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Pet Shop Puppy: A Poem

3K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  msmagnolia 
#1 ·
Pet Shop Puppy

I'm a little puppy, so cuddly, sweet and small
I live inside a cage, you see at a Pet Store in the mall.
I'm not an only puppy, my sisters are all here.
My brothers, too, except for Ralph who died coz he was scared.
It's lonely here at nighttime when all the lights go dark,
We tremble in our cages and we whimper and we bark.
But no one comes to hold us or pet our fears away.
We sit all night in terror til the store opens next day.
We don't remember mama, left so far behind.
she did the best she could for us til Man said "It is time."
He crammed us all in cages too small for us you see.
We rode for hours; we could not help but lay in poop and pee.
And now we sit in a Pet Store where kids come taunt and squeeze.
They do not hear our whimpers or understand our pleas.
We're miserable and it's scary here we all would rather die.
But since we don't we do our best to run away and hide.

I know you think my story too sad to leave me be.
You want to take me home with you, a happy little puppy.
But please, though it is fearful to live here against our will.
If you take me that leaves a spot another pup will fill.
You can stop our suffering but not by taking us home.

You must be strong and leave us here, unsold and all alone.
For if you do not take me, then another pup won't come.
And maybe he will not be shipped so far away from home.
Tho some of us may not survive the cycle 'ere it falls.
If we don't sell they will not need more puppies in these halls.
And if they need no puppies then the Man will not bring more.
Eventually it can all stop! You CAN close the door.

So when you see a puppy face so sad and sweet and small.
In a cage at a Pet Store at your neighborhood shopping mall.
The best thing you can do for him is leave him sitting there.
That is the best way you can tell all dogs how much you care.

Poem taken from critterhaven.org, Author unknown
 
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#2 ·
Originally posted by LadysMom@Nov 9 2004, 01:32 PM
Pet Shop Puppy

    I'm a little puppy, so cuddly, sweet and small
    I live inside a cage, you see at a Pet Store in the mall.
    I'm not an only puppy, my sisters are all here.
    My brothers, too, except for Ralph who died coz he was scared.
    It's lonely here at nighttime when all the lights go dark, .......
    Poem taken from critterhaven.org, Author unknown

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Oh gosh... I have chills..... We need a crying "smilie".
 
#3 ·
Originally posted by LadysMom@Nov 9 2004, 01:32 PM
Pet Shop Puppy

    I'm a little puppy, so cuddly, sweet and small
    I live inside a cage, you see at a Pet Store in the mall.
    I'm not an only puppy, my sisters are all here.
    My brothers, too, except for Ralph who died coz he was scared.
    It's lonely here at nighttime when all the lights go dark,
    We tremble in our cages and we whimper and we bark.
    But no one comes to hold us or pet our fears away.
    We sit all night in terror til the store opens next day.
    We don't remember mama, left so far behind.
    she did the best she could for us til Man said "It is time."
    He crammed us all in cages too small for us you see.
    We rode for hours; we could not help but lay in poop and pee.
    And now we sit in a Pet Store where kids come taunt and squeeze.
    They do not hear our whimpers or understand our pleas.
    We're miserable and it's scary here we all would rather die.
    But since we don't we do our best to run away and hide.

    I know you think my story too sad to leave me be.
    You want to take me home with you, a happy little puppy.
    But please, though it is fearful to live here against our will.
    If you take me that leaves a spot another pup will fill.
    You can stop our suffering but not by taking us home.

    You must be strong and leave us here, unsold and all alone.
    For if you do not take me, then another pup won't come.
    And maybe he will not be shipped so far away from home.
    Tho some of us may not survive the cycle 'ere it falls.
    If we don't sell they will not need more puppies in these halls.
    And if they need no puppies then the Man will not bring more.
    Eventually it can all stop! You CAN close the door.

    So when you see a puppy face so sad and sweet and small.
    In a cage at a Pet Store at your neighborhood shopping mall.
    The best thing you can do for him is leave him sitting there.
    That is the best way you can tell all dogs how much you care. 

Poem taken from critterhaven.org, Author unknown
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Whats so nice about that poem i think its mean and whomever wrote it obviously doesnt know about pups they all want loving homes , Lady let me ask you something ..Whats your motive for all this negativity you continue to post. I have been reading your posts with hopes that you will stop finding so many things negative and be more positive about this breed. I may be the only one that is reading you this way but i feel like you rarely have anything positive to say -_-
 
#4 ·
Maxi's Mom:

If you re-read my posts, you will see that I certainly don't just post negative things. I have posted great websites and recommendations for clothes and bows, a link to the American Maltese Association about the Maltese breed standard, shared a silly professional photo of Lady poolside, participated in numerous posts about favorite shampoos and other grooming products, getting rid of tearstains, and even posted a free pattern for a Maltese Angel done in cross stitch.

Joe created this special section by request from another member, he said

"With the opening of this new sub-forum I would like to hear from all members their thoughts, ideas and experiences with Puppy Mills, Brokers or Home Breeders - The good, bad and the ugly".

