The Truth about Petstores

I recently came across a report by CBC's Wendy Mesley for the show Marketplace that details the horror of where pet store puppies are coming from. I think most people have heard that it's not a great idea to purchase a puppy from a petstore. They often have behavioural or health problems. The biggest issue being that you don't know where that puppy is really coming from.

Petstores will mislead consumers saying that the puppies are from reputable breeders, when in fact, they could be coming from puppy mills that are sometimes located in the U.S. One such puppy mill, talked about in the report, produces around 90,000 puppies per year and ships them around the world. These dogs could have been subjected to inbreeding, and come with genetic issues that are not easily fixed.

Canadian standards state breeders need to provide clean drinking water, a clean environment and space to move around freely. It's pretty sad that many puppies are living in conditions that don't even meet this basic standard.

The report also reveals that large petstore chains are paying people to keep quiet about their complaints.

When there are so many lovely dogs in shelters that need good homes, why go to a petstore that will over charge you, lie to you, and provide you with a dog that will have major issues.