Daily Walrus - Helping People Help Animals

Today we were at a neighborhood pet “boutique” buying dog and cat food for the boys.  They had a bulletin board for people to post fliers and ads for things like cat-sitting and dog-walking services.  Jenny noticed a flier advertising pit bull puppies for $250 bucks alongside fliers for numerous dogs in shelters. 

I was very happy to hear Jenny say to the shop owner, “You know it really stinks that so many pit bulls will be euthanized in shelters because people choose to buy them from backyard breeders like the ones on your board.  I wish you didn’t allow ads for breeders when there are so many homeless dogs.”  The owner was a little surprised and said “You know, I’ve never thought about it that way.” 

We made our purchases and left, happy that we had made her think about the affects breeders have on shelter populations.  The next time we need food or treats, we will be sure to stop in to make sure there aren’t any fliers for breeders on the board.  If there are, we will let her know what we think, and that we will be shopping at a different neighborhood pet-food store. 

Don’t be afraid to let your favorite shops know that you expect better from them if they want to keep your business.  Free community bulletin boards should be used for animals in need, not backyard breeders who make hundreds of dollars per puppy while denying a shelter dog a chance at life.