Wedding Central Forum

http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/raid_contact.html and http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/150-dogs-seized-in-record-raid-20090910-fj9d.html

These dogs were rescued from a puppy mill at Wondai. I haven't seen any of the dogs, although I am going into the shelter in a few weeks time. It is just disgraceful that this practise is still legal.

This is where most puppies in the pet shops come from. Please spread the word and try to support pet shops which don't stock animals.

Check out this site for more info on puppy mills. http://www.wheredopuppiescomefrom.com.au/index.htm

Thank you for posting this. The more people who know not to buy their pets (or supplies) from pet shops that sell animals bred in puppy mills (i.e. the majority of them that sell animals), the better.

It makes me so mad that they still do this

EllieGoulet wrote:

Thank you for posting this. The more people who know not to buy their pets (or supplies) from pet shops that sell animals bred in puppy mills (i.e. the majority of them that sell animals), the better.

I think a lot of people have no idea that this is even happening! I know I used to have no idea.

the sale of pets in shops should be banned.

Pet shop pets should definetly be banned....they are a common problem to our increasing stray population as they dont des*x their animals.

Dh and I bought a kitten from a Pet Shop coz we felt sorry for her and she absolutely adores me but is pertified of other people....

Not only that is she costed us $450 she was orig $500 and she is a Bengal x Burmese. Now we bought a Pure Bred Russian Blue from a shelter and he only costed us $60. When we told the pet shop of the riduculous asking price of the Bengal his reponse is she is expensive coz she is sort of of a pure bred! WTF..not only that we had to pay for the microchipping details to be transferred into our names!!! Shelters dont do this!

And we bought her at 17 weeks of age and when she hit 18 weeks she came into HEAT!

Pet shops should be banned and they should sell all animals DESEXED

I hate pet shops!

Our new kitten we got yesterday viewtopic.php?f=32&t=106478&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=10 was from the shelter up the road and was a dumped kitten (along with her siblings) from an unwanted pregnancy. She is 9 weeks old, de$exed, micro-chipped, vaccinated & wormed - all for $150.

I can't justify spending half a grand or more on a kitten that hasn't had all their bits & pieces done, just so a pet shop can make INCREDIBLE amounts of money!!! Pet shops suck & should only be able to sell fish, guinea pigs, mice... there are SO many puppies & kittens needing homes at the shelters!!

You hit the nail on the head Mandamoo

I adopted my adult pure bred bengal off a breeder (came with her papers and everything) and the breeder did absolutely everything! She came desexed, vaccinated, microchipped etc. and they even organised the transfer of the details on her microchip. She came with worming and vaccination history as well. All this for $150! She is not a kitten, but she makes an amazing pet. There are heaps of adult pure bred cats and dogs from breeders looking for homes which make excellent pets, and most only at the cost of desexing. Shelters also have heaps of adorable cats and dogs available desexed and with all the vet work done for you.

Pet shops not only buy most of their stock from puppy mills and back yard breeders, but they sell them not de-sexed, and often with only the minimum vet work. Puppy mills and backyard breeders don't desex because presumably it cuts into their profit. So not only is the buyer up for the ridiculous price pet shops charge for non-pedigree pets (don't be fooled, no reputable breeder would sell pedigree animals to a pet shop), but then it is up to the buyer to de-sex, take their pet to a vet etc . A lot of people buy on impulse, so many end up in shelters when they realise that pet ownership can be costly and time consuming (I volunteered at the reception of RSPCA once, and was shocked at how many animals are surrendered each day. One was a tiny kitten was brought in because the kids weren't interested in him - thankfully he got a new home very quickly). Or they leave them de-sexed, which results in endless unwanted litters.

Not only that our Bengal cross hasnt been hand reared...so I am glad DH and I have bought her as if someone else had impulsed bought her she would be on the street by now as she needs a lot of work to become accustomed to people.

My other 2 cats which are from shelters have the best personality and so friendly.

It saddens me that people make a quick buck with pet shops and dont care about the animals themselves.

The pet shop giorl was trying to tell me what to feed my new kitten Mia. Ah I dont think so I am not buying your crappy dry food...and i have worked in vet nursing so dont tell me what i can and cannot feed her and what it can do to her! Gah to pet shops

I agree - they should only sell fish and birds (not big birds like cockatoos as people dont know how to look after them as well)

