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Pet store refuses to sell puppies at Christmas
The owner wants to discourage people from buying pets on impulse and urges people to adopt from shelters instead.
Thu, Dec 20 2012 at 3:30 PM
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Photo: Saksoni/iStockphoto
When Mandy Tregeagle, owner of a pet store in Adelaide, Australia, announced that she wouldn’t sell puppies until after Christmas, she didn’t anticipate the response.
Her Facebook post, which stated that The Pet Spot had stopped sales to protect animals from impulse buys, garnered more than 20,000 likes and 800 comments.
"Selling puppies at Christmas we believe encourages impulse buying and contributes to many animals being dumped afterwards, so to all followers who genuinely want the wonderful addition of a pet for Xmas, please contact the numerous rescue groups who I am sure will be pleased to help you find your pet,” Tregeagle wrote.
The storeowner’s decision was fueled by concerns that people will adopt animals only to realize they’re not ready for the responsibility involved in owning a pet.
Teagle says her store is offered up to 8,000 kittens a year and 1,000 puppies from “accidental births.” However, at this time of year, The Pet Stop gets 20 phone calls a day from people looking to buy puppies as Christmas gifts.
Jennifer Salter, media and campaigns manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Australia, says her organization has been inundated with unwanted cats, dogs and rabbits.
Salter urges people interested in adopting a pet to take one from a shelter instead of buying from a pet store. However, she cautions against giving animals as gifts.
“Before making this decision, it's vital that people realize animals, such as cats, can live up to 20 years and require a solid commitment. That's why pets should never be given as presents," she told news.com.au.
In September, the RSPCA reported that about one in three of the dogs (19,583 out of 67,573) that end up at Australia’s RSPCA shelters are put in down. More than half of the kittens are euthanized (37,177 out of 64,617).
Although there is no central data-reporting agency for animal shelters in the U.S., The Humane Society estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million cats and dogs each year, of which 3-4 million are euthanized.
More pet stories on MNN:
- How people select pets from animal shelters
- How expensive is owning a pet? [Infographic]
- How to choose the right pet for apartment living [Infographic]
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I bought a lab puppy for my son five Christmases ago and he (the dog) is still a happy, welcome member of the family. Perhaps there should be background, intelligence and genetics screening for both gun and pet buyers.
I got my lab from a rescue group three Decembers ago. They did do a background check of sorts. In fact, all three of the dog rescue groups I have worked with in the last 15 years required home checks, wanted to know my history with pets, and asked for references. I think that helps weed out people who might not be as serious, but it also makes it hard for some people who would provide a good home and have good intentions, but might not have the right home or a long history with pets.
I agree with that. When looking for our dog over the summer, I found the forms for adoption to be a bit off-putting. Two organizations refused to show us some of the dogs we were interested in because they felt we wouldn't be a good fit. They may have been right, but it still felt odd. One of the organizations would have done a home visit and temporary placement before sending the dog home with us permanently.
I think that's why so many animal shelters do close screening of people adopting a pet.
"Teagle says her store is offered up to 8,000 kittens a year and 1,000 puppies from “accidental births.” " Although I applaud your actinos not to sell these pets during the holidays, it would be better for all if you did not sell them at ANY time of the year-- instead, please open up your store to host adoption fairs with rescue groups . I also wonder if those "accidental birth" kittens and puppies were born from some of the animals sold in pet stores.
Most (if not all) independent pet shops and all of the major chains in our area have moved to hosting animals up for adoption instead of selling puppies and kittens. I still wouldn't recommend adopting for Christmas. Goodness knows that our puppy has been a lot of work (more than previous dogs we've had) and if we weren't prepared for it and committed we would have given up months ago. The puppy is a good fit --just heavy on the puppy destruction.