Resources:Articles:Pet Store Experience
One Owner's Pet Store Experience
In January of this year, 2001, we came home from a pet store with our new "purebred" puppy. We never intended to buy a puppy from a pet store, we had always intended on going to a reputable breeder, but there was something so different about this dog! Please keep in mind that we are in the middle of building a house, I have two small children of my own, and I do childcare for a living. When I say that we never intended on coming home with a dog, believe me, we didn't! However, my husband has always wanted a Weimaraner, and although this was a bad time for us, we knew that this was the breed we wanted. Did I mention that what made this dog so different was his coat color? Our "purebred" Weimaraner has a cream colored coat. At the pet store, we were told that he was a purebred weim and the AKC had pulled his papers because of his coat color, and at the time, it seemed logical to us. Bear in mind, papers had NEVER been issued for the dog. After talking with several people, we decided to apply for his ILP so my husband could participate in field trials. (Our ILP application is pending). Through the entire process, after having talked to several professional breeders, our vet, a dog trainer and the AKC, we were told that there was no such thing as a cream colored weim, and that there was NO WAY our dog could be a purebred.
I called the pet store and questioned them on the reliability of their source. They came back with a song and dance about how they looked it up in a book and found that sometimes a dog's coat color can vary from the standard and that while it was rare, it was perfectly normal. When asked why they told us that the dog was issued papers, but that they were pulled, they told us the girl must have misunderstood. I called back some time later to talk to the girl who sold us the dog and was told that she no longer worked there.
At that point, I called the vet who had given the dog his first shots a call to ask him what he knew about the breeder, the circumstances, and the litter. When he found out that I was calling about a cream colored purebred weim, his secretary ended the phone call. When I asked when I could call back, she said that he was very busy and probably wouldn't have time to talk to me, but that I could try if I wanted.
Now, I was starting to get frustrated, and I felt like I couldn't get an answer from anyone. I then called the pet store back and told them that I wanted proof that the dog was a purebred or I wanted my money back. Only then, did they sit up and take notice that I was serious. They put me in touch with a woman named Jody from the Hunte Corporation (a puppy broker). She gave us the address and phone number for his breeder in Kansas. She also produced a family tree of sorts. It looks more like a family branch. Almost all of the great-grandparents are brother and sister, and the further back you go, the worse it looks. However, it does show that the two dogs the breeder is claiming are the parents are both weimaraners registered by the AKC.
At this time, we contacted the breeder personally and she told us that they had 5 gray weims and 3 cream weims out of that litter. She told us that the litter was registered, but she never filed papers for our dog because of his coat color. She then told us that she would like to help us in any way possible, and she would send in his papers, she saw no reason why he couldn't be registered as long as he was a purebred. Further, she also told us that she didn't know that he was being sold to pet store! Imagine that... she sold a purebred Weimaraner puppy to the Huntes Corporation for $150 and didn't know that he was going to a pet store! I invite you to visit her web site - www.puppygarden.bigstep.com, and while you are there, please realize that she must be a serious breeder of weims, seeing as how she breeds NINE other kinds of dogs, and doesn't even know how to spell Weimaraner.
My dog has had many problems with bladder infections; in fact, our vet told us that the original one that he came home with was the worst one she'd ever seen. I do not know if his parents are OFA certified, and he has a vet appointment this afternoon to check for a heart murmur, as he is the most laid back 8-month-old puppy you have ever seen. Currently, I am struggling through red tape trying to find out what, if anything, the dog is mixed with. At this point, I am utterly disgusted that the AKC would keep affiliation with a breeder like this, and so is everyone who knows my story. I am saddened that the life of a dog could mean so little to so many. I am further sickened by the pet store, and the Hunte Corporation for deceiving a customer. Who knows what else they are trying to cover up. We love our dog, but have become advocates of proper breeding. We are considering having the dog DNA tested and have turned our case over to the Improper Breeding Committee at the AKC. We are anxiously awaiting their results, and are considering legal action. There are so many unknowns when you do not take the time to research the breeder, and the dogs that they are breeding. There are also other things that puppies struggle with when they come home from a pet store. They are terrified of their kennel, they were taken so early that they never bonded with their littermates; they are usually sick and almost always have been treated for worms. I know that we were suckered into the "look how cute that puppy is” type of sale that the pet stores depend on to make their sale. Let's face it, it's an impulse buy. If you went home and thought about it, you would never buy a puppy from a pet store, there are just too many variables! I hope that anyone you pass this on to anyone who considers buying from a pet store - or even a "backyard breeder". I hope that others will learn from MY mistake.
The owner of this dog thought that they were doing the “Right thing” by purchasing this puppy from the pet store. Pet stores are interested in selling puppies and related products. They are not concerned with making certain that particular breed is right for you and your family. Buying a puppy from a pet store only makes room for another to take its place. Purchase your next family member from a reputable breeder, one who is interested in what type of home you can provide, who has done the appropriate health checks, and offer health guarantees on the puppy. Please do not put money in the pockets of the pet stores and puppy mills.