Stop *buying* puppies & kittens, animals are not a click-and-collect item!

[Oohthedrama]

Ok I’m sick to my back teeth of seeing people “purchasing” puppies and kittens like they belong on shelves beside the cornflakes.

as soon as I see someone posting about buying a puppy online I hate them

it can’t just be me who sees, with EVERYTHING we know about puppy farming and shelters, that this is such an awful thing to do and it makes said person a bit of a shitty person.
10 years ago, even 5 years ago I might understand that someone wasn’t aware of how awful it was to contribute to this industry, but now!!!!! After the horror stories we’ve heard in the last year,

can anyone defend this choice?

 

[Saddlesoap]

Can't help but feel a little sensitive about this post. I have just bought a puppy.

I considered rescue for 3 years, applied for 5, and a 'failed' assistance dog. There were not many that fit my criteria plus a lot of rehoming charities would not even consider me as I work 35 hours a week, despite the fact that my mum and dad walk my current dog on the 3 days a week I work all day.

The criteria for rehoming via UK based rescues frustrates me massively and contributes to the problem.

I thought long and hard about getting a puppy, but genuinely didn't want to wait any longer. My older dog is getting older and she isn't going to live forever. It would affect my MH massively if I was without a dog. I started looking in October 2020 and I brought her home 5 days ago. Yep I paid money for her, after 3 years it was the right decision.

Do I support breeding? I guess so, but very particular.
Do I support puppy farming? Definitely not.
These are not one in the same thing.

If breeders stopped breeding, where would we be in 10 years?

However in the past 12 months a lot of people have bought a puppy without full consideration and we are already seeing the fallout of that. And don't get me started on people complaining about vet fees.

ETA my pupper was not bought online. I was in contact with the breeder from the week the pregnancy was confirmed and heard from her every few days with updates and photos. Still in touch with her now.

as soon as I see someone posting about buying a puppy online I hate them

Gutted you hate me. How will I sleep

 

[Sarah honeysuckle]

As someone who purchased a dog 4 years ago I am one the evil people lots of you are talking about.

When I started looking at dogs I looked at rescues. In contacted every rescue charity locally and within a 50 mile radius to me but each one said no as soon as I said I had children of a certain age. There was no reasoning with them and no explaining our circumstances. We live in the countryside with a 500ft garden. We back onto open fields and woodland. I work part time minutes from my house and my husband works shifts so is often home in the day when I am at work. My children have both been raised around dogs and know all the boundaries and have great respect for any animal. I wanted a dog so I felt safe in my house when my husband was at work during the night.

Because we couldn’t rescue we decided to buy a puppy. And she is amazing. We purposefully chose a breed that is rare in the entire world so know that they aren’t over bred. The health problems within the breed are minimal and the breeder lives locally to us. She wasn’t a ridiculous price either and I don’t think the breeder even made any money from the litter once vet bills etc had been covered.

I believe that yes there are some despicable breeders out there and there are far too many people who don’t deserve the dogs they have. But I don’t think that everyone who buys a dog should be lumped into that category. We went into buying a puppy sensibly and didn’t make a rash decision. I adore her as do all of our family.

I think rescue charities need to be less ‘computer says no’ and look at people that wish to adopt sensibly.

 

[bolimepipi]

i'm sorry but i don't understand the witch-hunt for EVERYONE who bought a pet. what is supposed to happen with these animals - are they supposed to stay forever with these evil people who only see them as profit? i think they also deserve a loving home and i might be naive but i believe that most people buy animals out of love. obviously i don't agree with things like puppy farming or buying pets out of boredom, but not everyone is like this.

tbh it seems to me that constantly bringing this topic up is a very easy way for keyboard warriors to collect likes on social media

 

[klakstrom]

I have a horrible feeling that when people have to start working from the office again, there’s going to be a huge influx of rescue animals, dogs specifically.
My sister is one of these idiots. She bought a deerhound during the summer holidays and now her and her husband are back in the office, she’s leaving him at home and she’s getting angry because he’s absolutely destroying her very expensive furniture. he’s had people around for months and now they’re all gone, he’s bored and lonely.

 

[Londoncailín]

About 4 years ago I wanted to adopt two rescue cats. I looked around various shelters where I live in London. When I gave them my postcode, the answer was a straight up no! Their reasoning was that they won’t let cats go to properties that are within a certain proximity to a main road. My flat is near a main road, but certainly not too close. I also have a massive back garden that backs on to other back gardens. I ended up buying two kittens from a lovely local lady. They are now four years old and live happily in the same flat/garden that was deemed unsafe by the cat shelters. A friend of mine very recently was also told no because she lives in a third floor flat. Despite the shelter stipulating that the cat needs to be an indoor cat.

 

[HH_gg]

I think I’ve had this argument so many times from people trying to justify how they purchased a dog, it’s tiring.
and they get equally defensive in almost supporting this horrific industry.

not almost, they are supporting it, you all are

If it's tiring to hear, why did you open up this thread, invite people who have bought a puppy to respond, and then get annoyed at people like me replying about our happy puppies? Odd.

