It is almost three weeks until Christmas day. - If it really is your intention to give a puppy as a holiday present, that pup is five weeks old now. This is the time to contact a breeder and make arrangements for a puppy. Under no circumstances whatsoever, you do not want to take a puppy home that is younger than eight weeks.

To separate a puppy from its litter before eight weeks is inviting problems. Pup has not had the full advantage of learning the lessons from its mother and its litter mates. You will be starting with a disadvantaged pup; and it is simply not fair to pup nor is it fair to you.

And, please, don’t let the decision to buy pup be a impulse at the pet shop or the shopping mall. The pet shop has no real control of the distribution chain. There are simply too many steps in the marketing process. You will have no idea of what the socialization process has been for pup. You will have no idea of the time when pup was removed from its litter. You will have no idea of how much isolation that pup has encountered. The reassurances from the pet shop are meaningless. Totally meaningless. They have no idea - they do not know the valid answers to these questions. There are too many steps in the marketing and distribution chain. And any pet shop, with a dog’s best interest in mind, would not market pups in the manner of treating these young animals as a ’sku’ (shelf keeping unit).

Pups are sold in this manner for profit. It is not in the best interest of the pup nor is it in the best interest of the customer. Pup is a commodity and each segment in the marketing chain takes a per centage of the profit. That is why there are puppy farms. And it is disgusting.

Many reputable breeders will tell you that it often costs them money to have a litter. Many breeders are happy just to cover their expenses. And many reputable breeders will not sell you a pup if you contact them a few days before Christmas. A reputable breeder will ask you questions to determine whether you can provide a good home for pup. At the pet shop, the only pertinent question they will ask you is whether it is cash or credit card.

Humbug!!!

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster:  http://flyinghamster.com/

[tag]puppies, christmas, socialization, eight weeks, pet shop, profit, distribution, breeders, commodity[/tag]