Friday, November 19, 2010

What About The Ones That Don't Sell?

I look at my stats and I keep seeing a particular phrase come up in my search key words.

What do they do with the dogs that don't sell in a pet store?

This must be a question on everyone's minds, because I got asked that a lot by customers at the store.

"What do you do with them if they're here too long?"

About two years into my stint as a pet store employee I got thoroughly fed up with the question and answered, "Too long for what?  They don't have expiration dates stamped on them."

Some people honestly believe that pet stores just dump unsold puppies at the SPCA, apparently.  I'm not sure why they would think that.  I got the impression from most people who asked that they weren't honestly concerned for the welfare of the puppies, they were hinting for a chance at a free dog.  It doesn't work that way.  If you want a free puppy there are lots of "oops" litters that happen every 6-7 months.  Just keep the word out that you're looking for one and you'll find one, promise.  (Free dogs tend to not be very free, though, once you factor in all the vet work they need.  Just a word of caution.)  The owner didn't pay hundreds of dollars for this puppy just to turn around and give him away because someone doesn't buy him immediately.  (If that were the case, every employee at the store would probably have a bazillion dogs.)

So what does happen to the ones that don't sell in a pet store?

They all sell, eventually.  It's just a matter of when.  When a puppy has been there for a long time, this is what happens:

The puppy gets a name.

The pet store employees typically get super attached to the puppy.  The pet store employees bug the hell out of the owner thirty times a day that, "Really, we need a store dog."

The pet store employees keep the puppy out of the cage as much as possible because s/he's been in the damn kennel long enough.

You can usually find the puppy within minutes of opening or closing running loose in the store, chasing employees and playing with expensive dog toys that "just came out of the packaging" or developed some other mysterious defect that prevents it from being sold.

In my case, I'd start to train them, a la Beretta.  A trained dog is a draw, they're more likely to get a home if they know at least some manners and can demonstrate a willingness to please people.

So that's what happens when puppies are at pet stores for a long time.  They don't take them out back and shoot them, they don't send them back to the breeder, they don't send them to the SPCA, and they don't give them away free to the first person who asks.

Keep in mind:  Even with a two to three hundred dollar mark-up on the puppies, they don't make much money on them (unless they have an outrageous mark-up, which apparently some stores do).  They're making money on the supplies they sell with the puppy.  So while ideally they would like to see a high turn-over of puppies (and usually do), the money lost on a puppy who has been there for more than three weeks will be made up for to at least breaking even point when the puppy finally does sell.

36 comments:

  1. Google "puppy mills" . This is where pet store puppies come from. The parents of these puppies live inhumane lives in cages classified as "livestock' and get little to no care. There are anywhere from around 100 to over a thousand dogs on a "puppy farm" and their whole purpose is to make puppies for sale (the puppies are the cash crop) The breeding parents are bred til dead. Please don't buy anything from a pet store that sells puppies. Adopt don't shop. Cesar Milan would tell you to do the right thing.
    Don't add to the pet overpopulation problem by breeding more puppies when 6 million pets are being euthanized each year. We recycle our garbage but these poor animals can be dumped in a land fill?

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    1. I was with you up until the moment you mentioned the abuser known as Cesar...

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    2. Cesar milan is an abuser? You're out of your fuckin mind!

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    3. That is great in theory but rescues need to relax their overly strict criteria and stop turning people away for ridiculous reasons. I know they have to be very careful and must have seen some horrendous things but not everyone is abusive and neglectful, meanwhile, as you say, many dogs end up spending far too long in kennels or even put to sleep because people have been turned away.

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    4. Nope NotHavingMyName is right. Cesar choked and kicked a dog on TV. Here is the link. It's not that bad until 3:00 :
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdEorFnIWoM

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    5. He literally hangs the dog after that. Seriously.

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    6. Actually it's against the law for stores to buy dogs from puppy mills i work at a very good pet store that crosses all T's and dots all I's and we have a section of the store devoted to rescue and adoption and our puppies come from certified breeders people always speak their opinions amdnreally don't have the slightest clue on what they are talking about...maybe some places do break the law and get their dogs from the mills but not all do

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    7. They may cross their t's and dot their i's but the USDA standards for dog breeders is absolute bullshit. The dogs may come from a legal breeder but that doesn't mean the breeder was humane. The fact is that the only way for the pet stores to make money on dog sale they have to buy them "cheap" (cheap being relative) and the only way they'd get those lower prices is from breeding farms. A legit hobby breeder doesn't breed more than two litters a year and won't be selling those puppies for 100 or 200 dollars a puppy, it wouldn't be benificial from them. Also a good breeder won't box up and mail their puppy to a business that will sell a dog to anyone. A good breeder takes time to get to know the customer and makes sure the pup is going to a good home and the dogs come with a real health certificate from a reputable vet. No matter these issues, it's a much better idea to get your dog from a rescue or a shelter as they are more likely to have less genetic issues and you know 100% you are not financially supporting a puppy mill.

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    8. This is very educational content and written well for a change. It's nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post! wopet

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  2. I am agree with your view points. But If someone do not get a pet than that person has only option to buy pet from pet shop.
    Online Pet Store

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  3. Hello,

    Thanks for sharing these information.
    Ferropetsupplies offers you varieties of Pet Stuff and accessories like Best Dog Crates available in different patterns. Crate beds are also available.

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  4. your content is use able and thanks for information give me.
    Online Pet Shop

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  5. but still.. its not like there's only one puupy or cat left in the store. just wondering what if their already old or big and its already a year that no one's bought them

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    1. Never does it take that long they all sell eventually it's a high turn around

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  6. Purchasing a puppy from ANY petstore is financially supporting puppy mills. Pet store owners and managers will tell you no puppy mills and that they "know breeders personally", "always deal with same breeder", "only deal with breeders that have the best puppies"... It is the biggest lie to the public and no matter how nice the employees are you cannot believe them. Please don't let your dollars financially support mommies that live in a rabbit hutch, having puppies till their bodies can't have them anymore, and then they are shot. Use your money-power ethically!

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    Replies
    1. Your clueless it's illegal to purchase from puppy mills not all stores do

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    2. Working at a pet store doesn't give you any knowledge of where the animals are coming from and what the situation really is. Anyone can be a licensed breeder. Pay a few bucks and you're licensed. I work in vet medicine and we see these "licensed breeders" that have been selling to pet stores all the time.

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  7. Pet Stores are not highly ethical, they don’t do home checks to make sure the animals are well placed, they let people pay for pets on “credit”, they seldom talk people out of buying a breed not suited for their lifestyle or one with loads of health problems, and they buy from unscrupulous breeders known as “Puppy Mills”. Puppy Mills breed over and over for the purpose of profit, in some of the worst cases the dogs live in cages stacked on top one another, breeding over and over, living in filth, until they can no longer reproduce.A reputable breeder would not sell to a store, nor would they need to hide anonymously, using a store to sell the pups. A reputable breeder always has a waiting list of names of people wanting pups before even breeding their dogs, and potential buyers can see, at least, the mother dog.Pet Stores deny using puppy mills, but who else would sell to a store? Who else would need to? When people buy from stores they support the industry of breeding dogs (or other animals) only for profit. You can not truly be assured of the facilities the animals come from, no matter what the store says, again who else would sell to the store? Any one who has invested money into the pup would not sell it cheap enough for the store to make decent profit.So to put an end to puppy mills people are being told to stop buying pups from pet stores. Equally they are told to stop buying other pets too, most of whom are bred in mass warehouse type situations. So if everyone stopped buying from pet stores what would happen to the puppies?
    The price is lowered, and lowered, and eventually the store will give it away.That is it. One thing, one stop, a Store isn’t going to pay to have it put to sleep. If nobody buys it, they will give it away. If this happens enough, the store will realize that selling puppies just is not profitable,and stop. However, typically some person thinks they are “saving” the puppy, and buys it. Thus the cycle continues.Some stores have already discontinued selling pups because of public outcry, to keep up their image, and save expenses, many have turned to housing animals that are owned by the local animal shelters. While in theory this is good, and hopefully the animals get homes. It is stressful for the animals to be in a store situation. Sometimes, although Pet Stores often get the food donated, they even charge the shelter for providing this service, all the while they come out looking squeaky clean. Some big box stores use this tactic as a way of saving money, and risk, by not having to invest anything in buying puppies initially. Ideally a person looking for a “pet” would check the shelter first, the store that houses other shelter animals would be checked second, and pet stores who sell pups themselves would never be looked at.




