By Morgan Buerke and Sara Laurie, Reporters
Freshman Mara Hernandez loves Luigi, but she has regrets.
Three years ago, she bought the fluffy West Highland terrier from a pet store in Naperville. She now wishes she hadn’t bought from that store.
“Some pet stores are bad because they’re associated with puppy mills and encourage inhumane treatment of the animals there,” Hernandez said, as Luigi roamed her house looking for something to chew on. “Our next pet is going to come from a shelter or breeder.”
Like Hernandez, many people don’t know how to purchase a dog without inadvertently supporting animal abuse or puppy mills.
Dr. Robyn Barbiers. president of the Anti-Cruelty Society, said that although some stores, like PetSmart and Petco, have adoption programs which showcase available homeless animals, others carry dogs that often come from puppy mills. “I would avoid purchasing dogs from pet stores unless the store can verify that the animals came from a reputable breeder,” Barbiers said.
An ASPCA study shows that of the 75 million dogs owned in the U.S., up to ten percent were purchased from a pet store. Yet Elliott Serrano, a Humane Education Specialist for The Humane Society of the United States, said that the most responsible way to get a dog is also the least expensive.
“I am a staunch advocate of adopting animals from shelters and not purchasing them,” Serrano said. “Consider that there are millions of dogs in animal shelters waiting for someone to come in and give them a home.”
Other responsible options include going to a breed rescue organization, which is similar to a shelter in that it specializes in rescuing homeless animals of a particular breed.
“Getting a dog from a shelter [or a rescue organization] saves lives,” Colleen O’Brien, director of As Good As Gold, a Golden Retriever rescue, said. “It saves the life of the dog you adopt, and it frees up a spot at the shelter for another dog.”
A third option is a breeder, which is usually a family that breeds dogs at their home and sells the puppies. “Getting a dog from a reputable breeder is acceptable if they take good care of their dogs and breed them not to have health issues,” O’Brien said.
Junior Grace Fabrizius and her mother, Family and Consumer Science teacher Judy Fabrizius, breed AKC-registered Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers at their farm in Maple Park. The family has only one or two litters at a time, Grace said.
“We have their hearts tested, their eyes tested, and their hips tested,” Grace said. “They get fresh food and water every day and night, and they get two different kinds of wormings, and at 3-6 weeks old, they get shots.”
Small family breeders like the Fabrizius’ are the kind that animal rights groups recommend, for those who prefer to purchase a dog rather than adopt.
Yet where to get the animal is not the only consideration. Barbiers cautioned that before getting a dog, or any animal, a family should consider several factors. “Anyone under the age of 18 should not be adopting without parental consent,” she said. “The pet needs to be a decision that everyone in the family has approved.”
The family’s lifestyle needs to be a good match for the pet selected, she said. Every type of dog has a different personality, from sweet to ferocious.
“If you are an active person that likes to run and exercise, consider getting an active dog like a border collie or Labrador retriever. If you like to sit on the couch all day long and sit inside, consider a dog that’s personality is the same. Always look at a dog to match your lifestyle,” Barbiers said.