s
I have been sitting on my hands until I had the time to read and reply on this thread - as it is a subject which is very close to my heart. Currently in the UK we are anticipating very shortly a debate in Parliament after a phenomenal petition calling for all puppies (and kittens) to be sold only where the mother is present gained over 100,000 signatures. This showed the depth of feeling about the issue over here and there is every chance to hope that a ban on pet shops selling dogs is on the horizon.
There are unfortunately an increasing number of retail pet shops selling puppies but there is a much bigger hidden issue of dealers (often holding a 'pet shop licence') who operate (quite legally) from vans or private premises, many posing as breeders. The situation is so bad that even with a great deal of knowledge, it is almost impossible to look at an advert and know for sure that the person is genuine. Since our 'pet passport' legislation changed to fit in with the rest of Europe, we see hundreds of puppies transported in from the continent, often without sufficient rabies protection - putting our rabies free status at risk. Aside from this the puppies have been bred in abysmal conditions, (here and abroad) removed from the mother far too young and transported hundreds of miles in cramped and unhygienic conditions. No wonder so many of them get sick and die shortly after they are sold. No dog, no owner should have to go this as a result of a legitimate trade.
The unfortunate buyer picks up the financial and emotional consequences while the sellers get to carry on their evil trade with impunity. I don't use this word lightly, it is evil because it traffics in misery. The poor breeding dogs that are treated far worse than farm animals, the puppies that are physically and mentally affected forever by a poor start in life and the owners who have to cope with health and behaviour problems.
We have a huge problem with unwanted dogs (admittedly the puppy farms/mills are not the sole cause of this) so there is clearly a surplus in the supply yet still puppies pour into the towns and cities from rural Wales, Ireland and the continent.
While most rescue centres are brilliant and do sterling work, there are some who are basically dealers operating under the guise of rescue, some are importing dogs illegally without the proper paperwork - again putting others at risk.
Obviously I am speaking from a UK perspective only here but getting a ban on the sale of puppies from pet shops is a no brainer, there are no mitigating arguments. Any 'breeder' who sells through a third party is going to care nothing for the wellbeing or future of the pups aside from the money they bring in. There will be zero investment into these dogs beyond ensuring that enough are alive at 8 weeks to turn a profit and they have to keep costs down and breed like a factory to get that profit.
Education will help but it is not the answer. While there are pet shop puppies for sale, there will be people (knowingly and unknowingly) who will buy them and the vicious cycle continues.
There are certainly problems with BYB (meaning people having one or two litters from their family bitches ). But I would every time go to a BYB over a pet shop/puppy farm puppy because at least the BYB will have probably had the pups in the house, they will be used to people and the mother won't have been bred to exhaustion. I rate their chances far higher than those of a pet shop puppy.
I'm sorry to rant but as someone else said earlier in the thread, owning a dog is not a right, it is a privilege and one that entails a certain amount of expense, patience, travel - basically putting yourself out. Not walking into a shop and getting a pup while you are picking up your groceries.
I live in hope that one day the outdated practice of selling dogs through shops will be banned worldwide, as it is long overdue.
Responsibly getting potential owners interested in rescue animals is a great idea and I think probably would give them a much better chance of adoption because some people are put off going to shelters. I disagree that it prompts 'impulse sales' because you are not profiting from the activity and as you point out, the 'wrong' owners are turned down and the cats would be there anyway - they are not being produced especially for sale. This is a world away from selling puppies bred wholesale to anyone with the cash to buy them - where the wellbeing of the animals and suitability of homes isn't even a consideration.