Pet store basenji :(

[DiegosMom]

I babysat my nephews (4 and 2 years old) last night and after dinner I told them we could go see puppies. They love animals and i had nothing else to do with them, so i figured i would take them to the pet store at the mall. I like to stop by once in awhile to see if there are B's there, always hoping there arent! Last night there was it was a little tri girl who was only 8 weeks old. she was so tiny and she didnt even have all the hair grown in behind her ears. i felt so bad for the little thing. we held her and she just snuggled up against our chests. they were selling her for $1400, and said they dont get basenjis in very often, i said good they souldnt be here anyways. anyhow, sorry for the venting, i was just very sad to see a basenji at the mall pet store..

[WBL]

I know how bad you feel, I usually avoid those places, but as I walked by the pet store in the mall here I heard someone mention basenji so I stopped in and it was a little r/w pup, I didn't even ask to hold it. But I was happy to hear one lady talking to a couple that was looking at the pups that they'd be better off going to a breeder.

edit to add this store that I saw a pup in wanted $1900 for the dog, shakes head I could probably get two pups that are well breed and the parents have all the health testing done for that price

[sharronhurlbut]

Its awful for the pups but worse for the dog who have to breed these litters.
I so hope one day these "businesses" are shut down.

[Ninabeana26]

I always check the Petstore in our mall for Basenjis as well but so far I have never seen one. I think if I did it would break my heart & it would probably take a lot for me not to buy it. It also makes me so mad that the stores expect that much money for a puppy. Dallas cost me $600 & came from a very reputable breeder who I trust & I know his entire Pedigree thanks to Midge providing it. To get a puppy from a pet store & pay three times the amount yet not know a darn thing about the pup came from, who is in its lienage, not know about Fanconi results, etc just really cheeses me off! How dare these "businesses" make all this money by taking advantage of impulse buyers!!! Gosh I just get so mad talking about it!

[Ninabeana26]

My sister volunteers at the animal shelter by her college & told me there was a basenji there that was turned over to them because the owners bought it from a Petstore & didn't know what they were in for. They claimed the dog was "crazy, untrainable & evil" so they released it to the pound & now my sister is trying to get it moved to the Humane Society because otherwise it may be put down She said she'd adopt him if she weren't in college, thus no dogs allowed.

[hdolbow]

my boyfriends ex bought a pet store B (when they were still together ) and he HATED her.. lol but he eventually fell in love and got more. she got her for free because they didnt have any papers on her..

[Ninabeana26]

@hdolbow:

my boyfriends ex bought a pet store B (when they were still together ) and he HATED her..

Hated the basenji or the ex girlfriend :p

[DiegosMom]

@sharronhurlbut:

Its awful for the pups but worse for the dog who have to breed these litters.
I so hope one day these "businesses" are shut down.

I know, thats half the reason I feel so bad. I think about those awful video i see of puppy mills and the poor moms that are there their whole life! i dont understand how puppymills are in business, why cant the government step in and do something?! they get into everything else!

[lvoss]

Puppy mills bring in tax money for the states where they operate. The United States Department of Agriculture is the governing body for these operations and they do not have enough staff to inspect all facilities. These operations will continue to operate as long as it is profitable for them. Every time someone buys a petstore puppy they condemn its parents and future siblings to this life. The puppy mill does not care whether you buy the puppy because you think they will make a great addition to your family or if you do it to "save" the poor thing from the horrible start it has gotten, it is all money in their pockets and a reason to breed the next generation in those same deplorable conditions.

The only way to stop this cycle is to not buy from a pet store EVER and educate every person you can about puppy mills and how important it is that NO ONE buys a pet store puppy EVER. No responsible breeder will ever allow their puppies to be sold in a pet store. Any responsible breeder takes on the responsibility of screening homes and placing pups where they will do their best to keep track of them for their entire lives because that is what being responsible means.

