Be clear on one thing: if you buy a puppy from this store (or ANY pet store, for that matter) you are supporting an industry of cruelty. The mothers of these puppies spend their entire lives in cages - some never set foot on solid ground - being bred every single time they go into heat. They are given no protection from the cold in the winter and no shelter from the heat in the summer. When they are too old or sick to give birth to anymore puppies, they are drowned or shot. The people at the pet store will tell you that they get their dogs from reputable breeders (USDA approved!) and they will even name the breeder; this means nothing. The USDA only requires that the cages are large enough that the animal can turn around inside. Employees at pet stores will outright lie and say they don't get their dogs from puppy mills. This is 100% untrue. Reputable breeders would NEVER sell to a pet store because they want to know where their dogs are going. Let me repeat - ONLY puppy mill breeders will sell to pet stores; no one else. They will also tell you that they regularly visit the breeding facilities; this is a lie. Most of the breeding facilities are in the midwest where large-scale puppy manufacturing is a lucrative field and very unregulated. Get a dog from a shelter or a rescue. If you are looking for a specific breed, you can go to a breed rescue. I have three purebred dogs, two pugs from a pug rescue group and shih-tzu from the shelter. If you want to learn more about pet stores, go to the Humane Society's website and search puppy mills. If you absolutely have your heart set on a purebred puppy, do your research (beginning at the American Kennel Club's site) and find a reputable breeder. A reputable breeder will insist on meeting you and will welcome you to tour his or her facilities. If nothing else, know that pet stores are a total rip-off. Unless they are selling a show quality dog, breeders never sell never dogs for over $1000 (usually a lot less).
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