Millie
Vanillie of Kansas - Update
On
November 29th, 2009 (the first week
of the petshop selling season), we went
back into this same petshop that sold
Millie. On a Sunday afternoon,
they had already had the majority of
that weekend's sales completed, but
there were still eight puppies in the
glass cubicles. In particular, we
asked to see a male Chihuahua puppy that
had for sale ($685) who was portrayed to
be AKC.
Born in
July of 2009, we asked the weight and he
was in line with what you would expect a
Chi puppy to be at 3 pounds, 6
ounces. We asked to see his
papers (as required by CA law) and
immediately recognized the name of the
puppymill breeder on them.
Once
again, we asked what type of guarantee
would the petshop stand behind if this
puppy grew into something unlike the AKC
standard, and the conversation went
almost word by word like this:
-
"What happens
if this puppy turns out to be something
that doesn't look like a purebred
Chihuahua?... What if he grows too big?
The AKC standard is six pounds..."
"We make no guarantee about the
eventual size or what these puppies will
eventually look like."
-
"But the AKC
standard is six pounds and you're
selling this puppy as an AKC purebred
Chihuahua..."
"Again, we make no guarantees about
what a puppy weighs after you've bought
it... we only guarantee genetic problems
that cause problems to their health.
And if both of our vets look at the dog
and agree that the puppy was saleable
when you bought it, we will not refund
your money."
-
"And the price
of this puppy is $685 with no guarantee
about their eventual size or look?"
"That's correct. Once you've
bought this puppy, we have no control
over how much you feed it and if it
grows too big. However, if you buy
him today we can give you a 15%
discount."
-
"Can you weigh
him for me and can I see his papers?"
-
After he
was brought back, the sales lady said he
was 3 pounds, 6 ounces and she opened
the file so that we could see the forms
inside it...
"Looking at these papers, I can tell
this is a puppymill puppy... I thought
this store never sold puppymill
puppies..."
(file snaps shut, no response from
the sales lady other than the obvious
angry body language)
-
"OK, I'll have
to think about this... Are you getting
in any more Chihuahua puppies next
week?"
"We won't order any more until he is
sold, so I couldn't tell you."
There
you go, folks...
Can
someone explain to us what benefits you
get from buying a puppymill puppy at our
local petshop will give us as the owner
that is better than going to a local
shelter or rescue and adopting one?
We're not able to see that puppy's mom
or dad, we know we will have behavioral
and health issues to deal with because
he's a puppymill puppy... He's no more
potty-trained than a pup from the
shelters... We'll have no guarantee
about his size... And as for his health?
BOTH of their vets have to agree the pup
was not 'sellable' at the time of our
purchase for a refund to be rendered.
We can't
speak for other breeds, but we can for
the Chihuahua. THIS is why any
small dog with pointed ears and/or a
curled over tail is listed as a Chi at
the local shelters. Twenty-five
pound 'Chihuahuas' show up regularly at
the shelters... the puppymills and their
outlets (the petshops) - along with the
backyard breeders who buy their 'stock'
at the petshops and online - have
absolutely ruined this small, loveable
breed in the past 10 years since
celebrities started totting them
around...
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR BY BUYING A
PETSHOP/PUPPYMILL PUPPY.
BUYER BEWARE!
