dont adopt puppies from there, they most likely come from puppymills, as you must already know

if you are looking to save an animal go to a local humane society. but make sure you know the history of the dog you adopt, i adopted a dog a couple weeks ago and they didnt say anything about the dog having seizures,but sure enough a week later, she had one.

we couldnt afford to get her medicine and what not so we had to take her back.

very sad for everyone :(

hope you find the right puppy for you :))

There are many rescue groups on the web for just about any breed you are looking for. When you buy from a petstore you are looking for trouble. When you go to a breeder another perfectly wonderful dog in a shelter or rescue is being put to sleep. Please think adoption. I think if I see another''want a mate to breed ''on MDS I will pull my hair out.

I didn't think Petco sold dogs...? Maybe it's a rescue group there.

If its a PetCo (as in "PetCo, where Pets Go), they don't sell puppies, either indirectly or directly - they do host rescues that do adoptions - usually on weekends.  As with any dog, buyer beware - the health of the dog is not always guaranteed from any agency (although some groups try their best not to release a sick dog, not all illnesses manifest themselves in short periods of time). 

there may be other petstores in your area that are supplied by puppy mills through brokers - in St. Louis, we've successfully shut down the company "Petland", who did sell puppies brokered from millers.  

PetCo and PetsMart sponsor rescues and shelters - typically, they'll have cats on premises but the dogs leave when the sponsored rescue agency leaves at the end of the day.  generally, there's no facilities at all for dogs (there are cat kennels).  If you're at the store during the week and there's a bunch of puppies in crates or kennels with prices listed on the dogs, leave - and no matter how sad you feel, if you encounter that scenario, don't buy the dog.  There's a host of reasons not to...if you want to know more, email me.

Some things to be cautious of at PetCo/PetsMart adoption events:

the dogs may not be on their best feet - these kinds of events tend to be a bit stressful on any animal, and the amount of traffic through the adoption area can make the situation even worse.    The dogs at the adoption events MAY be ready for immediate adoption - that depends entirely on the rescue's policies (my rescue does not do on-the-spot adoptions - you can visit the dog at the store, fill out an application and continue from there according to our guidelines). 

The dogs should have a relatively clean bill of health - don't have the expectation that the dog is in perfect health though.  Some of the organizations being hosted have a large number of dogs going through their facilities and its possible the dogs haven't been observed for any significant length of time - and some symptoms may not manifest for weeks or months.  If the dog has heartworms or hasn't had the battery of dog-wellness shots, make sure that information is obtained before signing the paperwork - most rescues and APAs get a vet discount; if the dog hasn't had the basics done, and you're willing to do the adoption, get the rescue to provide their discount on your dog at their vet - most will agree to this kind of deal.

From my personal observations, I've seen some great dogs going to adoptive homes and everything works out fine (where the dogs were adopted at PetsMart or PetCo).   However, I've also seen some borderline dogs, where the dogs would have almost no chance of being adopted (either due to illness or stressed behaviours).  And to be brutally honest, mixed-breed rescues tend to populate the PetCos and PetsMarts more than the purebred rescues - you could call it a snobbery factor.  There's a logic behind that but I'm not willing to discuss it for fear of insulting both mixed-breed and purebreed fanciers on this forum.

dwain

Petsmart only has rescue shelters holding adoptions at their stores, from what I understand.  Most of these dogs have been through some type of trauma, most end up being Great Pets because of it.  As mentioned in other comments, there are some with problems.  Make sure before adopting any pet that you talk to someone who knows the animal you are interested in adopting.  Some are in foster homes and you can speak directly with the person who cared for it.  There are many more success stories from adopting a rescue dog than there are sad stories, so don't let that scare you away!   Good Luck & STAY AWAY FROM PUPPY MILL DOGS!!    Watch Oprah Thursday 5/29/08.

As previously indicated - PetCo does not get their dogs from puppy mills, brokers or breeders.  They do not sell dogs or cats.  Dogs and cats for sale in PetCo belong to an area's local rescue agency.

Going to a breeder for your dog instead of a pet store doesn't mean you won't be supporting a puppy mill.  Every puppy miller is a breeder - but not every breeder is a puppy miller.

If your plans with your prospective dog include conformation (aka "show"), do an intense amount of research.  Several breeders across the country insist their dogs are 'papered' dogs from 'champion bloodlines' with fancy names like Triumphs' Regal as Snowy Hills (Reggie for short).  But just because their dogs are purebred and are AKC registered does not mean the dogs are top-quality dogs.  I could go on and on and on about this topic - going to a breeder instead of a pet store is a rescuer's nightmare, if you're simply indicating to eliminate the pet store from the equation.

Within 30 minutes of where I live, I could find twenty legitimate hobby breeders and perhaps five puppy-mills (suburbia makes it more challenging for a miller to support a business, with countless other unknown breeders who would rather live with selling a box of puppies every year than sterilize their pets.  Within 60 minutes, I could find fifty hobby breeders and fifty puppy millers.  Within 6 hours, over 500 puppy mills and an unknown number of hobby breeders.  The point is just going a breeder doesn't mean they're honest, forthright and not a supplier to the mass-market dog-world. 

