There is a certain pet shop that is selling all different types of dogs and cats. They are all in realy bad condition. He needs to be stopped. He has been reported all over the place he must know that. IT is on facebook but i dont know how to post links so this is the name of the group
CLOSE DOWN POSH PAWS PET SHOP (the ones who sell puppy farmed dogs). Please have a look

This is the link too the group. There are quiet a few other rescue's that are horrified as well.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gi...5730945&ref=ts

For those who don't 'do' facebook, more info about puppy farms here:

http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/

You best not go to Harrods then and see how they display their puppies and cats.

There is an easy answer which would stop all pet shops selling puppies and kittens - NEVER buy a kitten or puppy from ANY pet shop. Most animals sold there will be from puppy/kitten farms and no animal lover would want to support that practice.

They are often kept in poor conditions in the pet shop, but in addition the conditions they are bred in before they arrive at the shop are generally appalling.

Much better to adopt one of the thousands of animals in rescue centres waiting for homes.

Good for you for bringing this to people's attention. This kind of thing sickens me. Maybe more people could name and shame pet shops in their loacl area. Luckily I don't know of any near me as if I did I'd be there like a shot with a plaquard and a loud hailer!

ETA: Had a look at the facebook page and noticed the other shop "dogs4u" (my god you'd have to be stupid to but a puppy from a place with a name like that for a start). I pretended to be interested in buying a puppy and asked a few questions. The lady said that all their puppies come from licensed breeders and that to be a licensed breeder you have to produce 5 litters a year!!! Can someone tell me if that is true???

Another Edit: Had a look on t'net and phoned the shop again. I told the woman that by telling me what she did she is misleading people as the law states that those who produce over 4 or 5 litters a year have to be licensed and by using that term and explaining it the way she did, she is misleading people into thinking that their puppies don't come from puppy farms.

Think about it logically: why would a reputable breeder sell their animals via a pet shop? Answer - they wouldn't. Animals in pet shops will NEVER be from good breeders.

Reputable breeders sell direct to the public and will let you see the mother and the babes together, you should see the conditions they are living in so you can be satisfied they are bred in a satisfactory environment and are being well socialised. They will also chat to you to ensure their animals are going to a good home. A caring breeder would never sell via a middleman like a pet shop.

I totaly totaly agree with you.

There are quite a few pets shops with this name - where is this one located

Hertfordshire.

Exactly. I would never ever buy a cat. I rescued my Ruby from a shelter and adopted Elphie from a friend.

I brought kado wish i had got his brother. Rescued guinness. Simon was free to a good home. Kay i brought. Troy and Chester i brought. All the others are either brought to me or the kittens of the ones brought to me.

Well Amber is a pet shop cat... It was the only way we could get a kitten (we both work and our flat at the time was quite small)

Selfish of us??? Some people probably would think but she's now a happy, healthy, very well looked after cat... So I cannot and do not regret how we ended up with our girl.

I have heard how 'difficult' it is to re-home from some animal shelters. People like myself (who thought long and hard about getting a pet, knew that I had the time, money and love to be a good and responsible pet owner) would not meet the criteria of most shelters??

I'd have adopted in a heartbeat had I been able to!!

I think people are over reactiong a little. Sure some "farms" can be bad, but so can some private sellers, or even charities! (last week we received several animals from a cat rescue center in Norfolk, where the owner had been feeding 60 cats on spagetti hoops for the last three months )

Go to the farm, take a look around, if its clean and the animals look healthy then it's fine.

Its the condition of the animals in the shop that is more concerning.

RG I remember about Amber from previous discussions. You have been really lucky with her, which is great.
There are however many rescue centres which will happily home cats (although probably not kittens) to indoor-only homes. My mother recently adopted an 'indoor only' adult rescue cat with no problem.

Even if the conditions in the pet shop look fine, the animals which are being sold there will almost certainly have been raised in kitten and puppy farms, and the animals are likely to have health and socialisation problems.

There is no such thing as a 'reputable' kitten or puppy farm.

Puppy farms are large-scale breeding premises.... The puppies are sold through pet shops, internet and newspaper ads. Puppy farms in the UK have been found to have as many as 150 breeding dogs, most kept locked inside 24 hours a day, often in complete darkness. They are usually located on farms in barns, disused chicken houses garages or any disused outbuilding. The dogs are forced to eat, sleep and give birth in the same area they urinate and defecate; something they would never do given the choice

http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/index.shtml

A lot of "rescues" will not allow someone that is not at home all day to adopt a cat or dog from them and a lot of breeders are the same and you rarely see the adverts for "mongrels" any more due to the "designer dog craze" that's where pet shops fill the gap in the market - yes a lot of them do buy from puppy farms but a lot of home breeders aren't much better

Keiō Line and welwynrose hit the nail on the head for me.

I contacted several breeders a few months back because I'm looking to get a dog early next year when I move out of home. I lost my little old dog last year and life just isn't the same without her. I wanted to get chatting to people and get my name on lists. My boyfriend works full-time and I work at home sel-employed, although upon moving out I was considering taking a few mornings a week part time somewhere for extra security incase we ever hit a dry spell for work. I was told point blank if someone wasn't at home with the dog all day then I could forget it as they were careful where their "babies" went to live. At which point I regretted being so chatty and telling so much about myself. I simply thought the more info about who we are and what we do the better.

So if I was sticking to that I'd have to wait until I'm retired or I win the lottery! It's this kind of attitude that makes people look elsewhere. We've had dogs all our lives at home (my boyfriend's home was the same) and my mum always had to work mornings for that extra pay. The dogs were left alone for a few hours and personally I never felt we abused them. They got walks, playtime, cuddles a warm fire and a hearty meal each day.

