars trying to save these poor things.And yes they will give you your money back when you give them the pup back .This is of coarse after you fell in love with it and already spent $ with the vet.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), November 06, 2001.

Same story for our local "Animal Rescue". They always have way over 200 cats and kittens, it's a house with a yard, and some dogs and goats. But when you tell them you'd like a couple barn kittens, they get mad at you and say no way, these cats must live inside all their lives. And it costs 60 dollars to get one kitten. These people are in the local paper all the time begging for money for their shelter.

They say no one cares, but we do, they just have way too many rules. All the free kittens in the paper are gone in a day or two, it's actually hard to find kittens. If these people would just let folks like us have them, we'd take care of them. My 3 cats are wonderful cats, I found them in the paper. They are loved and held very much, but outside on the front porch. They were in the house in the coldest part of the winter. I bet a pet store kitten is cheaper than 60 dollars. And don't even think about getting one of the goats, it would probably have to live inside too!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), November 06, 2001.