 

[kc2091]

this is a LONG justification about why you purchased a puppy.

do you think every case is this beautiful happily ever after love story.

or do you think there are thousands of puppies that have been purchased by breeders who have stolen the bitch from a loving family in order to provide their “new in” stock.

Dog stolen from Cork last summer reunited with owners after social media appeal

Ruby the springer spaniel was recovered after a woman in the UK saw her for sale

www.irishtimes.com

Yes, it was a long justification, in direct response to your blanket statement: 'I judge ANYONE who purchased a puppy in the last 12 months, anyone.' and a response to your questions, 'if you bought a puppy during lockdown what’s the plan when life goes back to normal? Work? Social events?'

I can only talk about my own situation. By researching and carefully making my choices, I ensured that I was not part of that.

I agree there needs to be awareness around puppy farming/buying options, but there is no need to be so hostile towards everyone who has chosen not to adopt. I would have loved to adopt a pet, but could have spent another two years waiting and still not have had the opportunity.

 

[Causewaygal]

I’ve noticed that not getting cats neutered until after the first litter appears to be an old wives tale that is still perpetuated in rural areas. This is my Heidi-Boo, a photo taken the day after I found her alone on my lane. I have no neighbours and the nearest other property is a farm 2 miles away. All I can assume is she was dumped ... I didn’t want more cats as my older girl doesn’t like newcomers, but you can guess what happened to that idea

 

[Zenchick101]

I completely agree, this whole “I wanted a specific breed that fits in with our lifestyle” attitude is awful imo !!! Unless you own a crystal ball, there’s no way that anyone would know how a dog would “fit in” with their family? All dogs have different personalities, they are sentient beings, and honestly, most of the poor dogs who end up in shelters, are “designer dogs”, who through no fault of their own, end up not “fitting in” with the families who bought them..

Wanting a dog that fits in with your lifestyle is awful? I'd argue it's a bit of a ridiculous position to take. According to you a couch potato family should be open to adopting say a german shepherd/belgian malinois/doberman pinscher, active breeds that need a lot of exercise and a very active single adult should adopt a breed that barely needs any exercise and would rather stay at home on the couch with you? Very silly imo also because on adoption pages shelters say the exact same thing! "needs an active home" "not for couch potatoes" "must have a calm lifestyle" "not many people in or around the home" "not good with kids". Very comfortable being awful if it means making the right dog happy and not making another miserable.

 

[bolimepipi]

of course you read in the newspaper that there have been many puppies returned as lockdown is ending, why would anyone write an article titled ''puppy buyer keeps puppy''??

i'm sure there are many who got a puppy and kept it and are taking great care of it. you just won't read about that in the news.

you can't generalize everything like that.

 

[HH_gg]

Me and my boyfriend bought a puppy in August (not from a puppy farm of course) so I can't really preach against this topic. I think like most things in life, there are pros and cons to both adoption and buying animals. I do wonder how many people with such vocal opinions are at least vegetarian and / or vegan? If you are anti-animal purchasing but eat animal products everyday then your opinion is quite hypocritical.

 

[kc2091]

If you’re aim is to get your bitch pregnant for your financial gain, you are a shit person.

I can totally accept there are exceptions to every rule, and I can see how difficult adoption can be,

but I’m constantly seeing people on here post about buying their new puppy,
if you bought a puppy during lockdown what’s the plan when life goes back to normal? Work? Social events?
I judge ANYONE who purchased a puppy in the last 12 months, anyone.

We bought our dog in May.

We had wanted a dog for about 2 years. As we do both work full time, our only option was to get a Westie as those are what our MIL has and she said she would therefore be happy to look after our dog during the day - she wasn't comfortable taking on another breed and we have a fondness for Westies anyway, so the plan worked for us.

We applied to national and local charities and didn't get an iota of contact - we have a mid size house, garden, no children, but the demand for rescues, in my experience, is quite high, especially if you are looking for a particular breed.

When lockdown begun, we realised that for us it was the ideal time for us to get a dog. We were both working from home and so had time to get the dog used to their surroundings/settle them in - this was our motivation, rather than us being 'bored'. We also had a higher disposable income, due to cancelled plans, so could buy everything the dog needed without worry.

We didn't want to wait any longer, so went through Kennel Club and found a fantastic breeder and got our lovely pup.

We have now returned to work, we drop our pup off to our MILs each morning and he has a whale of a time, socialises with her dogs and goes for walks with them in the day. We love walking and walk him for 1.5 hours each evening and at least twice on weekends - even before getting a dog, I averaged 18,000 steps a day, so having him fits in well with my lifestyle. We live next to a country park and a beach so no 'round the block' walks for us!

When life gets more 'normal' we will take him with us when we go to the pub/round friends. Rarely will myself and OH both go somewhere where we can't take our dog - if it was for anything longer than a couple of hours, we would ask a family member to watch him (have lots of family local to us).