If the subject here upsets you, I believe one of the reasons for keeping it separate was to protect those who don't want to learn anymore about pet shops and puppy mills as they can simply not visit this section.

Unfortunately, the truth can be "ugly".
 
#5 ·
Originally posted by LadysMom@Nov 9 2004, 03:03 PM
Maxi's Mom:

If you re-read my posts, you will see that I certainly don't just post negative things. I have posted great websites and recommendations for clothes and bows, a link to the American Maltese Association about the Maltese breed standard, shared a silly professional photo of Lady poolside, participated in numerous posts about favorite shampoos and other grooming products, getting rid of tearstains, and even posted a free pattern for a Maltese Angel done in cross stitch.

Joe created this special section by request from another member.  If the subject here upsets you, I believe one of the reasons for keeping it separate was to protect those who don't want to learn anymore about pet shops and puppy mills as they can simply not visit this section.

Unfortunately, the truth can be upsetting.
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Your Poem was on the regular board oh so i thought and i thought just maybe it would be a cute upbeat poem about how wonderful Maltese's are
but no it was about how we should leave puppies behind , i just don't get you, i mean listen i think its good knowledge to know about the bad people out there that breed massive amounts of puppies not caring what kind of sickness so forth i think those people should be jailed. I don't disagree with everything you say but i do believe that every animal deserves a chance regardless of how they came into this world. It bothers me that animals get put to sleep , how about children out there that are born into this world from drug infested losers should they not be adopted .....should they be left behind ok well you and i do not agree on things
so lets leave it at that :eek: :
 
#6 ·
Originally posted by Maxismom@Nov 9 2004, 02:39 PM
Whats so nice about that poem i think its mean and whomever wrote it obviously doesnt know about pups they all want  loving homes , Lady let me ask you something ..Whats your motive for all this negativity you continue to post.  I have been reading your posts with hopes that you will stop finding so many things negative and be more positive about this breed.  I may be the only one that is reading you this way but i feel like you rarely have anything positive to say  -_-
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Maxis Mom, How ironic.... I swear I was just today thinking what an asset Ladys Mom is to this forum. She has given real substance to the posts here and has provided us all with valuable information. IMHO she has raised the quality of this forum up a notch.

SM is not likely hold my interest for the long term if all we have are the same people telling cute stories about their dogs... Please, please, please don't misunderstand what I am saying. I love reading about everyone's babies, but I also like to read something with a little more substance. Learning about the breed is one of the most valuable assets of a forum such as this and Ladys Mom's posts are ones I always look forward to reading. That's what's so great about this forum... we can choose to read what we want to.
 
#7 ·
Originally posted by Maxismom@Nov 9 2004, 03:19 PM
Your Poem was on the regular board oh so i thought and i thought just maybe it would be a cute upbeat poem about how wonderful Maltese's are
but no it was about how we should leave puppies behind ,<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=15594
[/QUOTE]

Maxis Mom, the post in question was indeed on the board entitled, "Puppy Mills/Brokers/Home Breeders." I can truly understand your shock at expecting to see a warm, fuzzy poem and ending up reading one that was very sad. That's no fun, for sure. That happened to me once on MO and if I had known it was going to be a sad poem, I would have avoided it..... but it caught me off guard, as is what happened to you, here.

It is great that the more serious topics are off to themselves and we can avoid them when we're just not in the mood for serious stuff. There are days when I just want only the fun stuff myself.
 
#8 ·
I agree, Lady's Mom is a wonderful asset to this forum and I look forward to reading her posts--all her posts. She has a great deal of knowledge about this breed and cares enough about them to tell all sides of the story.
Many years ago before the internet was as widespread and accessible as it is now, I went looking for a pet Maltese. I would have gone to a pet store, I thought that is where the very finest dogs were, accounting for their high price. I couldn't afford that, so I opened up the newspaper and found my Oliver. Had I had access to a forum such as this I would have been better informed and certainly would never have gone the route I did. On the other hand, I never regret for a moment having Oliver, or the tremendous financial sacrifice he required. What I do regret and feel heartache over is the amount of pain, illness and suffering this dog endured in his lifetime from being poorly bred. And I got lucky as back yard breeders go--this was a lady that loved Maltese, had been breeding and loving them for many years and it was just a hobby with her-she in no way felt she was exploiting them. Oliver came to me well socialized, happy and loved and made a wonderful companion. I shudder to think of all his brothers and sisters that are spreading the same genes he had, and what kind of lives they lived. Oliver required a lot of dedication and dollars, how many of his brothers and sisters were abandoned or put down when they got expensive?
I think we should discuss what we know about this breed, or the business of dog breeding because without knowledge of the problem we can never put an end to puppymills. And the person searching on the internet looking for information may be stopped from buying a puppymill dog or from a back yard breeder. If there isn't a market, the supply will stop.
I know this is long but I do have to add one more thing---some petstores(and maybe most chains) have agreements with the brokers to take the dogs back when they are too old and not cute and saleable. I can only imagine what becomes of those poor souls when they outgrow their cuteness and the brokers are left to dispose of them. It is a vicious cycle, buy one and another puppy replaces it--don't buy it and another puppy will still replace it....
Quincymom
 
