The Pros And Cons Of Getting Your Puppy From A Shih Tzu Breeder
July 17, 2008 – 7:15 pmOnce you accept a Shih Tzu into your life, you marvel at how vivacious and friendly they are. They can help you cope with your problems by helping you take a different perspective - theirs. After a couple of years, you begin to wonder how you ever could have existed without a Shih Tzu, because they bring you so much and ask for so little in return. Once you get to know one Shih Tzu, you can’t help but care for the welfare of all Shih Tzus and all dogs.
These torture chambers for dogs are called puppy mills. There, dogs have no exercise, usually no vet care and live in tiny wire cages until they can no longer breed, then they are shot or pummeled to death. One central Pennsylvania puppy mill worker defended puppy mills as saying that “Puppies are biodegradable.” (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer.) Very rarely do people buy directly from puppy mills - they buy indirectly through pet stores that sell puppies and through web sites.
Even Hitler didn’t deserve to live in a puppy mill (well, maybe), let alone innocent dogs that never committed a crime or bore anyone a grudge. If you want to stop puppy mills, then you have to do certain things. You can write to your local politicians demanding the end to puppy mills. You could support charities fighting to bring about the end of puppy mills. And, you can bring down puppy mills in the nicest way of all - buying your next puppy from a Shih Tzu breeder or adopting one from a Shih Tzu rescue.
Sometimes Shih Tzu rescues and your local animal shelters might have Shih Tzu or Shih Tzu mix puppies for adoption. Six to nine months of age is one of the times dogs are most abandoned. They’ve passed their really cute puppy stage and cold reality is setting in. If you bought a puppy on impulse (which often happens in a pet store), then you may be saddled with a dog that you are not compatible with.
Not only are you getting your next best friend from an ethical source, a reputable Shih Tzu breeder, you are getting a healthy dog too. Most importantly, you get the assurance that you and your Shih Tzu are matched in personality and temperament.
The pet store employees usually have so much work to do that they cannot give the puppies the individual attention they need at this critical time. A puppy learns best from eight to fourteen weeks of age. When they miss this window, they will have a hard time learning to be a good pet.
Nobody wins when a puppy is bought from a pet store. The buyer doesn’t win, because they have a sickly and maladjusted puppy. The puppy’s parents sure don’t win, being forced to live in overcrowded wire cages until they are shot for being too old to breed. But the biggest loser is the puppy.
That someone will most likely buy Shih Tzu puppy in the window on impulse bereft of any Shih Tzu information can cause the puppy to soon be abandoned. A Shih Tzu breeder makes sure you and the puppy are well matched for life.
Tags: Dog
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