I do understand your views, but in my circumstances, feel completely justified in my choice and will happily share that I bought a puppy. I researched, eventually bought from a reputable breeder (registered with Kennel Club), and our dog is probably the happiest little man you'll ever meet - he has a great life and is very loved; our priority is giving him good experiences, not social media likes.

 

[Elles20]

I personally believe if a shelter says no to you then you shouldn’t have a pet at all. There’s a reason they say no. Not an excuse to buy an animal either

I don't agree with this.

Shelters say "no" sometimes just because you live in a flat or near a main road. Someone with a large home is not guaranteed to take care and love the pet more than the person living in a flat with no garden.

 

[watermelon sugar]

i'm sorry but i don't understand the witch-hunt for EVERYONE who bought a pet. what is supposed to happen with these animals - are they supposed to stay forever with these evil people who only see them as profit? i think they also deserve a loving home and i might be naive but i believe that most people buy animals out of love. obviously i don't agree with things like puppy farming or buying pets out of boredom, but not everyone is like this.

tbh it seems to me that constantly bringing this topic up is a very easy way for keyboard warriors to collect likes on social media

 

[HH_gg]

I completely agree, this whole “I wanted a specific breed that fits in with our lifestyle” attitude is awful imo !!! Unless you own a crystal ball, there’s no way that anyone would know how a dog would “fit in” with their family? All dogs have different personalities, they are sentient beings, and honestly, most of the poor dogs who end up in shelters, are “designer dogs”, who through no fault of their own, end up not “fitting in” with the families who bought them..

Are you joking? Can you honestly not see the difference between high energy breeds (australian shepherds, beagles, collies etc) and smaller less active dogs? I'm not denying dogs don't have personalities obviously - my dog has the funniest little personality. But he is worlds apart from high energy working dogs. Your attitude is why so many dogs end up in shelters in the first place, people don't research the breed, end up with a high energy dog they can't train or treat properly and end up way out of their depth.

 

[HH_gg]

If you’re aim is to get your bitch pregnant for your financial gain, you are a shit person.

I can totally accept there are exceptions to every rule, and I can see how difficult adoption can be,

but I’m constantly seeing people on here post about buying their new puppy,
if you bought a puppy during lockdown what’s the plan when life goes back to normal? Work? Social events?
I judge ANYONE who purchased a puppy in the last 12 months, anyone.

We purchased a puppy in August. He goes to work with my boyfriend twice a week, even has a profile page on their website. I work from home the other days. He gets 2 walks a day, and plays with 5-10 dogs every morning in our local park. If we need to go anywhere without him, we drop him round at my parents down the road. He's even been to the pub twice since Monday - he has a better social life than me. Feel free to judge though and let me know what we could be doing differently!

 

[Apple In My Pie]

I'm getting deja vu.

I agree with your initial point w/rt kitten and puppy farming and see how buying from FB/Gumtree can fuel that - however I think you're making some rash judgments about the type of person who buys pets via FB and I don't really think it's going to help your case, I'm getting the impression you think that everyone who has ever bought a puppy or kitten on FB is misinformed (...okay there are certainly some specimens on FB that this could apply to ) or going to mistreat, hurt, or doesn't care for the animal in the way that someone who rescues a puppy/kitten would, e.g. I don't think there was any need to reply with a head/desk GIF to the poster who said they'd bought their kitten from gumtree - what are they supposed to do, send it back because whoops they've contributed to kitten farming? Really?

Education and laws against backyard breeding are the only way to stop the cycle of animal farming I feel, maybe then people would feel differently about buying pets on a whim if they knew the cost difference (often over inflated compared to shelter costs), the health risks, etc.
being catty (ahem) to people who've admitted to (and already got) animals from gumtree etc is pointless though, stable door, horse, bolted, etc.

 

[under the ivy]

I’ve had rescue cats growing up, from a local shelter. When my last cat died, I contacted numerous cat shelters and they said ‘no’, despite owning several cats over the years, having time to care for them, space and safety.

Same with puppies/dogs. They always say no. I have been brought up with Cavalier King Charles Spaniels who my family have bought (shock horror) from the same breeder for years, going way back to the 1980s. I don’t agree with puppy/kitten farming at all. Nor do I agree with people buying a pet during lockdown ‘cos they’re bored’.

I’m going to sit rather uncomfortably on the fence for this one, I’ll enjoy the splinters

 

[maiamoo22]

The fact that all dog owners over the last 12 months have been tarred with the assumption that they are all going to abandon and leave their dogs is so wrong. If you truly love your animals you will do everything for them!

Anyone going back to work in an office for 8 hours has options, dog walkers, daycare and even in my case I changed my whole career for my dogs. There's no excuse for leaving them alone for that amount of time.

I love my dogs and I got them both as puppies which I don't regret at all because they are my whole world and I give them everything they need but sadly not everyone has that same love and dedication to their pets.