Hmmm...I wonder where they get these puppies? (asked in sarcastic tone)

[Leslie and Halas]

There's a small, local store here with a sign out front that currently reads:

Strawberries
Asparagus
Poodle and Schnauzer Puppies

It's almost always something similar to that, too. I think one time it said "Fertilizer, Birdseed, Ferrets." It's basically a landscaping and feed store, but they obviously have some animals for sale periodically. Years and years ago, before I knew much about puppy mills, and I assumed that only large corporations purchased dogs from puppy mills, a friend of ours bought a husky at this place. I asked her if these people were breeding huskies, and she said they told her that a friend of theirs was a husky breeder, and they were just helping her sell the puppies. Sure, whatever. As the years have gone by (well, pretty quickly after my friends purchased their husky, but reinforced over the years), I've realized that was a complete lie. They've sold many different dog breeds, so if they are from a breeder friend, their friend is a puppy mill. And they've sold many different types of house pets, not just puppies. Maybe the puppies are from puppy mills, or maybe from backyard breeders, but I'm sure they're not from reputable breeders. From what I know, reputable breeders want to know the people that buy their puppies. They don't turn them over to stores (even if owned by friends as they claimed) to sell the puppies for them. This little store is locally owned, so I'm sure people that buy pets there just think it's a nice little business that's automatically ethical because it's owned by a local family just trying to make a living. The people purchasing the puppies would never think a place like this would buy from a puppy mill, if they are even aware of puppy mills to begin with. In a smaller town, or probably even larger towns for that matter, we associate puppy mills with these nameless, faceless places that sell a ton of animals or are owned by large corporations. We don't associate puppy mills with our neighbor down that street who owns the local feed store and sells a few puppies once in awhile. I don't really know what the point of this blog is. I just drove by there a few minutes ago and saw the new sign, and had to vent a little.

[BG and Gavin]

Yes Karen, what Disney did for Dalmations, Taco Bell did for Chihuahuas, Fraser did for Jack Russells, Benji did for Cockapoos, Obama did for Portuguese Water Dogs, etc. etc. What does Paris Hilton have these days? I think some type of pet pig. Hopefully there is a teacup pig rescue group out there. Good blog post Leslie.

[Debbie and Thomas]

My sister in law had one of those Dalmations...not so lucky...it was not a nice dog. He was alsways in trouble...very dumb....he had no brains whatsoever God rest his soul.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jane, if you ever feel nostalgic for Lucky, I can send Jack over for a long visit. Your description of her shedding is exactly what I have from Jack. Fine blonde hairs all over everything, floating through the air and tumbling across the floors.
Jack is very much like Lucky in another way...he's pretty amazing, too.
(Sorry for the highjack, Les!)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree, Karen. Our Lucky was pretty amazing though. Not at all like the stereotype. She was smart as a whip and very sweet. She was wonderful with our special needs son, who was a "crawler" for years. She was always watching out for him. She was content to just be with the family....never really needed to run (which most of them do). She was also healthy, and lived to a ripe old age (also very unusual). The only big problem was that she shed like no dog I've ever seen. There was always hair kind of floating in the air, and I vacuumed ALL the time. That's why we didn't get another one.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can't imagine what Disney did to that breed in America. I think the very first breed specific rescue groups not affiliated with AKC breed clubs were Dalmatian rescues. You were very lucky with your dog; at one time they held the number one rank of all purebreds for biting children in the dog bite statistics. Not long after Disney made them the dogs to have.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This actually reminded me of when we got our Dalmatian a number of years ago. We had a local video store where our kids rented videos every week. Right about the time 101 Dalmatians was "big" the video store was not only renting the video, but also selling Dalmatian puppies. Yes, how's that for marketing. We actually bought one. He was definitely not from a puppy mill. The Mom belonged to the owners of the store, and we had seen her in there several times. She was awesome, as was our beautiful girl. I just had a flash back to the movie poster in the window right next to the "Dalmatian Puppies For Sale" sign. A completely different situation, but this reminded me of it.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

The signs are hilarious - I agree, but it is a serious subject and I like this blog!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And, of course, the store owner is turning all of the money from the sale of the puppies over to the breeder. He's just helping her out.

[Leslie and Halas]

Yes, their signs are hilarious. It's like they pick 3 completely random things to put on the sign each week. I wish I could remember more of them. They also sell lawn ornament and craft-type stuff, so sometimes something like that makes it onto the sign. You would think it would raise a red flag if you could walk into a store, and buy a scrapbook album, a garden gnome, and a puppy. How good can they be at any of those things when they're trying to do all 3? The thing about breeders is what I've learned here on DK. Like you said, good breeders would rather have the puppies near them, and would want to know who is buying the puppies. They like to keep in touch with the new puppy parents, which isn't possible if you sell them through a store.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know the intention of this blog isn't to be funny, but you have to admit, that's a pretty funny sign.
Here is what you have to ask yourself when you see/hear this kind of thing. Why would a breeder prefer to have her precious puppies sitting in cages at the local feed store (or any kind of store) instead of having them at home with their mother? Does someone sleep at the store all night? Do they take all the puppies home with them at night, or are they sitting alone in a cage in a dark store? Why would anyone who cares about the puppies they bring into this world choose to do this?
Anyone who needs to stick puppies in a cage in a store in order to sell them had no business bringing them into the world in the first place, and is as much a reputable & responsible breeder as I am.