It's No Little House On the Prairie

Wow. How I wish I'd written this. Super awesome pet store/puppymill commentary by Heather Houlahan from the blog Raised By Wolves (via the always reliable Lassie, Get Help). The truth hurts.

"...the traditional storefront impulse buyer is ignorant about the puppymill industry. He may have vaguely heard of such things and even remember them being associated with pet stores just like the one he's standing in now. But the sign says that the puppies come from "USDA-licensed breeders." That's good, right? This puppy has a governmental stamp of approval, like a steak. And Tammi and Cindee, the super-kyoot clerks, seem to just looove the puppies, and it's all clean glass and chrome with this thing on the wall that squirts cinnamon scent into the air every two minutes.

What can I say? We can only repeat, over and over again: If it is for sale in a pet store, it came from a puppymill. ...

Do not believe the lies of the super-kyoot clerk. This puppy did not come from a "reputable breeder." (Except in the sense that "reputation" used to carry when my mother was in high school.) No reputable, ethical, caring, competent, knowledgeable breeder ever sells a puppy through a pet store, broker, or any third party to persons unknown. Never. Never ever. The person or corporation who owns this puppy's unfortunate mother does not give a rat's ass about his mother, the puppy, or any part of you that is not backed by Citibank.

And a clean, sanitized, concrete-and-stainless, passed-USDA-inspection "commercial kennel" is still a puppymill. (If a breeding kennel is large enough to be USDA-licensed -- it is a puppymill.) Regular use of bleach is not indicative of love for, knowledge of, or commitment to, the production units breeding animals caged there, nor for their products puppies or the unseen suckers buyers."

Just to put this in context, a local Santa Monica pet store has this to say on its website about the puppies it offers for sale (some of which are labeled "DESIGNER BREED" and do not have prices listed.)

All of our puppies come from loving local breeders that we have personally inspected. Most of them we have known, worked with and become friends with over the years.

All new breeders are visited and interviewed at length.

None of our breeders raise their puppies in cages. All our house dogs. We use no brokers. We do not buy from out-of-state breeders. We hand-pick ALL our puppies.

And sell them at huge profit! Ca-CHING! I wonder if by local, they mean Lancaster.

Raised By Wolves