One always hears that you should not buy a dog from a pet shop, rather find a breeder (either professional or occasional) and get the dog from them. I strongly recommended a Lab to my friend who is getting a dog, and then I find out she plans to just get it from the pet store. Is this really that bad? I want to know if it is a bad enough decision to stick my two cents in.
I would say go pick one up at the pound. It’s cheaper, and you get to save the dog’s life.
Dogs in pet stores are usually double the money you would pay at the breeder. The breeder 99.9% of the time stands behind their dog. A pet store will give you 30 days.
I bought a cute puppy from the pet store and the dog had mange.
It didn’t show up till the puppy was 60 days old. I was a single parent and coulnd’t afford the $500 treatment to “hopefully” cure the dog so I had to give him away.
[ soap box ] You should find your pets at the humane society/animal shelter. It’s cheap, and there are some wonderful animals (some already housebroken) who would love nothing more than a stable home. [ /soap box ]
I don’t know if you want to stick in your 2-cents, but often, the animals that end up in pet stores are the runts of the litter, and some may even come from puppy mills - places with less than pristine hygiene. The operators are concerned with just churning out animals for sale. I won’t go into a pet store that sells dogs and cats because I can’t bear to see a puppy sitting in a tiny glass box standing on a metal grate, but I’m a wuss that way. Plus the animals are often so overpriced. I knew a girl who worked in a pet store and she said the animals don’t get a lot of exercise/socialization. Of course, some animal shelters are pretty dirty and run down, so… I don’t know.
I always tell people to visit their animal shelter first. I used to volunteer at one, and it was not unusual to see purebred or almost-purebred animals come in.
Please go to a reputable breeder or to the pound.
The goal of the pet shop is to sell you a puppy, so they will do things to encourage this sale that may not be in the best interests of the puppy - pet shops in this area keep them in tiny enclosures, with a floor made of plastic grate. Not ideal conditions for the puppy but it makes him look sad and cute, so you’re more likely to feel sorry for it and take it home. Also as mentioned above they have a disincentive to tell you about any health problems they may have.
Breeders come in all kinds, but a little research can tell you which ones are good.
The pound is the best option, I think: you will probably save the dog from some nasty fate (euthanasia, or being sent to a lab for worse things), and the pound is interested in the welfare of the dog, so the dog will be well-cared for when you get it and you’ll have support when you take it home. Only problem is age of the dog (if you really want a young puppy) and uncertainty of breed, if you’re concerned with that sort of thing.
Lord Ashtar,
We have a Lab that we bought from some family that occasionally breeds. I agree that picking a dog up at the pound is both humane and likely to get you an animal that is likely to be both healthier and more intelligent than a registered animal. However, each breed has certain characteristics and you can predictably obtain a dog that is very likely to have those characteristics, particularly if you can “meet the parents.”
Also your friend should consider a rescue group that specializes in labs. There’s a good chance of getting a pure bred or nearly so animal.
Boycott stores that sell puppies/dogs!
NO! NO! NO!
In order to avoid hopping up onto my own soapbox, I’ll let someone else do it for me:
10 Reasons Not To Buy A Puppy From A Petstore
I’m not as rabid about it as I used to be about it (old age, maybe), so I will concede that if your friend had already gone to a petstore and happened to fall in love with one specific puppy (enough to pay the likely inflated price), I wouldn’t be too upset if s/he bought it. I mean, no matter where it came from, it’s a living creature that needs love, and there is an argument to be made that trying to punish shitty breeders also punishes that puppy. But if your friend hasn’t even started looking, I vote:
a) Pound
b) Rescue, or
c) GOOD breeder.
In that order (pound and rescue are both good options, but I’d say try the pound first; you might save a life, whereas the dogs in rescue are in less immediate danger of being put down).
Stay out of the petstores.
Another reason to avoid pet stores (although just a more specific version of “health problems” and Isabelle’s mange story) and bad breeders is that many large dogs such as labs are prone to certain debilitating congenital conditions like hip dysplasia, bone growth disorders, etc. It is unlikely that pet stores and unreputable breeders check the backgrounds of all sires and dams involved to ensure that there is no history of these conditions in the bloodline. You don’t want to buy a puppy and find out 6 months later that he can’t walk. Most good breeders will be able to supply you with papers certifying the dog’s hips (these papers are NOT registration papers. . .“AKC registered” actually means very little), and as mentioned before will often stand behind their dogs–ie refund your money if they do end up with a congenital defect.
I’d echo auntie em, except maybe switch a) and b) around. If you know what kind of dog you want, there are usually rescue organizations devoted specifically to that breed. If you go that route, or even to the pound, be prepared to submit to interviews, questioning, and forms galore (that’s been my experience anyway). This is to ensure that you’re a good fit for the dog. . .good breeders should also have more questions for you than you do for them.
You should also ask your vet if they have any pets for adoption. We’ve taken in several cats from our vet over the years who have been great pets.
I’ve heard a lot that you can obtain a reliably good animal from a breeder. Every animal I’ve ever had, however, has been a rescue (from the streets or from the pound), and they’ve all been reliably magnificent animals.
Except, that is, for the two shelties my father has obtained from breeders. Children of prizewinning parents, one of them was a barking idiot who tried to herd cars by biting their front wheels, and the other has all the courage of a traumatized field mouse (after years of care, she’s finally gotten to the point that she doesn’t run away from strangers any more).
It’s almost all in the animal’s upbringing, I’m convinced. Go to your local animal shelter, check it out for cleanliness, ask about their disease-control measures. If it’s up to snuff, keep an eye out for a mixed-breed animal with the physical characteristics you want, and (if an adult animal) the personality you want. You’ll get a fantastic companion that way – and you’ll prevent one of the 3-5 million animals that are euthanized in shelters each year from suffering the last needleprick.
Daniel
There are so many dogs that need good homes. When you buy from a pet store, you are giving money to largely irresponsible, sometimes reprehensible people who deal with puppies to make money, with little thought for what is best for (or even tolerable for) the animals. Please tell your friend not to support and enable pet stores.
Labs are one of the easiest breeds to find in a shelter, there are many that even specialize in labs. Make a donation to them by adopting from a shelter, every little bit helps.
Petfinder.com is a great resource and offers free health insurance for your pet for the first months. PetSmart also offers adoption days and is a good place to buy supplies.
I really feel that part of being a responsible pet owner is to avoid supporting inhumane conditions for all animals. Also, please be careful if/when selecting a breeder. Looking in many local papers for ‘backyard’ breeders is not much better, and those dogs are often overpriced as well. IMO, there is not a huge reason to insist on purebred dogs. The price you will pay for a quality purebred is high, but the quality of the dog in terms of how it will be as a pet does not always correspond. Unless someone wants to show a dog I don’t see much reason for insisting on a purebred.
I’d recommend going to the shelter. The animals there often are on death row and need to be saved. Pet stores are less likely to kill their stock in trade.
I’ll see if alohaaloha can step in here with a professional view on this matter.
Zenster, FWIW, I’m a shelter professional 
– three years at our local humane society writing grants, managing our shelter database, maintaining and developing the Web site, and doing classroom education, amongst other duties.
Daniel
I’ll agree with contacting a lab rescue. Good rescues really know the breed, and all dogs are temperment tested. I don’t know where you are located, but if you are in Canada (or don’t mind transport) I know an awesome woman who does lab rescue.
I’ll echo what everyone else has said: absolutely do not buy from a pet shop. Either go with breed rescue, a local shelter, or if your friend is looking for a lab to do serious work with the dog, like field trials, find a reputable breeder.
DanielWithrow, shelties are notorious barkers and often shy. Some have a strong herding instinct (like my younger sheltie) and will try to chase anything that moves including cars and small children. Some have completely missed that herding instinct (like my older sheltie) and don’t understand a simple game of fetch.
A good breeder will often let you know (in addition to any predisposition to health problems) about the parents temperment and behavior. It’s still a bit of a gamble (my younger dog comes from a long line of agility champians yet he can’t jump onto the bed–not a bad thing most times), but you can narrow the odds in your favor. I was very concerned that any dog of mine be non aggressive and easy to train, and I got that!
I just read my post and it reads as though I posted against going to shelters. I didn’t mean to imply that at all. I would have gone to a shelter and checked out several before getting both my dogs. I didn’t get a dog there because I really wanted shelties (I’ve grown up with the breed and love them) and there were none available.
Have you considered a mixed breed dog? Often they have fewer problems than pure bred dogs. I just got two wonderful part German Shepherd part ??? pups. I’d never have gotten pure blood German Shepherds because of the risk of hip dysplasia, but my vet tells me these pups will have almost no chance of it.
Many breeds have specific problems within the breeds that, at least according to my vet and what I’ve read, don’t usually occur in cross breeds.
There’s also something kind of fun about owning a mixed breed dog. They are often unique in appearance.
Dogs from the pound are essentially free. Yes, there is a fee for adoption, but it usually is just to cover shots the pound has given and a future neuter or spay.