I should add every dog we've ever had has come from a rescue home, the only reason I was approaching breeders is the breed I was after taking on isn't very common, and we'd have really liked a dog from a puppy as we'd like to ensure he/she is well socialised.

We have many months to keep looking yet but my initial impression of breeders isn't a good one.

To touch on what Keiō Line said a little more... there is one of these shops close to us and we've been for a look a few times. It's clean. The only complaint I'd have is I wish they'd mix the puppies more when the last of the litter is left. I don't like seeing them sat alone. I understand it's to separate out the breeds but it would only take a little more paperwork on the pens.

Whilst in a perfect world I'd love to think all dogs came from responsible breeders, sadly it's just the stuff of dreams. The best we can hope for until the government cracks down on backyard breeders is that the environment the puppies are kept in is clean and they are well fed. At least the stores can provide that better than the farms. Even if the stores shut down it's not like these puppies would stop being bred, they would instead likely just be sold online.

I in no way, shape or form condone unethical breeding or kitten / puppy farming. Nor am I comfortable with puppies and kittens being sold through petshops. But for me it was the only real option (we did actaully intend to go to a breeder direct and went to petshop to get some bits of our 'future kitten' when we saw Amber - the rest is of course history)

Surely animal shleters making it so difficult to re-home a cat / dog just perpetuates the whole cycle??

I know that lots of animals are abused and abandoned thus they require extra care and attention but I do feel in some ways there is too much control.

On paper we'd never have been given a cat?? Yet in practice (I think) we've done a really good job with our little girl??

The overall system needs to be looked at IMO...

Sorry I know I posted above but I can add to this comment.

It is making things more difficult than they need be. My partner's parents lost their dog a few months back and went to all the local shelters looking for a new dog. They saw one at a local shelter online that said the dog would need to be rehomed with another dog or someone who was home all day. His mother is home all day. They went to look at the dog and loved it but the women they spoke to said she wouldn't rehome it unless there was another dog there. Regardless of the fact she is home all day like requested online. Absolute madness in my opinion. So they were turned away.

Instead they ended up wandering into one of these stores (which is how I know it exists myself) and picking up a puppy there who has become their whole world.

That is why it is important to visit the breeder at least once before you buy the animal, so you can see the surroundings. At least with a breeder you can do this - if you buy from a pet shop you have no idea of its origins.

I have never come across a rescue with a policy to refuse to home cats with people who work all day, I regularly homed cats with working people - it would be totally self-defeating not to. Ditto cat breeders, in fact I don't think a breeder has ever asked what our working arrangements were.

Dogs are a different case and there are good reasons for not homing one if it will be left alone all day.

I would personally rather 'tweak the truth' and not tell a breeder if I went out for a few hours here and there, than buy a dog of unknown origin from a pet shop. The breeder will never know if you go out for a few hours - they are just trying to sift out people who are clearly unsuitable.
I've had cat breeders who insisted their cats shouldn't wear collars, but all mine have at some point. The breeder is never going to find out and as long as the animal is well cared for, it doesn't matter.


As long as people continue buying poorly bred animals, that will sadly remain the case.


RG22, as I said this is not true. Many rescue centres do regularly home cats to people in your circumstances.

There isn't an 'overall system', all rescues have slightly different (sometimes wildly different) 'rules' on rehoming, so often if one refuses you, another will accept you. Please don't think I am having a go at you personally, I just don't want others in a similar situation to think they have no option but a pet shop.

Which is fine, but why should I have to lie? That's sort of my point. Surely any reasonable human being realises that there are times potential owners might have to leave the house at some point in 12-15 years? I was actually very honest about how often I would be out of the house but felt because I work at home and will be in the majority of the time we'd be in good standing. I went in with a long e-mail with so much information about the two of us as a couple and why we wanted a dog etc. Not because I felt I had to but I thought it would be a nice introduction to us. I'd looked round websites and seen that the dogs these people bred were clearly very important to them, even after they left the breeder. We're the sort of people who would have even been happy to send a few pics of the dog every 6 months. But no. Another breeder I e-mailed in a similar way basically replied and said "you should have called rather than e-mail". Which I thought was quite rude as I'd spent time writing it and their site provided the address. I didn't want to call straight away as we're not actively looking yet, I just wanted to "get a foot in the door" and ask some questions. Perhaps I'm going about it the wrong way, all the dog's I've ever had were rescues. I just don't think this process should be as much as a trial as it is, people shouldn't have to lie and jump through hoops. So when I visit stores like the one mentioned above and see a puppy of the breed I seek I understand why people do it. That's not to say I will but I understand the weakness. I really do feel I'm running out of options as my list is dwindling.

hazy days I am sorry you have met with a brick wall when being open about your circumstances. Every breeder has different criteria when looking at potential homes for their puppies and please don't be put off by the responses you have had so far. Personally (and I have owned and bred my own breed for 30 years) I think you have to get to know the people first and then consider their home arrangements. I live opposite a couple who are retired so are home all day but the dog is shut out in the garden from AM to PM with no shelter. There is another family who live at the back of me and their dog has never been for a walk in the six years they have lived there. They all work full time and why they have a dog is beyond me I work and live on my own. I get up very early to walk the dogs, I have a dog sitter that comes in at lunchtimes and I can work from home if I have an emergency. I don't go out in the evening and my time at home is the dogs time. I know where I would live if I were a dog

The pet shop in Lymington sells lovely kittens which are very expensive and are the kitties of the family who own the shops cat. They are kept in lovely conditions in the shop... Unfair to group all pet shops :/

Which rescue centres did you try to adopt from? Because all of my cats (except for the 2 that just walked in and took up residence!) have come from the Cats Protection and until recently my partner and I both worked full time (he is now retired.) CP have never refused to let us have a cat.