#10 ·
Your right i agree some of you girls can read all the terrible things and i will continue to enjoy wonderful stories about our babies which is how this board was when i originally joined , i will have to be more diligent when i am going through the posts and make sure i don't come upon anymore negativity. Your right everyone has the right to free speech .........some like to be absorbed with all the horrible things that can happen while others like to be around happy healthy advice and stories
about this breed. Boring or not i prefer to listen to positive and happy things from the posters rather than hear about all the terrible things that happened and can happen , unfortunately in this world we live in we can't save everyone so its nice to hear about cute happy things especially about this breed. Im usually a fighter when i don't agree which i don't but this time im going to just say enjoy the negatives and ill enjoy the positives and the boring stories, and Kallie you dont have to remind me of what Joe wrote im well aware of the rules on here
if that was intended for you to make a point or call me out on here for Joe to read my posts i can't imagine being closed out on here because i enjoy positive reading rather than negativity in any event i will as of today choose my reading on here
 
#11 ·
Here is another excellent article on the pitfalls of pet shop puppies:

Pet Shop Problems

Regardless of staff claims that they buy from from reputable breeders, nearly every puppy in pet shops comes from a large-scale commercial breeding operation, also known as a puppy mill.

The Code of Ethics of AKC affiliated Breed Clubs discourages members from selling puppies to pet shops. Any breeder who sells to pet stores is not an ethical breeder, since good breeders want to personally interview and educate prospective owners of their carefully bred puppies. As documented by the Companion Animal Protection Society, breed rescues and humane organizations nationwide:

* Pet shops typically buy from brokers who get animals from puppy mills, which are commercial breeding establishments that mass produce dogs for resale. Many puppy mills and brokers are based in the Midwestern U.S. and Pennsylvania, but they are located across the country.

* Puppy mills and pet shops often do not properly socialize their puppies. Many pet shop puppies lack fresh air, exercise, play, and sufficient positive human contact, which help a puppy become well-adjusted.

* Unsound breeding practices can predispose dogs to hereditary afflictions like hip dysplasia, dislocating kneecaps, eye problems, and aggression, as well as genetic conditions such as liver and heart diseases, autoimmune disorders, and seizures.

* Pet shops usually do not provide full information on genetic disorders prevalent in certain breeds, or copies of documents such as Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) on the hips of both parents and the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) on the eyes of both parents.

* Pet store pups and animals from backyard breeders typically are not tested for genetic disease and are not adequately protected from illnesses such as parvo, as documented in news reports and in Animal Court cases. Thus, countless families have endured the heartbreak of seeing their pet store pups eventually become crippled by hip dysplasia, lose their sight due to progressive retinal atrophy, lose their hearing due to congenital deafness, die of cardiomyopathy or suffer from many other breeding-linked disorders from allergies to patellar luxation.

* Pet shop puppies can be prone to parvovirus and distemper. For example, parvovirus symptoms are not immediately detectable, so a puppy with parvo may share a cage with a healthy puppy. Symptoms may not appear for several weeks, and by then the puppy might be in a new home.

* Pet shop puppies typically come into contact with numerous animals at puppy mills and brokers' holding facilities, during transportation, and at pet shops, often exposing them to illnesses and parasites. Transportation stress can make them more susceptible to disease.

* Puppies can also be exposed to disease, infections and parasites at the pet shop/kennel.

* AKC registration does not guarantee proper breeding conditions, health, quality or claims to lineage. AKC staff do not visit all breeders and facilities; instead, registration is done primarily through mailed forms.

* State licensing and USDA approval does not mean good conditions, merely minimum business requirements.

* A number of the trucks used by commercial breeders to transport their live "merchandise" have been caught transporting puppies in inhumane conditions, as revealed in local newspaper stories this year and in past year.

* Pet shops do not typically screen buyers. Impulse buyers may not have prepared sufficiently or have a suitable environment for a puppy. Pet shops do not take back and rehome dogs from customers who later realize they cannot or do not want to keep the dog for life.

I personally think this last one one is very important. I call it that "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" mentality:

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggley tail
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie's for sale

Now, that's the poem I find upsetting!
 
#12 ·
I also look forward to the interesting posts and links from Lady's Mom. One of the nicest parts about this board are the topics. For instance, I'm not very interested in recipes and rarely venture over there. For people like me who found this forum BEFORE they found a breeder and a maltese, this particular topic is very educational.

Lady's Mom, the poem is great and brings chills. In theory I completely agree with it. In practicality it would sure be hard to get close to a little puppy who needed a home and walk away. I never go into a pet store that sells purebred dogs so that I won't have to deal with the sadness. (Of course the Humane Society sets up out front at my local Petsmart which I think is wonderful.)

Thanks for posting the poem.
 
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