Dear Editor:
This letter has to deal with puppies, pet stores, and dog
breeders. My son’s fianc
é owns Our Pet Shop in Gilroy. She has received lots of
harassment by members of this community.
Dear Editor:
This letter has to deal with puppies, pet stores, and dog breeders. My son’s fiancé owns Our Pet Shop in Gilroy. She has received lots of harassment by members of this community. While some pet stores may sell puppies without any type of guarantees once you are out the door, this is not the case at Our Pet Shop. I can’t speak to other pet stores, as I have no personal experience with them.
All puppies are veterinarian checked within 24 hours of arrival, they are then held in quarantine for two weeks. When a puppy is sold, each buyer receives a free first vet visit and puppy products. A few of the puppies have arrived with an illness such as kennel cough and a couple with congenital problems. Any and all puppies with an illness or physical problem are taken to the vet for treatment and/or surgery at the expense of Our Pet Shop. No “out the door and now it’s your problem” attitude at Our Pet Shop.
I’m sure my daughter-in-law-to-be has lost more financially on the puppy endeavor than she has made. I know what most hurts her is the way some people in this town have treated her. She has been a member of this community since she was born. While growing up and now as a young adult she has volunteered her time at many functions.
Since she was 10 or so she has fostered hundreds of cats, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs and puppies for the animal shelter. While in 4-H she participated in many community events. Some of you have had the courage to go and talk to her in person with your concerns about puppies at pet shops. She is very happy to show you records and what type of care each puppy receives. There are those of you, without facts about how the store cares for their animals, which call every day to report the store to animal control.
The basic objection most people have to pet stores selling puppies is that they are bred and raised in puppy mills and not properly taken care of. This may very well be true, but I have known many breeders that are not the best at caring for and/or raising their puppies. (Many do a wonderful job.) Our first two dogs were purchased from so-called “reputable breeders.” Our Akita ended having a congenital back problem and at 3 we had to put her to sleep upon arriving home one day and finding she had no movement below her neck. Our second dog was a Rottweiler, though his parent’s hips were certified OFA and had great hips, our dog ended up having a hip problem. Would either of these breeders make good on their contracts to replace the dog or refund half the money per the contracts we had signed? No.
Breeders also promote buying from a “breeder.” But is not the panacea for the perfect puppy either. I have known breeders that breed two or more litters a year, resulting in 20 to 25 puppies per year. I have personally experienced going to a “hobby” breeder’s home where the dogs and puppies were kept in filth, dirty water, fly infested food, house smelling like dog feces, etc.
Many breeders of dogs don’t think their dogs can breed naturally, letting nature take its course is no longer an option. These dogs require artificial insemination, not vaginally, but surgically where the sperm is implanted directly into the female. Then of course these dogs can’t have their puppies naturally; they give birth by planned cesarean section. The “perfect puppy” is created at great risk to the species.
In my opinion no one should be breeding (dogs, cats, rabbits, cavies, etc) while many wonderful dogs, including purebreds, are killed at the pound every day. If you want a dog, first go check out the animal shelters, they have many wonderful dogs to choose from.
Charlotte Noriega, Gilroy
Submitted Monday, April 5 to ed****@****ic.com
