People = Stupid

Humane Society claims Pets of Bel-Air buys from puppy mills

Statement from Pets of Bel-Air:

To the best of our knowledge, our beautiful puppies purchased out-of –state are from USDA approved pet breeders. We rely on our governmental agency to be sure that these breeders are inspected.

Dear Pets of Bel-Air,

Are you not aware that there are very few inspectors and many, many breeders? Way to blame the government for sticking your heads in the sand.

We do not condone puppy mills; we would never knowingly buy a dog from a puppy mill; and we are appalled by the possibility that this may have happened. We are investigating all of our sources so that we continue to nurture the finest and most reputable dogs from the best breeders, a practice that we’ve held central to our business since we opened nine years ago.

How could you not know where your puppies are coming from? Let me introduce you to something I like to call “math.”

In order to make a profit, the breeder has to spend less on creating the dog than what s/he gets for the dog. So take what you paid. Subtract a reasonable profit. The amount left over has to cover:

• Stud fees (assuming these are actually bred puppies, and not puppies created by throwing two dogs together)
• Deworming the puppies
• Regular heartworm treatment, applicable vaccinations, flea/tick treatment for parents/puppies
• Basic supplies: food, beds, treats, toys, vet care
• Kennels/housing facilities for parents and puppies
• People to wash/change bedding, clean the dogs
• People to feed the dogs, refill the water bowls, bring dogs to the vet when necessary
• People to play with the dogs/socialize them
• Transporting the puppies to the store
• Euthanizing dogs that are too ill/old

So what’s a puppymiller to do? Well, for starters, s/he can cut out all the nonessentials. Which leaves:

• Stud fees (assuming these are actually bred puppies, and not puppies created by throwing two dogs together) Let’s just stick dogs in one big area and see what happens
  
• Deworming the puppies Hey, the store that buys ‘em can treat ‘em
  
• Heartworm treatment, vaccinations, flea/tick treatment for parents/puppies Store can pay for this, too!

• Basic supplies: food, beds, treats, toys, vet care Okay, I have a choice of feeding them premium dog food or supermarket dog food…supermarket dog food = more profit for me
• Kennels/housing facilities for parents and puppies
  
• People to wash/change bedding, clean the dogs They can be hosed off when I put them in the truck

• People to feed the dogs, refill the water bowls, bring dogs to the vet when necessary
  
• People to play with the dogs/socialize them HAHAHAHAHAHHA!

• Transporting the puppies to the store
  
• Euthanizing dogs that are too ill/old There’s a bucket of water over there. Why should I pay a vet to euthanize a dog when I can just drown it?

Every employee at Pets of Bel Air is an animal lover, as evidenced by the care and love we show our puppies and kittens each day; the healthy environment we provide; and the respect we show each of you. We continue to be a community pet store you can trust.

You can be an animal lover, and still not want to see the truth. It’s nice you’re providing a healthy environment with care and love. But if you’ve never visited the breeding facilities you buy from, you have no way of knowing whether the puppies started out in equally nice conditions or, even worse, if there are still adult dogs at the facility living horrible lives just so their puppies can be sold for a profit.

It’s tempting to “rescue” a dog from a pet store. Don’t do it. Every dog or pet supply you buy from a pet store that sells dogs creates money in someone’s pocket that will only make them continue to produce these dogs.

Posted by: Supersonic Jane | December 12, 2007 | 5:48 pm
Posted in: Dogs | Rants