Soon-to-be owner of 2 pug puppies!

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Yes, unfortunately, these puppies more than likely came from puppy mills (at worst) or backyard breeders (at best). Look for papers that say where the breeder was located and you will often see Missourri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania or other puppy mill states. Don't be fooled by pretty websites, anyone can make a pretty website. A big red flag is the breeder accidentally sending two pups....and a breeder who sells to brokers. Reputable breeders would NEVER do either.

The puppies are usually healthy after screenings, but their parents almost always live in hell. Please have a vet who is not associated with the breeder or broker check your little ones over well and screen them for conditions common to puppy mill dogs. be on the lookout for genetic issues which the parents were likely not screened for. A quick and very partial list common to poorly bred pugs:

Hip dysplasia
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Luxating Patellas
Liver shunt
Brachycephalic syndrome
Pug Dog Encephalitis
Heart murmurs
...this list is far from complete.

Enjoy your new babies, but discourage anyone else from purchasing pups in that way again.

I hope this comes through, it's a link to my Facebook page and something i wrote about puppy mills and puppy brokers a while back.

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Assuming they check out healthy and sound you can begin the adventure of raising two pups! I have two brothers who are six years old who were littermates, and while they are close, they by no means are more bonded to each other than to their people.

Please post pics! We love to watch puppies grow up!

Take care,
Lisa

[Monie009]

Although I haven't read my contract yet - I presume that the "store" takes back the pups, I can't imagine they send back to the breeder. But perhaps I am wrong. This makes me very sad to hear. But let's pray the pups are healthy - happy won't be a problem because we will provide them with a wonderful warm & loving home :)

[Monie009]

I will be bringing the pups to our labbie's vet -don't worry, it is a vet completely UNASSOCIATED with this broker/store - and I will make the vet aware that these are likely puppy mill pups.

How heart-breaking, and I must say, quite embarrassing as I trusted this person given the professional relationship with my family. Next time (my husband and I are dog lovers, so there will likely be a "next time") we will not use this guy.

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Next time, if you can find it in your hearts, consider adopting a rescue or shelter dog. So many pugs in rescue all around the country right now needing good, loving homes like your's. if you must have a pup, please buy from a reputable breeder and expect that you will be waiting a long time for a puppy and you will pay more initially, but you will also be assured that their parents are well treated and loved and they have been screened for genetic problems which can cost many times the price of a good puppy. Also that if your puppy should develop a problem later, the breeder will stand behind the dog for life.

Take care,
Lisa

[Pinkles]

Welcome to the village. I hope you will come here often and ask lots of questions, it's going to be a toughie with 2 pups!

It's a shame that this post also makes me a little sad to think about those pups parents. I am so glad we no longer have pet shops in the UK that sell puppies/kittens. (although that still doesn't stop the millers)

A tip for you when buying a puppy is, you should ALWAYS see your pup(s) with it's parents or at least it's mother and ask the breeder a million questions, a responsible breeder will always be happy to accomodate you :)

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Don't fel bad. Many, many people here unknowingly bought puppy mill pups or backyard breeder pups. Myself included. My first pug, marty was a backyard breeder dog who developed Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and required double FHO surgery before he was a year old. I even got to see him with his littermates and parents, but the parents were not DNA tested or had their hips/knees certified, etc. They were just family pets. His surgeries totaled over $5,000 and were extremely painful and stressful for him.

I love Marty and wouldn't trade him for the world, but I wish I had known back then what I know now. All of the pugs I have gotten after have been rescues.

Take care,
Lisa

[shaynapug]

The net can be a wonderful thing....but it also lures unsuspecting people to make poor decisions. These puppy millers make things looks so wonderful...and people feel because there's a nice website...they must be good!!!

No matter where you get them from......you'll love them and care for them as if they were from the top pugs in the country!!! A pug is a pug is a pug! You'll also educate others about what happened to you!

Seeing this all working out nicely for you and for the pups!

[Monie009]

We do plan on rescuing our next dog - - my husband wanted us to adopt a pug, but (admittedly, and yes, perhaps selfishly, I really wanted to have the experience of raising a puppy) ... and now I will get that experience times two!! Thank you all for opening my eyes to what is going on with mills/backyard breeders/people just selling dogs for financial gain. It's sad to think how many people (myself included) are just not fully educated on what goes on.

