Another Site

[sobrien 0]

Cherie's story says it all!

http://www.shihtzu-rescue.com/CheriesStory.html

[CrazyTzuLady 16]

They are such sad stories and it breaks my heart that I ever contributed to any of this by buying my first puppy from a pet store because I wasn't educated on it then, even though he has my heart and I wouldn't trade him for the world I would never buy another puppy from a place like that. The good thing is that I now know better and I hope that more people every day become aware of this and stop supporting places like that! :)

[FairyTail Josette 14]

Thanks for the rescue link.

A pet store opened here in town, our second one, a news crew interviewed the store owner where the pups came from. He said a wonderful small breedeer. The news crew obtained the paperwork on the pups. It was Steve Kruse Kennels in southern Iowa. The news crew traveled there with hidden cameras. Its so important for consumers to understand the 'dirty secrets' behind pet stores.

[mel 251]

I've seen that story before. It is very very sad. I took Precious to be groomed at a different place because my regular groomer could not see her as she was booked. It is a Pet store that also does grooming. While waiting in line to drop Precious off I decided I would look at the pups for sale and saw a beautiful shih-tzu puppy. She was sable and really a cutie with a sweet personality but I knew she more than likely came from a puppy mill. I got back in line and dropped Precious off and asked how much the pup was and they said around $800 or so. She asked did I want to hold her (she was trying to make a sale). I said no, I was just looking. I played with her through the cage and soon left. Such a sad thing the parents of these pups have to go through with.

[sobrien 0]

A colleague at school offered us Muttleberry as she knew our little Bichon had passed away in the summer. I don't know where she bought the mother but I do know that my colleague dearly loves her little dog. I wouldn't have known about pet shops and puppy mills and might have purchased a little dog but the prices would have been too high. Animal cruelty is rampant in our society. I have always been fond of pigs and they lead a life of unbelievable torture in the large pig barns in our area. I will never understand how anyone can watch a fellow creature suffer so much cruelty and feel absolutely nothing.

[Seastar 44]

If there is any fairness in this world, people who committ these acts of heartless cruelty on animals will pay for it in some way--either in this life or the next. Pigs, cattle, chickens, dogs. I cannot understand how humans can behave like this toward beautiful creatures who share our earth.

I guess I would be classified as a backyard breeder by some. But I bought my Zinnia as a potential breeding dog from a reputable show kennel, and paid a lot for the privilege of getting her. Her pedigree is exceptional. She is 2 now, and her first litter was sired by a gorgeous stud from Willow Rose. I delivered each pup myself (I am an RN) as Zinnia was too big to even reach the babies at birth and all six are happy and healthy. Each of them went to relatives of mine or close friends. This litter was sired by the half-brother of my Dhani, who is a little Buddhist monk in Shih Tzu fur. The stud is not a show dog, but his kennelmom raises all-natural dogs, feeds raw, and cares deeply for each of her dogs. I will not let anyone own my pups who I do not personally know and/or is recommended as a good owner by my own vet. My owners must be able to afford the care and upkeep of a Shih Tzu. When the next litter is born (3 weeks from today, I estimate) I will have been with Zinnia 24 hrs a day (she sleeps on our bed, so no surprises in the middle of the night) for at least a couple of days. The babies will be born in her 4x4 foot whelping box in our bedroom, with me as midwife and my husband or a friend as recorder of times, weights, etc. I will be with her for several days to make sure all goes well. Pups will be weighed at least daily and special care given to any who fall behind.

I think we can just about count on pet store dogs being mill puppies. But if you know your breeder and you visit their home and see how pups are raised, a small (in my case, not over 1 litter per year, not over 4-5 litters per lifetime of the mommy dog) scale breeder can be a good source of excellent pups.