If you believe that your life is too happy. If you really want to experience sadness and disgust. I suggest that you pick the name of any popular toy breed--Pekingese, Poodle, Pomeranian, Chihuahua--by all means Chihuahua--and plug it into Petfinder for your geographical area.
You will pull up pages of pictures of small, helpless dogs. Some are in private rescues; the lucky are in foster homes. The unlucky are in publicly funded "shelters" awaiting euthanasia.
Many breeds are being over-bred by irresponsible,thoughtless, greedy humans. Many breeds are being purposely mixed to sell to gullible buyers as "Designer Dogs."
But toy breeds are particularly vulnerable. Their diminutive size lends itself more easily to being housed in cages crammed into small spaces. Toys require less food--lower overhead. And unthinking, uniformed potential buyers are attracted to tiny puppies that, they believe, will be "less bother" than standard sized breeds.
The vast majority of Puppy Mill dogs live lives of misery from conception to death. For toys, whose only purpose is to be the close, adored companion of a human being, the misery is particularly acute.
Yesterday, when I received an email about the little Pomeranian needing a foster home, I was reminded of all this sadness as I explored possible rescues for her.
If you want a toy sized dog as a companion, you have a stunningly large number of desperate dogs to choose from--all ages--from puppies who were separated prematurely from mom, to seniors whose humans have died or have had to go to an assisted living facility that cannot accommodate even a small dog.
If you want a tiny canine companion, rescue one---or two. There are plenty to choose from.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
In the early 80s, I owned a pet shop and carried the usual supplies for dogs, cats, fish, birds and small animals. I also sold birds (parakeets, finches, cockatiels all purchased from a local breeder), feeder goldfish, rats & mice (I bred them for pets and reptile food). What I didn’t sell were puppies and kittens. A friend said that I was missing a ton of money by not selling them. I’m sure he was right.
ReplyDeleteHere is why pet shops sell dogs and cats. It’s the money honey. Most pet shops buy their puppies from kennels aka puppy mills in the Midwest. I refuse to call these outfits breeders! At the time I owned the pet shop, a retailer could buy a purebred AKC registered pup for around $50 and sell for $500. These mills don’t care about quality, breed improvement or care. And, too many pet shops consider pups a commodity no different than a bag of birdseed. They’re marketed as impulse purchases. Like I said, it’s about the money honey! Period.
So, the next time you see ‘that doggie in the window,’ think about the ones who end up in shelters and rescues and give one a home!