Research paper

[Luka-pop]

I'm doing a research paper for school and since it was a free topic, I decided to do it on how pet stores are greatly contributing to the number of unwanted pets. And because we can use any source we want to, I need your help. What are your views on pet stores?
Do you agree that it is irresponsible?
Do you disagree with selling animals to just anybody, without finding out about their history with animals, knowledge, or housing requirements?
Do you think that it would be better to have staff that have knowledge about animals, and not just hiring anybody for the job?
Do you agree that dogs from pet stores have physical and behavior problems?
Do you feel that many unwanted dogs are due to the ignorant owner, who purchased a dog at a pet store because it looked cute and sad?

It'd be great if you could give me any type of info concerning this. I also need help narrowing down the topic, because my teacher said that I'd find too much info on this topic and that it should be narrowed down. Any suggestions? He suggested doing a paper on the psychological affects on dogs at pet stores, but it''s hard to find info on that. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

[pei obssessed]

Luka-pop, I think that everybody here on this forum would answer YES to all of your questions... But that wouldn't be of much help to your paper. What your teacher said wouldn't work for me either, just because unless you're a dog psychologist, you can't know how being in a pet store affects the dogs psychologically.
So, what I can see as a good paper topic is discussing the how likely it is that animals bought at the pet store will be abandoned by thier irresposnsible owners. And maybe there are people here who rescued animals that came from the pet store (I haven't, but maybe somebody did) and they can tell you about the health and behaviour problems these dogs had...
Buying a dog from the pet store isn't a good option, because:
--the dog probably comes from a puppymill (the parents haven't been checked for any genetically transmitted disease, and are bred with no concern for the dogs' behaviour)
--the puppies in pet stores are separated from their litter mates and mother too early and miss out on socialization. Hence, later bahaviour problems... (dog-aggression, people-aggression, fear of cars, noises)
--puppies stay in a very small glass box 24 hours a day with no excercise. They're kept in there sometimes until the age of 5 months (although this is a time when they need to investigate things, bond with their human family, and exercise A LOT).
--I've read stories about pet stores selling pups as pure bred, when they're actually mixes (but you'd need to research this if you're to use it)

One last piece of advice (maybe obvious, but...) from somebody who's written and maked a lot of papers :) --even though people on the forum might be very helpful, don't use us as your only source. There's a lot of stuff on the net on pet stores and puppymills.
Hope this helps,
Dana
P.S. see just a few things I've found...
http://www.helppuppies.com/pmill.html
http://www.stop-puppy-mills.com/
http://www.ecsel.psu.edu/~dwg128/essay.html

[athenix]

I agree with the suggestions you've been giving.

One other thing to keep in mind is that anyone who wants to is allowed to come in, pick out a puppy, and take it into a private "puppy room" to play with... this concerns me, as while the dogs are being handled, it's difficult to tell what some people may be doing in those puppy rooms and whether they are clean enough to be handling young puppies of that age.

If you need any help, please feel free to e-mail/PM/IM me; I'd be more than happy to assist in proof-reading, or anything else you may need!

[Rosebud]

:wink:

I think narrowing you topic to what pei suggested would be a great idea.

Another point about pups sold in stores is that the buyer picks their pup regardless of what that pups temperment is. There is never a breeder there to test these pups and question lifestyles to help pick the best personality for the family. How devastating would it be for a little boy who wants a golden that will rough-house with him and the one they bought is insecure and shy.

This part of picking a pup from a litter is very important if the family is to be a forever home and it is not an option that is available at pet shops.

You could use this point as your basis as why most pups from pet shops end up being abandoned.

Good luck.

:angel: