Puppies Aren't Presents -- Part Three!
PROTEST
6167 Balboa Ave. in Clairemont
Many pet store puppies are purchased as impulse buys during the holiday season. What could be cuter than a happy puppy under the Christmas tree? Then that puppy begins to grow. It chews the sofa legs. It has accidents behind the chair and on the rug in front of the TV. The novelty wears off and the kids don't notice it much anymore. If it were a sweater, you would consider just returning it to the store. But it isn't. It's not as cute as it once was -- now it's teenager and that's a whole different story. Finally, that sweet little puppy everyone thought was so adorable, ends up at a local shelter. Oh yeah, they've heard it all... "No time for it."
"We had to move and the new place doesn't allow pets."
" It got bigger than I thought it would."
" I work too many hours and can't take care of it."
" We found out one of the kids is allergic to dogs."
"Truthfully, having a dog just isn't for me."
"I lost my job and can't afford to feed it."
"We're having the floors refinished."
The dog waits at the shelter in a cage. And waits. And waits. It becomes sort of hard to handle. It doesn't do well in confinement. No one pays it much attention as they walk by. After all, it's not a cute little puppy anymore.
In the meantime, that puppy's mother is still in her cage at the factory farm. She is held in a cage in an unheated barn, buzzing with flies and surrounded by the noise of hundreds of other breeding dogs. She has never walked on grass. She has never been loved by a human. She has never played with a toy or chased a ball, or snuggled with someone she loves. She only gets enough food and water to keep her alive. Her coat is mattted and filthy. She spends year after year, having litter after litter.
NO ONE WINS WHEN YOU BUY A PET STORE PUPPY -- NOT YOU -- NOT THE PUPPY --
AND CERTAINLY NOT THAT PUPPY'S MOTHER.
Puppies are not Presents.
Many pet store puppies are purchased as impulse buys during the holiday season. What could be cuter than a happy puppy under the Christmas tree? Then that puppy begins to grow. It chews the sofa legs. It has accidents behind the chair and on the rug in front of the TV. The novelty wears off and the kids don't notice it much anymore. If it were a sweater, you would consider just returning it to the store. But it isn't. It's not as cute as it once was -- now it's teenager and that's a whole different story. Finally, that sweet little puppy everyone thought was so adorable, ends up at a local shelter. Oh yeah, they've heard it all...