Both my husband and I are attorneys (boring, i know!) ... but we are young, and wish we could spend our days somehow working with/caring for dogs & cats (we rescued a cat about 6 months ago!)... we keep wondering if our true calling in life is to do something more along those lines than sit behind a desk all day. We don't have kids yet, so we fortunately have plenty of time and the financial ability to care for our growing "Animal Farm" (a phrase I am using most affectionately). Perhaps educating people on a local level is something we can start doing.

I was unable to read the Facebook link on puppy mills - - b/c I do not "Facebook" and therefore could not log in. If there is any other way to view the article, I would be interested in reading it. That is such a sad story about Marty, and I hope he is doing well

I already feel like I have a wonderful support system through Pug Village, I am so happy I decided to post today. THANK YOU ALL!

[Wally 'n' Leto]

Hi,

My husband and I also have an Animal Farm!! (see sig below)

Our little pug-zu boy Wally came as a spur of the moment decision from a local pet shop (that a good friend works at and was certain that the pups did not come from mills though there was maybe a broker involved), and we too wanted the experience of owning a puppy. Our vet said that she had the impression that Wally was NOT a mill dog because he's so sociable and seemed very healthy (likely, therefore, a backyard breeder). But when we bumped into the breeder a couple of months later as we were going to the store and she was bringing in a couple of pure pug pups, Wally greeted her like he had greeted nobody else ever with giant kisses and wriggling like a worm, so we know he liked her, at least. She recognized him right away too (but that wouldn't take much, he is kind of, well, unique). We hope that his parents were also loved and treated with dignity, but we will never know. Quebec is the puppy mill capital of Canada, after all.

I have found that sometimes people will ask why you bought instead of rescued, and can be quite hurtful (probably unintentionally), even if there's a bit of a back story like we have. Have a stock answer ready for them, and as someone has said, be ready to spout the praises of rescuing. Now you know about brokers, but you didn't then.... we all do the best we can with the knowledge and resources we have at the time.

No matter where these puppies came from, they will be your baby dolls and don't let anyone rain on your parade! You will love and cherish them no matter where they came from!

(We rescued our pug Leto this year, he's 'handicapped' and looked like he would never find a home, and that seems to make even the most cynical critic concede that we are paying our karmic debt!!)

Congratulations, and I hope you find a good deal on pee pads!! :) LOL Also, better hide your good going-to-court shoes!

Hugs from us all, and especially kisses to the pups from Wally.

(oh, and if you wanted to do something about animal law, there sure is a need!!!!!!)

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Sorry, I copy and pasted it:

Do you know what life is like for a dog in a puppy mill?

Kept in wire cages barely large enough to turn around in their whole lives, paws deformed and enlarged from walking on wire. They are often de-barked by shoving pipes down their throats to rupture their vocal chords. They are bred constantly, fed minimally, broken bones or injuries left untreated, they never know what it is to go for a walk, live in a house or be loved and cared for.

Often shot when they become too old or sick to produce puppies, or they freeze to death or die from heat in cages in barns and sheds with no heating and cooling systems. These animals, born to trust people, are used and used up before they reach the age of four or five. A few manage to make it into rescue organizations, like my little Peaches, who had seven litters of pups by the age of four.

Puppy mills would not exist if puppy brokers, like the Hunte Corporation (the worlds largest purchaser of puppy mill and backyard breeder puppies and the largest supplier of puppies to pet stores) did not buy these puppies. They also would not exist if pet stores were not allowed to sell puppies and kittens. They also wouldn't exist if people refused to buy from pet stores and bought either from reputable breeders or preferably, adopted unwanted animals from shelters and rescues.

The Hunte Corporation alone brokers the lives of over 85,000 puppies per year. Please, we can all do something about this horrible situation by refusing to buy from pet shops and working to ban the sale of purebred puppies and kittens from pet stores. Without our support puppy mills will not exist. That cute little ball of fluff in the pet shop window most likely came from a puppy mill and her parents are living in hell. Please stop the abuse.

take care,
Lisa Smith