Designer Dogs And Pet Store Puppies.

Chance and Mr. Puppy say, "Don't buy from a pet store, they sell puppy mill puppies and mixing breeds brings out the worst of both breeds."

I have been cruising the Internet and found a site for "puppies for sale" in the Ashland/Huntington area. I was dismayed to see the number of "designer" puppies for sale on this site. Also, there were many people looking to buy these dogs, because they looked "sooo cute." Buying a dog because it is cute is a really, really bad idea. You need to research very carefully when purchasing a puppy.

In the Herald Dispatch opinion section today, a lady wrote about a puppy she bought from a retail store that was sick. I wish she had read my blog. I have many, many posts on why not to buy a puppy from a pet store. I am sure I know the one she is talking about, but for legal reasons, I am not going to mention it. Pet stores have what is called "Pet store doublespeak."

From what I read in the letter to the editor, the lady's puppy survived. She is very, very lucky. I will continue to speak out against "designer" dogs and buying a dog from a pet store. If you want to ensure you are getting a healthy puppy, never buy a dog from a pet store, through a classified ad either in the physical paper or off a classified ad on the Internet. Any reputable breeder never sells through these means. You need to see both the parents or if both are not on site, contact the owner of the parent dog that is not available to view and talk to the owner of that dog.

But, I advocate getting a dog from a shelter, as they have many purebred dogs, and there are many, many breed rescues out there. And, let it be known, that these places will not place a dog with special needs to just anyone.

Designer Dogs - The Worst Of Both Breeds.

The mixing of purebred dogs, in my opinion, as a groomer, is a cocktail of the worst of both breeds. By this, I mean that every "designer" dog I have groomed has had major skin problems or health problems. Being a purist, I do not believe in mixing breeds. There might be some breeders of these dogs that have researched and are breeding the best of both into their "designer" dogs, but I have not seen that in the Tri-State area. All I have seen are the worst. If you are thinking of purchasing one of these mixes, please do the research about each of the breeds that have been mixed. Go online, talk to a vet, but do the research. Backyard breeders are so common everywhere, but they are very prevalent in the Tri-State, and they are doing nothing but breeding litters that most likely will have hip, elbow, eye, heart and other health issues as they do not have their breeding stock certified that they are healthy to breed and will not transfer any genetic defects to the litters. Thus, you have litters of puppies that by the age of 1 or 2 will have to be put down due to major health issues. Or you have shelters filling up with them because they are not what the person expected.