Just because a breeder has a website and fancy stuff doesn't mean they're not a mill.  Conversely, just because a breeder lives in the country doesn't mean they're a miller (sometimes its hard to have dogs in the city).

Right now, I've got a beautiful foster staying with me. Count Basie is a purebred, "papered" tricolor sheltie.  I've got his papers to prove it.  Its totally full of really fancy names and references to champions.  However, the registration (which was NOT issued by the AKC - do not rely on the AKC registration to mean the breed isn't a miller) is totally worthless.  It was issued by the kennel that bred Basie.  The kennel that bred Basie is a very "exclusive" kennel that requires appointment visitation only.  You may have to go on their waiting list if you are looking for a specific dog; their clients needs comes first, but they'll be able to accomodate you within six months, guarenteed or your money back (but no deposit is required!). 

They have several breeds  - although they may not have your dog breed on site, they may be able to get one for you. 

I've visited the site.  Its a very sharky place - professional, mostly clean.  You can't visit the kennel area (for insurance reasons of course) but they'll bring prospective puppies out for you; they balked a bit about the sire and dam of the puppies but brought them out anyway (I mean, who knows?  they could have been the puppies parents - although I've never seen a tricolor litter from a blue merle). 

I counted ten breeds just in the dogs I saw from the parking lot to the front desk, from all different groups.   There were several mix-breed dogs around too - I don't mind mix breeds at all but proliferation of designer breeds has made having a mutt a fashion. 

Most hobby breeders will stick to a very small handful of breeds - its hard to maintain a quality program without doing so. 

Basie came from this stock breeder.  I told them about him and sure enough, they came up with his paperwork.  Of course, Count Basie's current name isn't the one they bred but that didn't matter - they found a Count Basie in their database and assured me the puppies I was looking at were in the same lineage as Basie. 

FYI, Basie is a great dog - but as a sheltie, he's disqualifed from any kind of conformation and would be handicapped in agility and performance.  He's oversized - significantly - stands at 20 inches.  That doesn't stop him, but its a definite sign of poor breeding - that far out of range (four inches beyond the max size) is not even close to acceptable.

Their biggest client?  PetLand (which happens to be the store where Basie was bought - over in Illinois in his case). 

Petland has a notorious history.  They advertise they don't get their dogs from puppy mills.  They usually have a particular breeder or a person they buy their dogs from - that person is a broker who does use mills.  There's an active movement across the states that Petland operates in to shut them down, with just reason.  They sell the dogs, but seldom have a reliable or responsible contract - the dogs are frequently sick or neglected and balk at refunds or trades.  Petland has been known to throw out longterm dogs that aren't bought - they'll deny it of course _'the dogs are always returned to the breeders' - which is an obvious falsehood. 

So my point in all this :

1)  PetCo and PetsMart do not sell dogs - the animals in their stores belong to area rescues and are avaiable for adoption. PetCo and PetsMart make no money at all on the dogs adopted from their stores - they make their money on the backside by selling the dogfood, etc.

2)  Petland,no matter where its located, is a chain store that does sell dogs and is actively engaged in supporting the puppy mill industry and does not see any qualms about doing so. 

3)  A reputable breeder never, ever sells their dogs in pet stores. 

4)  Not every breeder is a puppy mill or backyard breeder.  Every puppy miller is a breeder.

5)  Papers mean nothing at all - (a reputable breeder will only provide registration for an ILP from the AKC after proof of spay-neuter - and the most reliable will seize their dog if the dog hasn't been - its a contractual obligation!).

6)  High cost by itself does not mean quality - the operative term is "what the market will bear".  If you are venturing into the conformation world (a hobby breeder worth their salt will not sell their litters to anyone who hasn't demonstrated that in the first place), you may expect to be paying several hundred for a dog, but  you'll know exactly who the parents are and what they're doing. 

There's no one single answer; if you're looking to buy a purebred pet, for pet purposes, contact an area purebred rescue first (generally gold-mines of information - my rescue also provides after-adoption services, the deal isn't done until the owner or the dog passes away).  If you are unable to find your perfect pet within a couple months (and have that expectation), go to your local animal control or humane society - there's never a shortage of dogs.

If you're looking for a specific breed and want a puppy, do your research.  NEVER impulse-buy - grow accustomed to waiting - despite popular opinion, hobby breeders don't let their dogs just pump out puppies; their focus is on the winning dog and there's only one way to get a winning dog and that's to actually show the dog, which takes a HUGE amount of effort.

Boycott pet stores that sell dogs directly.  There's not a single case where a pet store can possibly breed enough dogs to sell (and make any money at all) without going through a broker or getting the dogs from a puppy mill.  Ask Oprah if you don't believe me.  The employees at the store may not know but the management teams definitely do.

~~~
soapbox ended.

dwain