how do we prevent people from buying from puppy mills.

[Tuss]

I'm so upset. My secretary told me yesterday her mother was getting a puppy. She bought it "online" from a "breeder in texas". It's a mixed breed dog (snauzapoo or somthing ridiculous) and she's paid a ridiculous amount for it and is having flown here to Canada. I told my secretary that this is a puppy mill. Then we got online and looked up the "breeder" and it is definitely a puppy mill with lots of warnings online. She got upset and called her mother to tell her and see if he mother had already sent them money. Of course her mother has "fallen in love" with the photo. I then found a shelter nearby that had lots of small mixed breed dogs much like the one she's looking at, and much cheaper! She can't be convinced! People are soooo stupid! I don't know this woman (my secretary's mother) but i feel i need to try and educate people where I can but this one is too late to prevent (and I've already overstepped my boundaries with my secretary on this one). I'm so frustrated.

[Tom King]

Someone said, "You can't fix stupid." You can help ignorance, but you can't fix stupid.

[Thumper]

My sister in law, who is a doctor and they are both educated people, bought a dog from a mall pet store last week the thing is, I am pretty sure I had this discussion with them a few years ago when they bought their first 'guard dog' (who, is an Australian shephard and does not bark at anything and wants to be friends with the burglars..lol) and either, they weren't listening, or they didn't care...or, iDK, they think I'm a crazy dog person and off my rocker at any rate, I"m guessing this German shephard will be too sick to bark at intruders.

They want a dog like gucci, but in a bigger package..Gucci is the best 'guard/alert' dog ever,she can hear/smell people all the way across the house.

I really wish there was a way to fix stupid/ or fix caring...or educate the masses. I know we've all seen news reports and sad commercials, but how do some people not process those?

[pjewel]

The only thing we can do is try to educate people before they buy that cute puppy from a questionable source. We also, sadly, have to recognize we won't reach everybody or make them understand.

Kara, you had me LOL with that story.

[Bidik]

I once met a woman who bought a teacup puppy on internet. Turnout that he was not a teacup but a 2 week old! She was furious obviously, called the police and that particular puppy mill was busted but there are so many others out there. It is so sad.
When Cora and I go for a walk, we usually get questions on his breed and his character. I direct them to petfinder. There are many adult and puppy Havanese there that my heart breaks. I also regularly search petfinder and post the profile of dogs on my facebook page. You never now when and where you change the fate of a dog waiting for a loving home.

[Dory]

Originally Posted by Tom King

Someone said, "You can't fix stupid." You can help ignorance, but you can't fix stupid.

Ain't that the truth!

[krandall]

Originally Posted by Bidik

I once met a woman who bought a teacup puppy on internet. Turnout that he was not a teacup but a 2 week old! She was furious obviously, called the police and that particular puppy mill was busted but there are so many others out there. It is so sad.
When Cora and I go for a walk, we usually get questions on his breed and his character. I direct them to petfinder. There are many adult and puppy Havanese there that my heart breaks. I also regularly search petfinder and post the profile of dogs on my facebook page. You never now when and where you change the fate of a dog waiting for a loving home.

Even if it WERE a "tea cup" (no matter what breed) responsible breeders do NOT breed these dogs. They are outside the breed standard, and for good reason. Very small dogs are much more likely to heave heart problems and liver shunts.

Rescuing a dog, whether through petfinder, a breed rescue or a local shelter is a great idea for people who want to go that route. There are many lovely and loving dogs in need of homes. but there is also NOTHING wrong with buying a good quality, registered dog from a reputable breeder. Just do your homework first.

It drives me a little nutty when people tell me that they have "already fallen in love" based on a photo. I'm sorry, but that's just DUMB! These people haven't fallen in love with that puppy... they've fallen in love with the IDEA (usually a very idealized idea) of a puppy. When the person has never even interacted with the animal, and doesn't have the first clue whether the animal is going to have a compatible temperament and energy level they are just ASKING for trouble. Sure, sometimes it works out fine, but it is luck, not planning. When it doesn't work out, the people are shocked that little "Muffin" should have been named Cujo.

Stepping down off my soap box now.

[TilliesMom]

YES, the IDEA of a puppy/dog can be so very different from the reality.
Especially these cute little guys and girls... I regularly have to remind others that no matter how cute and Wonderful Tillie is, she IS a DOG and she does dog stuff, lol

[Buzzys Mom]

My husband's cousin bought a miniature schnauzer from a pet store and his aunt was insisting it was from a breeder. I had to explain to her that just because they had papers and she is registered, does not mean she came from a reputable breeder, and that most likely the opposite is true. She said after this dog, she won't get another but I now know to keep an eye on his cousin for when he gets puppy dreams to discourage this.

[Tuss]

talked to my secretary today and her mother won't change her mind. I've decided to keep my mouth shut, can't do anything now. With all the press around here about puppy mills, puppy mill seizures on the news, pet stores in the province have all stopped selling live animals, etc, i would think she would know better. I guess not everyone has gotten the message. Geez, just googling this "kennel" brings up 10 pages of warnings that it's a puppy mill. They had >200 dog breeds advertised