Mystery Lady's Story (see the next story for Shari's contribution)
It was apparent fairly early that Maggie was sick. She had a kennel cough that required antibiotics to stop. (Kennel cough is highly infectious and is quite common in puppy mills.) She had some rectal bleeding but this turned-out to be due to some ham-handed care from the veterinarian who saw her. She has some extra teeth that will require surgery to remove. (You may wonder why the Mystery Lady bought her and the answer is that she wasn't coughing at the time and we didn't have enough experience at the time to check her teeth, etc.)
She never received the papers that were promised and she discovered the price charged was almost twice as much as is typically charged by professional Shih Tzu breeders. We needed to research the purchase better but never dreamed we could be making such a mistake in dealing with an apparently harmless pet store.
There is hardly a word that was told to her by the people in Petland that was true.
If you are not familiar with the criteria important in evaluating the dog, take it to a vet. You wouldn't buy a car simply because you liked the color, so don't buy a puppy just because you like its coat. And don't be so sure that the puppy's coat color will remain true! Check the look of both parents because that's the only way you're going to be sure you'll like the appearance of the puppy when s/he is an adult.
While they shed very little, their hair does grow very quickly and the cute puppy color may change completely by the time s/he becomes an adult. If the parents have unruly hair, you can expect a great deal more maintenance. Their hair mats very easily and all the more if the hair is programmed by genetics for unruliness.
The following information regarding the Shih Tzu's overbite / underbite was contributed by Charlee B from the Puget Sound Shih Tzu Fanciers:
It is not terribly uncommon for Shih Tzu to need to have baby teeth pulled. When you buy them, you will have no way of knowing if this will be an issue, as it is not until their adult teeth come in that you see baby teeth not coming out as they should. They should be removed at 6-7 months if they do not come out on their own. If you are neutering the puppy, it is good to combine procedures at this time.
Also, Shih Tzu are actually SUPPOSED to have an underbite- though it is better if it is slight. It is even called for in the breed standard, and what would be considered a good bite in another breed is a fault in Shih Tzu!
Check the dog for an inguinal hernia. While this is fairly common in the breed, you should be aware of the potential before you buy the dog. You will risk subjecting your dog to surgery to cure the problem otherwise.
It's difficult to tell with a puppy but the stance of the dog is important. It should be cocky without being aggressive. This is another reason to work with a professional breeder as they can always show you how the parent dogs look and behave.
Don't take a puppy home before it is eight to ten weeks old. To move them out quickly, some backyard breeders and large-scale puppy mills will wean them very young. The puppies are extremely cute at that age but you do them no favor if you take them home too soon.
If you're not a breeder, don't plan on becoming one as a hobby. It isn't a hobby, it's a profession and should be left to professionals. The Mystery Lady isn't snooty about extensive breedlines but dogs without a good pedigree are more likely to wind up in the pound or the vet for the problems they may carry with them. All this is stuff we discovered later on.
The Mystery Lady didn't get the 'best' dog, at least according to papers, but she was still a great pal and remains one. You should always deal with a professional breeder. Ask for pictures of the parents and perhaps the grandparents as well.
In closing, please don't let this story deter anyone from buying a Shih Tzu. They are absolutely charming little dogs. As with just about everything else, deal with professionals.
Letter from Petland Store Owner
An indignant letter was received from an owner of a Petland store and he claimed his is not run like the one described here. Perhaps not but there are two of them within five miles of the Mystery Lady's home and both of them work the same way: their salesfolk work on commission and they sell extremely over-priced, badly-kept animals.
Shari's Story
Shari sent the following email and gave her permission to reprint it. Her last name has removed to protect her privacy.
I bought a blind shih tzu puppy. He's so sweet. I paid $700 for him. After the vet faxed them a declaration about his condition, they had the nerve to call me and tell me they would give me back $450 and sell me the blind puppy for $150. Talk about slime.
Follow-up email after requesting permission to add her emails to this page:
Oh please make my day. They finally agreed to give me 2/3 of my money back - they actually charged me $150 for my little blind puppy. I quit trying to dicker with them. Now since this happened, I went back in a couple of petstores, and it is just so blatant that these petstores, like Petland, are perpetuated by animal cruelty. I didn't believe it until this happened. I didn't think people would sink that low. Petland was bright and cheerful. We have named him Chocolate - and he is so precious. They wanted us to bring him back and exchange him - and we said no way because they would just destroy him in some horrific way - ( I read what they do). The vet said that something was wrong with the nerve in his eyes, I hope they didn't hit him or throw him around. Lucky we have the other shih-tzu. They play all day and Gizmo is always protecting him. He'll be just fine. Everybody thinks he is so sweet. Thanks for everything you do
No comments:
Post a Comment