Mall Puppy Shops? Not a good choice.

I have to start with a confession. I absolutely love to go to malls that have "Puppy Shops" so I can see the little puppies in the windows. But at the same time, I feel there are so many things wrong with the business of selling puppies that way that I can't understand why anyone would buy a puppy from them.

First, the prices are ridiculous. For a purebred puppy you end up paying over $1500 for a puppy without a good pedigree and which you have no history - of their health, or their parents.  You can get some extremely well bred, closely monitored purebred puppies from a reputable breeder, and can have the history of their parents and even their grandparents in many cases.  You can even actually see the parents and watch how the parents behave in most cases.

Next, there are more and more "designer dog" mixes being sold through these stores.  Names like Puggle (pug/beagle), Chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund) and Maltipom (Maltese/Pomeranian) all 'sound' cute, but in reality, they are not very different than the "mutt" mixed breed puppies you can find in at any time in any animal shelter.  It baffles me that people pay over $1000 for a puppy of this type when you can find extremely cute mixed breeds that look exactly like these designer mixes for a modest donation at the shelter or rescue organization.

Third, I can never be sure if purchasing a puppy in a mall store is supporting the awful Puppy Mill industry. Having seen and worked with puppies and moms rescued from a puppy mill, it makes my heart sad to know that the industry is still going strong.

Lastly, putting puppies on display for "impulse sale" goes against everything I believe is important for you to consider when you make the serious decision to bring a puppy into your life.  You need to understand what you are getting into.  You have to understand what type of behavior you can expect from that breed and that particular bloodline.  You have to understand what type of time commitment you will be making.

If you aren't willing to research what types of dogs would work for you, and if you aren't willing to spend the time to drive to breeders or shelters in your area to find a puppy, you probably shouldn't get one.  This is not because I feel everyone should think or act like I do when selecting a dog or puppy.  It's because I know how much effort it takes to raise a puppy, so making the right choice...and understanding that you are ready to make that commitment is more than 80% of what will make your relationship with your pup happy.