How much is that doggy in the window?

by Margaret Auld-Louie

With holiday times come thoughts of puppies and kittens as cute gifts to give. Who can resist the thought of a puppy or kitten under the Christmas tree with a bow on its neck? However, giving a pet as a gift is often not in the best interest of the animal. Owning a pet is a big responsibility and too many gift pets are later taken to shelters because the owners found them to be too much trouble had problems with them or got tired of them. Also the pet you pick as a gift for someone may not suit their personality. Even young kittens and puppies have distinctive personalities, based on their genetics, that make them suited for one person and not another. For instance, one young kitten may be very playful but not like being held or cuddled while another happily lies in your lap and purrs. This is why many animal shelters and rescue organizations will not let people get animals to give as gifts to other. They require that the final owner meet with them and select the animal. That way, they can be sure the owner has a pet they like and will bond with. Even children will bond with one animal and not another, as I have observed in my work as an adoption assistant at the local cat shelter. Also, these organizations will not adopt out the animal unless they are sure the potential owner understands and accepts the responsibility they are undertaking and how to properly care for the animal (since dogs typically live 10-15 years and cats 15-20 years).

Another option many people choose is to get an animal from a pet store. Who can resist the cute puppies and kittens at the pet store in the mall? It's also considered a relatively inexpensive way to get a purebred puppy if you have a breed preference. Unfortunately, buying a puppy or kitten from a pet store often results in a pet with behavioral and health problems. So that "inexpensive" purebred ends up costing you more in the long run, with all the vet bills and behavioral issues (think of the cost to fix damage to your house if your pet goes to the bathroom in inappropriate places or tears up your house). Most pet stores sell animals from commercial breeders intent on producing large numbers of animals with little regard for health or temperament. Commercial breeders are defined as: "One who usually has several breeds of dogs with profit as the primary motive for existence. The dogs may be healthy or not and the kennel may be clean or not. The dogs are probably not screened for genetic diseases, and the breeding stock is probably not selected for resemblance to the breed standard or for good temperament. Most commercial breeders sell their puppies to pet stores or to brokers who sell to pet stores."

Many animals from pet stores come from what are called "puppy mills", equivalent to the "factory-farmed" animals that are bred in confinement to produce meat for us. Puppy mills are defined as "a breeder who produces puppies hand over fist with no breeding program, little attention to puppy placement, and poor health and socialization practices. A puppy mill may or may not be dirty but it is usually overcrowded and the dogs may be neglected or abused because the breeder can't properly handle as many dogs as he has." Unfortunately, raising puppies in puppy mills has become an extremely lucrative practice for many Amish farmers in Pennsylvania. Main Line Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania reports that "many people believe that Lancaster County has the highest concentration of puppy mills in the country." They have therefore erected a billboard to publicize this dark side of the Amish to the many tourists. For more information, see the following articles: Humane Society of US, New York Post. Other states also have their share of puppy mills that supply pet stores. I massaged a Pekingese dog that had been rescued from a puppy mill in Wyoming, where it went blind due to neglect. The dogs used for breeding in puppy mills are often given just enough care to keep them alive to produce puppies, with no regard for their health or emotional well-being. They usually live in small cages their entire life.

The examples of health problems encountered with pet store animals abound. I know someone who bought a Chihuahua at a pet store and she has never been successful in housetraining it (so it pees everywhere). It is also very small, at just 3 pounds, which makes it more prone to health problems. Another person who is enamored with Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties) bought her third Sheltie at a pet store after Sheltie #2 died. This dog, while good tempered and "apparently" healthy has such delicate digestion that even at its young age, it has to be fed a certain dog food and cannot tolerate the all-meat dog treats that most dogs thrive on.

While most people who buy pets at pet stores are ignorant of the animals' origins and potential health issues, some people will deliberately buy sickly animals from stores to "rescue" them. Unfortunately, such "rescuing" only encourages more irresponsible breeding, because the store has now sold these animals, encouraging them to stock up with more. And the rescued animals may have such poor genetics that the owner can never get the animals totally healthy and ends up spending considerable sums on health care.

If you want a truly healthy purebred animal, your best option is to buy from what is defined as a hobby breeder: "A breed fancier who usually has only one breed but may have two; follows a breeding plan in efforts to preserve and protect the breed; produces from none to five litters per year; breeds only when a litter will enhance the breed and the breeding program; raises the puppies with plenty of environmental and human contact; has a contract that protects breeder, dog, and buyer; runs a small, clean kennel; screens breeding stock to eliminate hereditary defects from the breed; works with a breed club or kennel club to promote and protect the breed; and cares that each and every puppy is placed in the best home possible." You will not find animals from hobby breeders in pet stores as these breeders carefully screen every potential adopter and often retain legal ownership of the animals. You can find such breeders at dog and cat shows, through breed clubs, magazines and websites and through responsible pet supply stores that do not sell animals. While it is more trouble and expense to get an animal this way, the results will generally be a healthier, happier pet, resulting in lower vet bills.

One thing that is not helped by buying pets from breeders is pet overpopulation. The Humane Society of the US estimates that 3 to 4 million pets are euthanized by shelters each year because there are no homes for them. These pets are the excess animals produced each year due to people not spaying/neutering their animals as well as buying from pet stores (the animals then becoming lost or taken to shelters by owners who can't deal with them). Therefore, the best way to help the pet overpopulation problem and avoid supporting irresponsible breeding is to adopt animals from shelters and rescue groups. It can be more risky than buying from a responsible breeder, since you may not know the animal's history or genetics, but someone experienced can guide you to make the best possible choice. Getting a mixed-breed animal helps to reduce the risk of health problems, since they tend to be more hardy and have fewer genetic problems due to inbreeding.

If you want to gift someone with an animal this holiday season, the best choice may be to pay for the adoption fee at a local shelter/rescue group and let them pick out the perfect pet for them. Or you may choose to buy them all the accessories they need to go with their pet when they bring it home.

For more information on puppy mills, see: www.nopuppymills.com, www.stoppuppymills.org and www.canismajor.com/dog/puppymil.html (the source for the definitions above), or just do a Google search on "puppy mills".