Never buy a puppy from a pet store

The German Shepherd Dog breed has been ranked #2 in popularity/registration from the American Kennel Club since 2011.  Unfortunately the popularity is a bad thing for the breed.  This causes the puppy mills to pump out more and more GSD puppies to meet the demand.  Again when their only concern is numbers and money, the quality and care suffer.  If you buy a puppy from a pet store you are supporting these puppy mills and their actions.  If you support these practices, they will continue, just putting more and more dogs into this horrible situation.  The GSD is a great breed, however it is not for everyone.  Before you run out and purchase a German Shepherd puppy, make sure that it is the right breed for you!  Since the main goal of a puppy mill is to mass produce puppies for profit, they cut many important corners to save money.  These dogs and puppies are often kept in small filthy cages with little to no human interaction.  Puppies are also given the bare minimum amount of care before they are taken from their mother at an early age and shipped out to the pet stores.  This inadequate start in life can cause a lot of mental and temperament problems with the dog including but not limited to difficulties with house breaking and training, nervousness or fearful reactions and/or health problems.The largest reason to avoid pet store puppies is because you do not want to support the people that are irresponsibly producing puppies with no thought to their well being.  Their main purpose for producing these puppies is to make money.  You are much more likely to have temperament and health issues with pet store puppies, because of the bad breeding behind them. When the goal is to make as much money as possible, no thought or effort is put into health testing or screening parents for genetic health issues or temperament problems.View the list »
The GSD is currently ranked as the #2 most popular breed registered with the AKC. Unfortunately this popularity is bad for the breed as it means more people will want to cash in and produce GSD puppies for the wrong reasons.

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There are so many different places to purchase a puppy, many people do not realize how much better some choices are than others. As discussed in previous articles, if you are purchasing from a breeder it is very important to find a good breeder rather than a backyard breeder.

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Unfortunately another option that some people choose to consider is a pet store. Sometimes the pet store is simply convenient. They have puppies available now, they do not screen homes, no questions asked, and they accept credit cards. However, as convenient as it may seem it is always a horrible idea to purchase a puppy from a pet store.

The simple fact is that NO good breeder would allow their puppies to go to a pet store. Even if the pet store employee tells you that their puppies come from good breeders and not puppy mills, they are lying to you (or just repeating what they have been instructed by their supervisors). Most puppies in the pet stores come from puppy mills. The small percentage of puppies that may not come from puppy mills come from irresponsible breeders.

A good breeder is very careful when placing puppies and always properly screens potential homes. When a puppy is sold to a pet store, there is no way for the breeder to ensure it goes to a proper home. The puppy just goes to the first person who comes along with the money.

Take a moment to look through the list to learn more about pet store puppies and puppy mills.

View the list
  • The largest reason to avoid pet store puppies is because you do not want to support the people that are irresponsibly producing puppies with no thought to their well being.  Their main purpose for producing these puppies is to make money.  You are much more likely to have temperament and health issues with pet store puppies, because of the bad breeding behind them. When the goal is to make as much money as possible, no thought or effort is put into health testing or screening parents for genetic health issues or temperament problems.
  • Since the main goal of a puppy mill is to mass produce puppies for profit, they cut many important corners to save money.  These dogs and puppies are often kept in small filthy cages with little to no human interaction.  Puppies are also given the bare minimum amount of care before they are taken from their mother at an early age and shipped out to the pet stores.  This inadequate start in life can cause a lot of mental and temperament problems with the dog including but not limited to difficulties with house breaking and training, nervousness or fearful reactions and/or health problems.
  • The German Shepherd Dog breed has been ranked #2 in popularity/registration from the American Kennel Club since 2011.  Unfortunately the popularity is a bad thing for the breed.  This causes the puppy mills to pump out more and more GSD puppies to meet the demand.  Again when their only concern is numbers and money, the quality and care suffer.  If you buy a puppy from a pet store you are supporting these puppy mills and their actions.  If you support these practices, they will continue, just putting more and more dogs into this horrible situation.  The GSD is a great breed, however it is not for everyone.  Before you run out and purchase a German Shepherd puppy, make sure that it is the right breed for you!  
  • Some pet stores advertise that their puppies are AKC registered or they offer an attractive warranty.  Do not fall for this.  While AKC registration is important when buying a puppy, it is the very basic minimum that EVERY German Shepherd Dog breeder should do.  So it really should not be a selling point. Other pet stores will offer a different type of registration such as CKC (Continental Kennel Club) or APRI (American Pet Registry) which are basically puppy mill registries.  They are not legitimate registries and hold no meaning.  The only people that use these are the irresponsible breeders and pet stores/puppy mills.  The only reason these registries would be used is if the puppies are unable to be AKC registered.  AKC registration is the only registry in the United States that means anything for most breeds.  While the pet stores warranty may sound good on paper, rarely does it actually benefit you.  Especially once you get the puppy and fall in love with it.  
  • Usually, the convenience of a pet store puppy is really a bad thing.  A puppy should never be bought on a whim, without much thought and research, or just because you see a puppy and “have to have it”. Purchasing a puppy should always be a well thought out and planned for occasion.  A puppy will hopefully be with your family for 10-12 years, so it really is a large commitment.Often people will walk into a pet store or around an auction and fall in love with a puppy that they see.  ALL puppies are cute, so do not put yourself into that situation!  You should always purchase a puppy with your brain, not your heart.  
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Suggested by the author:

, Akron German Shepherd Examiner

Valerie Miller is a German Shepherd owner and breeder in NE Ohio. She has owned GSDs all of her life and currently has two females that live with her, her husband and her 2 1/2 year old daughter. She participates in Schutzhund as well as other venues with her dogs as well as breeding occasionally...

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