I bought my Shih Tzu at the Petland on College in Fort Myers four years ago. She was small and sick, but she put her two front paws up against the glass as I went to leave and I was totally smitten.She nearly died. She was on antibiotics by mouth every so many hours. I was still with Randy and we cared for her like she was our baby. Because she was.
It was very much touch and go at first. I kept her crate at eye-level so we could see each other all night. Every morning I was afraid to open my eyes; but Bodhi pulled through.
I had asked employees if Petland bought puppy mill puppies and they said absolutely not.
About two months ago my friend Mark asked me to meet him at Petland - he wanted help choosing a puppy. He was newly separated and in desperate need of company.
He chose a beautiful little white Maltese and named him "The Boss." The vet gave the puppy a clean bill of health.
The Boss seemed to thrive. Mark was a doting dad, took him everywhere, catered to his every whim. One night The Boss started coughing. Mark took him out of his little crate (he kept it right there on his bed) and cuddled him.
The Boss coughed one last time and died there in bed next to him.
Mark was inconsolable.
The vet said his heart gave out - probably due to overbreeding.
Today I got this from The Humane Society.
https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=28998582
If you love animals, please read the information and sign the petition. I do not have the strength to watch the video.
I went to Petland's site and found this:
"Petland is aware of the many animal welfare issues in the news today. We know that members of some animal rights groups would have you believe that all pet store puppies are bred and raised in substandard facilities. This is untrue."
BULLSHIT.
My little Bodhi is starting to demonstrate some symptoms that concern me. She is only four years old. She should live to 17. I wonder if she will live to half that.
I don't like saying this. I have never said it out loud. But now I know it's true - she is my little puppy mill girl.
The gray and white dog to the right of this page - that's Princess. She was a rescue. I found her online. The rescue people kept her two years before deciding to give her up. (?) They said she had been abandoned in an apartment building in New York.
They said she was a ShihTzu, but everyone tells me she's a Lhasa. I think she's a mix - she does a ballet spiral every time she pees.
The rescue people said she had separation anxiety, but she was anxious to come home with me and Bodhi. She's sweet, beautiful and she will probably outlive both of us.
My friend Rachael bought her two dogs at Petland. I remember when we first talked about it, she said "Pet store puppies need love too." That's very true.
But we both agree this has to stop.
If you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, please go to a shelter. Or rescue a pet from someone who can no longer afford to care for it.
The vet said his heart gave out - probably due to overbreeding.
Today I got this from The Humane Society.
https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=28998582
If you love animals, please read the information and sign the petition. I do not have the strength to watch the video.
I went to Petland's site and found this:
"Petland is aware of the many animal welfare issues in the news today. We know that members of some animal rights groups would have you believe that all pet store puppies are bred and raised in substandard facilities. This is untrue."
BULLSHIT.
My little Bodhi is starting to demonstrate some symptoms that concern me. She is only four years old. She should live to 17. I wonder if she will live to half that.
I don't like saying this. I have never said it out loud. But now I know it's true - she is my little puppy mill girl.
The gray and white dog to the right of this page - that's Princess. She was a rescue. I found her online. The rescue people kept her two years before deciding to give her up. (?) They said she had been abandoned in an apartment building in New York.
They said she was a ShihTzu, but everyone tells me she's a Lhasa. I think she's a mix - she does a ballet spiral every time she pees.
The rescue people said she had separation anxiety, but she was anxious to come home with me and Bodhi. She's sweet, beautiful and she will probably outlive both of us.
My friend Rachael bought her two dogs at Petland. I remember when we first talked about it, she said "Pet store puppies need love too." That's very true.
But we both agree this has to stop.
If you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, please go to a shelter. Or rescue a pet from someone who can no longer afford to care for it.
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