How Much is That Doggie in the Window
Yesterday, I was walking in the Lakeview area of Chicago, about a mile from Wrigley Field. I walk past this store named "Puppies R Us". I looked in and all I saw were cages. On the wall were two signs. 'We Finance' & '90 credit same as cash'. It rubbed me the wrong way but I went on my way.
Today I decided to take a closer look. Now I know nothing about puppy mills and how dogs are being abused. I just had a bad feeling about this place so I wanted to see up close if I was right. So here's a layman's report about the issue of buying puppies and puppy mills. If you want an expert view check out http://www.thepuppymillproject.org/
I made a trip to our friends at Puppies R US. When I got there at 11, the store still had an hour before it opened. I tried to look inside but the blinds were on very tight. No way to see anything inside.
I went back later and went inside. Place was very clean. They've been in business for more than 20 years. Prices ran from $250-$750. I asked about the financing and was told it was handled by an outside company. There were 16 puppies of all kinds of breeds. All were in crates, most in groups of two, one crate had three. They were all playing and seemed happy.
Appearances can be deceiving and I'm guessing in this store, it is. My problem is I don't know enough about it to even ask the right questions. One final thing, these puppies are really cute . That's how they get you!! Easy to fall in love with one of these little guys and if you bring a child in with you, you'll never get out of there without a new doggie.
BTW...I have nothing against people buying a dog from a retail store. I did it 22 years ago and DJ was a great dog who lived almost 16 years. But times are different now. So many dogs & cats that are in shelters and need rescuing.
Have a dog day afternoon.