Thank goodness I don’t have to worry about ads, I keep my site clean of ads. But you can be damn sure I will spread the word on GoogleAds. :)

I TRY to be philosophical about it, but time and time again when I ask “Why? Why did you get their puppy there, or from the pet store, when there’s so much info on how to get a good pup from a GOOD breeder”, I get the answer “I was in a hurry and wanted one now”. Or “Breeders ask all those questions”. Never is it for a cheaper dog - these are smart people, with decent incomes, who you’d assume would know better.

I despair that those sites and sites like Puppy Find (forking sign of evil eye) will be around as long as people are lazy and not willing to wait. They want to buy dogs like sweaters, and to throw them away just as disposably when they tire of them.

There, that’s enough bitterness.

There are internet dog sellers up here that run mills - have pictures of the pups in nice baskets in the kitchen, etc. That’s just for the suckers, of course. Anybody who knows dogs can see the pups are way too young and don’t look so hot. The ones in Quebec (our version of Missouri/Ohio/PA, take your pick) have trucks that pick up the pups and drop them off along the way at their new homes.

It’s pretty easy to get a pup. Just go to the SPCA or if you want a purebred, visit a good breeder, preferably one you’ve heard of via word of mouth. Good breeders don’t advertise much, if at all. You should have to wait for a pup but can often get an older dog sooner. The breeder should show, judge, or work their dogs in some way. You will always see the mother and actually, unless it’s a pretty big hobby kennel, seeing the father is a red flag. So is being able to use credit cards. So is their not grilling you intensely about how you plan to maintain the dog. There are other things to watch for but those are the basics.

Also, don’t be fooled by an AKC or CKC registration - the registries don’t certify their members or do any kinds of inspections of their member breeders.

“Yeah, I know that, Pat. My bad. I’ll resist in the future.”

Sorry - didn’t mean to make it sound like I was chastising you! I’ve just found that there are an awful lot of people out there who don’t realize that those little ads are little money makers, so the less clicks the better!

Which means that if you click the link, Google gets money for carrying these sleazy ads, but it costs the sleazy advertiser money.

Decisions, decisions.

Its wonderful that you are highlighting this issue. Unfortunately, the people who buy these puppies don’t read this blog and don’t care where the puppy comes from.