I'm a sucker for gambolling puppies with their big feet and wet eyes. When I walked by this shop on my way home from work, I would gaze at the puppies playing in the window. Having two dogs at home made it impossible to contemplate a third, but still it couldn't hurt to look, right?
Wrong! In recent years, the RSPCA has highlighted the problem with pet shops sourcing their puppies through puppy factories. Now many pet shops will claim that their puppies have come from accredited breeders and not puppy mills but still, there are a lot of media reports and ex-employee testimonials contradicting these claims. The problem is there are highly inflated stories on both side of the fence and without proper government regulation, it's hard to get to the truth.
So if you are looking to buy a puppy, follow the latest RSPCA guidelines which can be found here:
http://www.rspca.org.au/how-you-can-help/campaigns/pedigree-dogs/choosing-a-puppy.html
In the meantime, don't buy a puppy from any pet shop without first being able to visit the breeding facility to see the conditions for yourself. If they claim to be using accredited breeders, they should be able to provide contact address to substantiate their claims.
My rule of thumb is, if they are not transparent with where they are sourcing their breeds, I will not support their shop even when it comes to buying pet accessories. read more