[DiegosMom]

@lvoss:

Puppy mills bring in tax money for the states where they operate. The United States Department of Agriculture is the governing body for these operations and they do not have enough staff to inspect all facilities. These operations will continue to operate as long as it is profitable for them. Every time someone buys a petstore puppy they condemn its parents and future siblings to this life. The puppy mill does not care whether you buy the puppy because you think they will make a great addition to your family or if you do it to "save" the poor thing from the horrible start it has gotten, it is all money in their pockets and a reason to breed the next generation in those same deplorable conditions.

The only way to stop this cycle is to not buy from a pet store EVER and educate every person you can about puppy mills and how important it is that NO ONE buys a pet store puppy EVER. No responsible breeder will ever allow their puppies to be sold in a pet store. Any responsible breeder takes on the responsibility of screening homes and placing pups where they will do their best to keep track of them for their entire lives because that is what being responsible means.

AMEN! education is the key to all of it on the consumer end.. if people really care about the dog they are buying, if they knew where it came from i would hope they wouldnt buy it.. i try to tell anyone who will listen, but sometimes i feel like people dont care! its really annoying!

[tanza]

Right on Lvoss… your post says it all.... To DiegosMom... it would be good if you dropped off information about about Basenjis to the store and asked them to give to the people that might purchase the pup...

And for the pup in the shelter, has anyone contact BRAT? Will the shelter released to pure breed rescue? If she or you contact BRAT they will try and get that B out of the shelter and into a foster home.

[Ninabeana26]

About the shelter basenji: One of the reasons why the owners turned it over is because as it grew up they were told from their vet that it was not pure basenji but was a mix. That was yet another excuse the owners gave for why they were getting rid of him. They had another vet look him over & that vet also said it was a mix. My sister said looking at him she could tell he was mixed, but I cannot remember with what for the life of me….

Also, she went in on Saturday to get in some hours & said that they told her the basenji had an application on it after this couple came in & fell in love with him. They have to ensure they are fit for the dog but she goes back on Tuesday & will find out more. I typed a little quick info sheet, including some websites like this one, & asked her to make sure the new owners got it. I hope he finds his forever home & maybe the owners will end up on this site...

[wizard]

Minnesota has a bill pending that would regulate any animal breeder – I haven't read the whole thing (so don't know all the good/bad points) but I did see it has requirements for minimum cage sizes, shelter, outside shade, food and water, a yearly inspection, and a fee based on number of animals. Maybe the fee alone will drive out the puppy mills.

[lvoss]

Check the law carefully. Many of the newly proposed state legislation exempt commercial breeders and yet wish to apply commercial standards to home based hobby breeders. Most hobby breeders have their dogs as house pets and therefore do not have kennels and will not meet such regulation.

[GenJMar]

Its so weird that I saw this post today. My boss just told me she was at the petstore over the weekend and saw a Basenji puppy for sale. She asked me about it. She said she was shocked to see one there because she assume they were so rare they would never be in a petstore. BTW she was there buying supplies for a new Ragdoll kitten that she is getting from a breeder. She's not a "dog" person.:D

[lvoss]

Another thing people can do is not buy supplies from stores that sell puppies and kittens. There are many pet supply stores that sell just supplies. Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens want you to come in that door and then fall in love with one of their animals and take it home. Any time you buy something from them you help pay their rent and keep them there.

[lvoss]

Another thing people can do is not buy supplies from stores that sell puppies and kittens. There are many pet supply stores that sell just supplies. Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens want you to come in that door and then fall in love with one of their animals and take it home. Any time you buy something from them you help pay their rent and keep them there.

[DiegosMom]

tanza- when i was there i was thinking about how i wish i had info to give them.. i can go back up there and ask if they would take some info for the buyer.. what do you think the best things to give them are??

[JazzysMom]

Exactly what happens to pet puppies animals if no answer buys them at all?

[sharronhurlbut]

I talk nicely to the manager and tell them I can help the new basenji owner with behavior issues, share about the lure coursing, local basenji clubs, try to make it informative, nice and something the owner will put with the b's paperwork.
Mostly, I put my contact info all over the sheet so that if they decide to get rid of the dog, they will contact me.
Good luck.
I have done this, and then cried all the way home…cause I had to leave the pup there..sigh!