Jim's Thoughts & Why You Should Buy From a Pet Store

The first step on the road to pet ownership is to ask yourself a few questions. Why do I want a puppy? Can I afford a puppy? Am I prepared to take care of a dog everyday for its entire life? 
If you've decided you're ready for a dog, then here are a few tips to buying a healthy, socialized puppy with proper documentation that would certainly ease your mind.


  1. Reputable breeders are licensed under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and must provide their animals with adequate housing, sanitation, nutrition, water and veterinary care. Some would have you believe adoption is the best route to go, which is certainly an option, but you still want to be extremely careful as shelters and rescue groups aren't required by law to produce records of care. It should also be noted, State, County or City owned and operated pounds and shelters, as well as humane societies are not regulated under the AWA and do not fall under Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulation.
  2. Responsible and reputable breeders provide an enormous amount of care to their animals, and welcome USDA inspections of their facilities and animals. It is well to note a breeder by nature of its definition does not have to be licensed to sell over the internet as long as the buyer sees the animal face-to-face. Pet Stores can provide ease of mind.
  3. Contrary to what you've heard, puppies come with a guarantee from the store you purchase. Humane Societies and pounds can't guarantee your purchase as they do not have any documentation or APHIS compliance.
  4. Considering when the authorities or groups "rescue" puppies they then sell those same puppies to the public without anything other than a brief "wellness" check unlike coming from a licensed breeder/broker that most always do a vet check, in addition to a vet check with the store. 
  5. Pet stores are professionals that ensure customers get the best puppies available, because they are the healthy and socialized puppies that are thoroughly checked  for genetic defects or other ills. 
  6. Pets from shelters or other organizations don't always meet your needs as a consumer. Everyone is different, and have different tolerances, living situations, financial resources and goals for their new pet. Most pets from shelters or humane societies don't always meet those needs.
  7. Buying from a pet store is much easier than dealing with a breeder. Plus you can request the same information from the pet store that you would request from the breeder. 
  8. Common Sense - regardless of what some may say you are truly making an investment into your family and home, which means you deserve a good, healthy pet you can enjoy for years to come. It only make sense to buy a pet from a store that comes from a responsible breeder.

 
We appreciate the Animal Rights people’s offer to help improve practices by commercial breeders but since they don’t know us and have never met us I wondered how they determined that we needed to improve practices.  Everyday as all people should, we try to improve our performance and character so maybe what we need here is a little hand holding. We have found that pen breeding works best, this means that the female is placed in the pen of a suitable male, these being small dogs, no female has ever been bred that wasn't willing to be bred, the rest of the time the females live in a pen and run with another female whom they find compatible. However just like at the office, all girls aren't able to get along especially when hormones come into play.  Small breed dogs more than any other breeds I have been around find ways to communicate with their owner/ guardian as to when they are happy, who they like, who they don’t like.  As the kennel is almost a part of the house through years to experience we can tell the difference between the bark that says “did you see that cat?” and “ This bitch is driving me crazy and I don’t like her anymore”.


Twenty- five years ago we made a decision to only raise small breed dogs knowing the market was on the coasts where peoples property is measured by the square foot not the acre, taking into account that in this world most houses are duel income therefore for the pets to be happy they had to be small.  They have to be able to get their necessary exercise inside the home and the way city people can’t seem to stay married there is always a great aunt or grandma who will give a small dog a home.  Now I’m not saying that city people are by nature more promiscuous and unfaithful than us country folk so why then are they saying that I am morally lacking because I’m a professional breeder.  I assume they are doing the best they can, why do they assume that I am not.  To me a city dweller is as far from understanding animals and their needs, their real needs, as a hog is from heaven.


Always looking for the best in people,
Brule Creek Jim