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    1. The argument you have could be valid but quite frankly, if you are in the market for a puppy, it is your responsibility as a puppy purchaser to know the breed you are purchasing. I have a coonhound which is the 2nd highest breed in shelters. Why? Because the people who give them up had no business having a dog of that nature because they did not do their research. I did research prior to getting him to see if he had a different tick from other hound breeds, and there are a couple of specific things just for his breed that all coonhounds do and no other hound does. Such as climb trees and lift their left leg to rest on their person. They are also higher energy. It is not the responsibility of the breeder or the pet store or the shelter for that matter to assume the dog doesn't fit your lifestyle. It is your responsibility to do your research on your breed. He is the best dog I've ever had yet so many give them up because they don't know how to train them and keep them busy. Also, people who pay high dollars for a dog are the least likely owners to give up those dogs. I didn't pay much for my coonhound simply because a vet tech student had bred his two for 1 litter just to have the champion bloodline keep going. But I guarantee people who pay high prices are definitely into that specific dog/breed probably have been looking for some time, pay an extraordinary amount of money, and are prepared for that breed. Common sense tells me that the people who are abusive or neglectful to their dogs do not pay the high dollars for them. And yes the shelters are entirely too picky about who can and can't adopt. I was denied and my coonhound is a well rounded 1 year old who is happy as can be and completely spoiled, and my 9 week old Bassett hound will be the same way. Very well trained and happy. You can push for shelters adopt don't buy but it is difficult and my philosophy is the puppies are in this world whether it was an accident or intentional and they deserve good homes too! It's not their fault

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  8. What about the small animals? Guinea pigs, rabbits rats, mice?

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  9. Bullshit..and i call you out on that because of the way you keep saying the puppy always sells..and the puppy this and puppy that..but not once did you address what actually happens when the puppy is no longer a puppy..like say a dog thats been there over a year

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    1. I agree...everything the original poster wrote is bullshit. Dogs that don't sell are sent back to the puppy mills or sold to labs.

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    2. Actually your wrong I'm in the business and they all sell no puppy sits for over a year and they are not sent back to any mill what happens is the price drops and they all go I'm sick of people speaking on stuff they have no experience with stuck to your own profession or speak on what you know of personally otherwise save it

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  10. I find it VB offensive that you get offended at the question. Sure, there are some freeloaders, but I remember asking when I was a kid and my concern was for the animals. And to Unknown - you can always find dogs and cats of all ages on the free section of Craigslist or, as suggested, just put the word out. Dogs are intelligent, very emotional (we know that because it was we who intensified that trait in them during domestication - we bred them to love us, and we treat them like shit) and deserve our devotion to their ethical treatment.

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  11. I think the person of this article is lying. If they have five pups that don't sell ain't no way in hell they keep five pups running around the store and he knows it.

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  12. But don't the puppies at the pet shop deserve a home too? How are you helping them by having them sent back to deplorable condistions? And if it's as inhumane as they say, why hasn't anyone made it more convenient to purchase or adopt the breed of dog that's requested? Aren't you being just as cruel by saying not to adopt these puppies?

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  13. Actually all dogs do sell the price drops and they eventually go been working at a pet store for 18 months and it's true

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  16. Do you know when the puppy's price begins to drop?

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