We got our cats from a shelter and our dogs from breeders (reputable breeders who were able to produce certificates of lineage for their puppies, and registered the dogs officially as pure-breds with the Canine Council NSW).
My fiance's family has a dog that they got from a "backyard breeder". It is a 'pure bred' (not pedigree) border collie - she's 4 1/2 years old and has arthritis already.
Puppies and kittens from registered breeders are often more expensive but it is an investment that could save thousands in vet bills. Consider that breeders are aware of the genetic problems and will not breed from animals likely to perpetuate them, will provide a very thorough vet-check as they are selling their reputation as well, and often breeders will vaccinate their animals with more than just the minimum/basic vaccination because they travel so often to shows etc. They are also VERY picky about allowing you to breed from the puppy or kitten they provide you with, it will need to have proved its worth in shows and the mate will also need to be approved as again, the breeder's name and reputation is at stake. So if your animal does not come desexed (many larger breeds of dogs aren't supposed to be until around 6mths) they will strongly encourage you to get it fixed at an appropriate age. Reputable breeders have often been in the show scene for years and only breed from their champion animals, which means that not only are THEY aware of the quality of their animals, but they have had it confirmed time and time again by judges with no vested interest in which dog or cat wins. To enter a dog beyond a certain age, breeders often have to provide detailed vet check information that includes hip and elbow scoring, eye testing, heart testing and anything that is known to be a health issue in their particular breed. This means that buying a dog or cat from a reputable, registered breeder with show stock will ultimately save you money, time and the emotional energy involved in seeing your pet suffer from health issues.
There was a move about a year ago now to legally ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet shops in NSW, and to limit the amount of sales/advertising that could be done by non-registered breeders. I had seen propaganda from both sides of the fence urging people to make known their opinions about the proposed ban, but unfortunately have not heard anything in some months. It looks like the pet shops won, sadly. I think most people simply don't know - they see puppies and kittens in pet shop windows and have no idea where they come from. Some people go out there with the best of intentions to get a shelter pet and then fall in love with the puppy in the local pet shop window, and so perpetuate the business. The best solution is of course to ban pet shops from selling animals (or at least cats and dogs), but its very difficult without building a stronger awareness.

Ohh gosh thats so sad... how awful

This just sickens me. I have two dogs that I rescued from the pound, and sadly there were dozens of unwanted animals waiting for adoption. We live in a country town, it is itinerent so it isnt uncommon for people to leave town... and their pet. Feral cats are also a huge problem here for that reason.

A friend of mine was looking to adopt a dog from the pound and came across a dog who had spent her whole life at a puppy mill. She was only about 2 but she had already had a dozen pregnancies. Too sad.

I absolutely agree, selling dogs and cats at pet shops should be banned. Not only are they promoting the existence of puppy mills, they are also making a huge profit from these unfortunate animals. And totally misleading people. I would never, ever buy a dog or cat from a pet shop.

One thing I will say, is that not all pet shops are bad. We've got one here, our neighbour moved house and abandoned their kitten. The RSPCA and local shelter wouldn't take it. And if it went to the pound, it would have say a week to live. The pet shop took the kitten and sold it so it at least has a chance. However I know this is a very rare case and most pet shops don't do this.

[quote="mandamoo"]The pet shop giorl was trying to tell me what to feed my new kitten Mia. Ah I dont think so I am not buying your crappy dry food...and i have worked in vet nursing so dont tell me what i can and cannot feed her and what it can do to her![/quote/}

If you don't mind me asking, what is the best for our new kitten Manda? The woman sucked FH into buying a $25 bag of dry bickies and said that's what she should have..???

hazzbang wrote:

mandamoo wrote:

The pet shop giorl was trying to tell me what to feed my new kitten Mia. Ah I dont think so I am not buying your crappy dry food...and i have worked in vet nursing so dont tell me what i can and cannot feed her and what it can do to her![/quote/}

If you don't mind me asking, what is the best for our new kitten Manda? The woman sucked FH into buying a $25 bag of dry bickies and said that's what she should have..???

There is plenty of debate on this! My opinion is that a cat shouldn't be on a purely dry diet because cats most don't drink enough water to supplement a dry diet. I like to feed some raw (generally chicken) as well as some wet, and a little dry for her to graze on during the day when we are away. Also if you do want to feed dry, you need a good quality dry (I feed pro plan, but others like science diet and royal canin). But I suggest doing your own research and finding a diet you are comfortable feeding as there is a wide variation on what to feed which can get very confusing.

As kirsten said great debate on the feeding topic

I feed my cats on science diet dry food in the morning and at night I feed them human grade diced lean beef and also chicken wings for their teeth.

I never feed my cats the raw meat you find for cats in the fridge section as has preservatives in it...thats y I only feed human grade meat

I've checked and the brand of Lola's food is "Advance" ?? We have a bag of kitten dry bickies & a small tin of wet food (same brand) that she can have a quarter of every two days apparently...?!?

I'm off to do some research, I think!!

rosella wrote:

A friend of mine was looking to adopt a dog from the pound and came across a dog who had spent her whole life at a puppy mill. She was only about 2 but she had already had a dozen pregnancies. Too sad.

that is truly SCARY! I know that it varies due to size and breed, but my ***** went on heat for the first time at 9mths old and the breeders and vet told us that you should never breed in their first season as they're still too young, and to expect her to go in season about twice a year (we don't breed, for the record, and she is now desexed but we had her in the show ring at the time). I want to know what the hell they were doing to that poor creature to make it CAPABLE of being pregnant so often in such a short time. It sickens me.

We feed our cat (only one now ) dry food to "graze" on throughout the day, but will give her a portion of wet food in the mornings and at night. If you ARE going to go with the dry food, you'll need to pick a quality brand - most pet shops and grocery stores stock the mid-quality range of foods, but you can sometimes buy the good stuff from your vet or through online specialty stores. The other place to look (if you're in Syd) is Petbarn - they have a huuuuge range of foods and pet accessories but don't stock pets (well... occasionally I will see a rabbit there, but as a general rule they don't).

ETA: teehee, it censored 'female dog'