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I'm just livid about this

1921 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Rain, 
traciek88
I had to vent about this somewhere other people know about dogs because I'm just exploding with rage and feel like I'm overrating a little but...UGH!

So I was excited about going to a big pet expo this weekend, and browsing their facebook page when I came across a list of rescues that would be showcasing animals there. I was a bit confused and questioned the expo page when I saw the name of an enormous puppy store with the word "rescue" after it. Luckily it's a really good expo and they said they would look into it immediately. Then I did some research for myself...

This puppy store ("Shake a Paw"), is a freaking enormous puppy store--like 50+ dogs are there, with multiple locations. Years ago I looked up some of their millers' USDA reports and of course found terrible stuff. At first I saw the site and thought, oh, they went humane, and thought that was a good thing. But I was extraordinarily suspicious when I saw some of their puppies "for adoption", as well as the prices they were charging. They now run a "rescue center" with what might very well be legit rescue dogs and some vaccine and spay/neuter programs, as well as a freaking puppy store. So basically, it's like a battered women's shelter run by wife beaters.

Not only that but it's registered as a charity, gets donations and volunteers (who must be ridiculously stupid) and probably have a huge tax shelter. I saw interviews with the CEO and ugh, he just seemed like such a seedy, sneaky character. He's clearly just capitalizing on people who know rescue is the best but don't understand the intricacies of the commercial/mill industry and how these people are still a huge part of the problem. This is such a wolf in sheep's clothing situation and I'm steaming. I really hope this expo center bans them from coming back next year (or maybe even this year!) because they're clearly a farce of a damned rescue. Ugh. It's got me so upset I'm almost not looking forward to the expo anymore because I'll just be so mad the whole time.
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K9Chaos
I completely understand your frustration with this. However I feel the need to stand up and point out that you said "people who know rescue is the best" and well that is not true at all. Buying from an ethical breeder is just as good if not better than getting a rescue dog in some situations.

Not trying to start a fight or be disrespectful but I am starting to get a little frustrated with all the casual anti-breeder/anti-pedigree dog stuff that is floating around.

Like I said though I do understand how irritating this is. There are a lot of shady unethical rescues here in Arizona and somehow they still keep getting volunteers and money - no matter what they do.

It seems no matter how many facts you point out to people they will believe what they want to believe!
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traciek88
I'm sorry if you were offended by my comment about rescues being best but that's not the point. I'm not against ethical breeders and will probably patronize at least one in the future. But this isn't about ethical breeders, it's about people destroying the purebred dog, which should also piss off any true dog fanciers who want purebreds to last more than a few more generations without all coming out deaf, epileptic and insane. This isn't a rescue vs. ethical breeder issue. Besides, if I had a clearer head when I wrote it I would've said "rescue is best/better than getting a mill puppy". This is a point blank, tortured mill dogs vs. rescue dogs. And for all I know their "Rescue dogs" are just spent breeders and special needs puppies from the same source.
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annageckos
Didn't even know Shake a Paw was still around. There use to be one here when I was a kid. I had hopped them they gone out of business. Anyway, there is a pet store around here, Pets Plus that I decided to walk around a few weeks ago and I saw 'for adoption' on the puppy cages. With the HSUS logo on it and they were all 8ish weeks old and spayed/neutered already.
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Rain
Did you give them a site with the ratings on that place? Here's one that I'm reading now... Top 101 Complaints and Reviews about Shake A Paw Puppies
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Dawnben
The best thing you could do is print out a bunch of the complaint page and hand it out at the expo. Education is the best remedy and will at least make you feel better.
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traciek88
@Rain Thank you so much for that link! I just sent it to the pet expo people and said to show it to the manager.
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StormyPeak
Maybe you should contact a newspaper in your area and ask a reporter if they would like to research for themselves this company...some reporters LOVE to expose the ugly behind businesses.

Stormy
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A
K9Chaos said:
I completely understand your frustration with this. However I feel the need to stand up and point out that you said "people who know rescue is the best" and well that is not true at all. Buying from an ethical breeder is just as good if not better than getting a rescue dog in some situations.

Not trying to start a fight or be disrespectful but I am starting to get a little frustrated with all the casual anti-breeder/anti-pedigree dog stuff that is floating around.

Like I said though I do understand how irritating this is. There are a lot of shady unethical rescues here in Arizona and somehow they still keep getting volunteers and money - no matter what they do.

It seems no matter how many facts you point out to people they will believe what they want to believe!
Click to expand...
I completely agree. People look for simple answers. At one time it was Pedigree = great dog! and no more thought was put in. And lo and behold unscrupulous people churned out crap dogs with pedigrees for profit.

Then people said Rescue = great dog, not those 'evil breeders'. And lo and behold unscrupulous people churned out crap dogs, claimed they were 'rescues' and charged big adoption fees for profit.

There is NEVER EVER EVER going to to be a 100% best 'source' for a dog that's a pat answer. People are going to have to investigate the source of their dog, be it a breeder or a rescue.

But most people don't want the hard work of looking, they want an easy answer and will continue to be duped. Handing out fliers or getting a local news crew in will help at this one juncture, but big picture until us humans change other humans are going to look to take advantage, and not care about any animals or anything else that gets hurt in the process.
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traciek88
@akodo1 Again, this is not annoyance and anger at breeders. This is anger and annoyance at puppy mills and puppy stores. There is a big difference between the two and I don't know why everyone is acting like I've said I think all breeders are evil and all rescues are good when I've definitely stated I'm ok with good breeders multiple times on this site. There is no such thing as a 100% good source for a dog, but there's pretty much a 100% source for a bad one.

ANY dog lover would see and know that these people are horrible and destroying the purebred dog. So I would like it if anyone who reads this takes notice that I have nothing against good breeders who care about their animals and breed for health, good personality and a purpose.
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Rain
traciek88 said:
@akodo1 Again, this is not annoyance and anger at breeders. This is anger and annoyance at puppy mills and puppy stores. There is a big difference between the two and I don't know why everyone is acting like I've said I think all breeders are evil and all rescues are good when I've definitely stated I'm ok with good breeders multiple times on this site. There is no such thing as a 100% good source for a dog, but there's pretty much a 100% source for a bad one.

ANY dog lover would see and know that these people are horrible and destroying the purebred dog. So I would like it if anyone who reads this takes notice that I have nothing against good breeders who care about their animals and breed for health, good personality and a purpose.
Click to expand...

I completely understood what you meant. I'm not sure what the pet expo is about but it's going to feature rescues and Shake A Paw is there as a rescue. Meanwhile at it's stores Shake A Paw sells puppies that are at best from backyard breeders, at worst from puppy mills. Those types of places are one of the reasons that dog rescues are around. It's like a bar running AA meetings. They seriously contribute to alcoholism but hey at least they also help fix the problem. :eyeroll:
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