Reading the fine print before buying the dog
August23
Animal lovers are warned over and over these days to steer clear of buying a dog from a pet store. Why? Because these dogs almost always come from puppy mills, which are infamous for cranking out ill-bred, sickly, emotionally compromised animals.
Despite the red flags, thousands of Americans continue to succumb to the doggy in the plexiglass cage. Starting in January, customers in Illinois will at least be able to learn more about the puppy they’re about to buy, thanks to a new law signed yesterday by Gov. Pat Quinn.
Along with the gender of the animal, its breed and date of birth, pet stores, animal shelters and the like will be required to disclose a dog’s vaccination history, its health history and the name, address and identification number of the breeder. What’s more, purveyors will have to provide the info before the sale, not after. Reading the fine print may help discerning customers decide whether the puppy they’re considering is worth the hundreds of dollars they’re about to plunk down. And having the name of the breeder means that, if the dog develops serious health problems days or weeks after going home with a family — not uncommon with pet store dogs — customers will know who’s to blame.
“Customers … will no longer have to guess about where the puppy in the window came from or what medical issues the puppy has,” said state Rep. Susana Mendoza, D-Chicago, one of the bill’s sponsors.
Dog lovers could do themselves a bigger favor, of course, by going directly to reputable breeders or, better yet, visiting a shelter in search of their next pet.
If you are set on buying a puppy please download and read, “How To Buy A Puppy” before you consider parting with your money. It is free at http://www.howtobuyapuppy.net
Buying a puppy without problems is harder than most people think. Finding a responsible and knowledgeable breeder is very difficult.
http://www.howtobuyapuppy.net
Thanks for sharing this information, Carol. I think it’s terrific and I wish PA could adopt the same law. I’m curious, however, about how it will affect animal shelters. Will this require them to spend a great deal of time tracking down the information? Granted, shelters don’t get a huge number of puppies so hopefully it won’t burden them with more work.
Good point, Chris. I was focused more on the added responsibility for pet stores, which is a good thing.
I wish there was a federal law, banning “pet stores” from selling any dogs and cats. My most devoted friends (two dogs, two cats) are shelter rescues, and where there is a “critter vacancy,” due to losing a loved one, the shelter is the first place I go after grieving.
My veterinarian father used to tell me that the greatest injustice in the world was that our best friends didn’t live as long as we do – and he always pointed out that the silver lining to that cloud was that it allowed us to have a great many best friends. I encourage people to check their local shelter – your best friend is waiting for you.
Absolutely! Well put, Dona.